The Sunday Mail
The impregnable, all-conquering red machine of the past two seasons is no more and requires a rebuild.
And for almost three-quarters of this game, you might have concluded they were back.
Dominant in possession, ferocious in their pressing, they seemed intent on delivering a defiant message.
And yet, they are in essence a side with three first-class centre-halves injured.
And their vulnerabilities were laid bare again by an excellent Leicester team in an extraordinary seven-minute spell of drama, chaos and inevitably VAR controversy.
Worst of all for Jurgen Klopp, one of his centre-half solutions, £22m signing Ozan Kabak, endured a horrible debut.
And Alisson, having barely put a foot wrong for two years, compounded last weekend’s errors with another dreadful mistake.
Liverpool weren’t exactly cruising on 78 minutes — how can any side be against a Jamie Vardy-led attack? — but they were in control.
That was until Harvey Barnes nutmegged Thiago, ran between him and Trent Alexander-Arnold and fell to the ground.
Initially a penalty was awarded, but Liverpool were reprieved.
Replays showed Thiago was just outside the box.
So James Maddison was on free-kick duties, drilling the ball across goal.
No one committed except Daniel Amartey, but he couldn’t get a touch, and as such, the ball rolled across goal and into the net for an equaliser.
A rogue offside flag was raised and Leicester fumed.
But a further minute’s checking showed Roberto Firmino’s foot just playing Amartey onside.
And so Leicester could now celebrate.
That was the signal for Liverpool to collapse.
On 83 minutes a long Youri Tielemans ball caught Kabak and Allison in a tangle, the Liverpool goalkeeper coming for and missing a ball which he had no need to deal with.
Into the void stepped Vardy, walking the ball into the net.
Now Liverpool looked like they might concede with every attack.
A wonderful double save from Allison denied Vardy on 84 minutes.
Yet Wilfried Ndidi’s ball then split their defence, leaving Kabak helpless and Barnes in on goal to score the third on 85 minutes.
In a first half dominated by Liverpool, the most glorious openings fell to Leicester and specifically to Jamie Vardy.
As the half drew to a close, Vardy embarrassed Henderson, flicking the ball past him.
This time Alisson’s long arms would flick the ball away before Vardy could round him.
That, however, doesn’t really represent a half in which Liverpool dominated.
Henderson at centre-half is more quarter-back than defender.
Time and again his raking, long passes would clear the head of the last Leicester defender, inviting Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah to run at goal.
In fact, Salah should have made more of his opportunity on ten minutes but under pressure drove wide.
When it wasn’t Henderson, Alexander-Arnold would play in similar balls, with Mane almost getting on the end of Salah’s cross on 17 minutes, but fouling Amartey in the process.
And we witnessed what might have been the save of the season from Kasper Schmeichel, though the goal may well have been ruled out for offside.
Not that Schmeichel knew that when he deployed his family’s trademark star fish technique and, when Firmino seemed to have found the back of the net with his deft header on 27 minutes, somehow pushed the ball away with his right hand as his body fell away.
It was remarkable athleticism.
But as Liverpool’s possession domination continued into the second half, the opening goal came.
First it was Alexander Arnold’s free kick on 55 minutes, which deflected off the wall and then rebounded off the bar.
It fell for Firmino, whose swivel and back heel was exquisite to play in Salah.
From twelve yards, he didn’t disappoint and Liverpool were finally ahead. — MailOnline.
EPL Results & Fixtures
Leicester 3-1 Liverpool
Crystal Palace 0-3 Burnley
Man City 3-0 Tottenham
Brighton v Aston Villa (Played late)
Fixtures
Today
Southampton v Wolves 2pm
West Brom v Manchester United 4pm
Arsenal v Leeds 6.30pm
Everton v Fulham 9pm
Tomorrow
West ham v Sheffield Utd 8pm
Chelsea v Newcastle 10pm
