Injury-stricken Liverpool set a new record after extending their unbeaten league run at home to 64 matches

Liverpool go joint-top in the division after an emphatic 3-0 win against Leicester City. An own goal from Jonny Evans and two-headed efforts by Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino secured a straight-forward victory for the Reds.

Liverpool set the tempo of the game within the opening two minutes. The Reds went close with early efforts from Naby Keita and Sadio Mane.

Kaspar Schmeichel was forced into a plethora of smart stops throughout the encounter. The Danish international recorded nine saves in the game and played well even though he conceded three goals. After nine minutes he was called into his first save, denying Curtis Jones at the front-post.

Liverpool opened the scoring after 21 minutes courtesy of an own goal from Jonny Evans. The Leicester centre-half was more interested in getting hold of Mane instead of clearing his lines. Evans reacted horrifically late, allowing the ball to hit the back of his head, leaving Schmeichel with little time to react.

Image: Sky Sports

The opener was a wake-up call for the Foxes. They looked to equalise two minutes later with some sharp interplay between Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy, but Barnes managed to skew his effort wide.

Liverpool continued to be a threat from set-pieces. Joel Matip came close twice within five minutes. The Cameroonian met Andy Robertson’s corner in the 26th-minute mark before narrowly missing out on an assist for Roberto Firmino five minutes later.

Diogo Jota doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 41^st minute. Robertson met the penetrating run of Jota with a phenomenal cross. Jota ran across Christian Fuchs to guide the ball into the back of the net.

It was Jota’s fifth career goal against Leicester City – three of those coming from his time at FC Porto and one with his current side, Liverpool. He’s found the back of the net in four straight matches for the Reds.

Image: Eurosport

Leicester looked to strike back early on in the second half. James Maddison received the ball on the half-turn, threaded a ball through to Barnes, but the winger struggled to test Alisson.

There was an incredible sequence of play with 15 minutes to go. Firmino fired against the post, had his rebound cleared off the line by Marc Albrighton before Mane hit the bar.

Firmino’s perseverance was worth it as he powered home a header from a James Milner corner. Leicester were exploited by a cross yet again as the Brazilian towered above his marker.

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers shared his thoughts post-match:

 “I’m disappointed with the result and the first half. It was a little bit too passive for my liking, in terms of how we played and then when we had the ball, we gave it away too cheaply looking for the counter-attack moment too early”.

“Conceding the first goal was disappointing, because in the main, we normally defend set-pieces well, but we’ve had a couple of times now, away at Man City, and away here, we’ve conceded two goals from set-pieces. We’ve got to be more aggressive”.

Jurgen Klopp’s reacted to his side’s 3-0 triumph:

”…the game was really good. We had to play really good because otherwise you would have no chance and the boys did it from the first second. We controlled the game, we passed the right passes, moved in the right spaces, offered direction, used these offers. So, a lot of things were really, really good. We scored two goals after a set-piece but a lot of good football moments in a really, really good performance”.

The Reds’ makeshift backline secures them a second clean sheet of the season and propels them up to second place in the division, behind Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference.

Liverpool travel to the Amex Stadium as they look to make it six league games unbeaten against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Foxes’ flawless away record this campaign came to an end. The Foxes now sit fourth in the league on 18 points.

Rodgers’ side will look to bounce back with immediate effect in their meeting against SC Braga on Thursday before they return to the King Power Stadium to host Fulham on Monday.

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