Diogo Jota scored twice against Leicester City at Anfield to keep Liverpool alive in the title race, let’s have a look at the match highlights.
Liverpool’s centre backs pounced on errors from opposition defence, to release Diogo Jota and the Portuguese duly obliged. Jota scored the opener in the 34th minute from a set-piece and the winner in the 87th minute.
Liverpool vs Leicester: Match Highlights
Liverpool looked good right from the get-go. The Reds suffocated Leicester with their intense pressing and drew fouls and chances for goals but couldn’t put the finishing touches. Until Jota broke the deadlock for Liverpool when he pounced on a rebound from a van Dijk header.
As the half progressed, Liverpool became slicker and more fluid in their movement of the ball. Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz‘s runs and combinations troubled Leicester throughout the game. Speaking of Diaz, the Colombian had a promising debut. Diaz completed 5 dribbles and had a passing accuracy of 91.1% (per, WhoScored). It is really a mystery, how neither of the two registered a goal or an assist.
However, Liverpool chose to reduce the game’s tempo at the start of the second-half. The Foxes tried to assert some dominance then but, whatever they mustered was nullified by a stout defence and effective pressing. Liverpool looked much better when Harvey Elliot was substituted for Curtis Jones and Thiago switched to the left in a box-to-box role. From that point, Liverpool ran the game. Salah also came on, to a rapturous ovation from Anfield.
The Reds then went about their work; drawing fouls, creating chances, and generally making a nuisance for Leicester. Mohamed Salah was in the thick of it all. He almost scored two worldies. For one of them, he dribbled past Leicester defenders and shot but Schmeichel saved. Salah then went agonizingly close, as his curler from the edge of the box struck the woodwork.
The Egyptian King made 4 shots, with 3 on target and 1 hit the woodwork. If it weren’t for Kasper Schmeichel, who made a whopping 9 saves, Liverpool could have embarrassed Leicester. However, Jurgen Klopp might have been sweating until Jota turned home a cheeky pass from Joel Matip.
Apart from a few missed passes in the midfield in the first half, Liverpool looked resolute in their defence. Leicester had one decent chance, which was parried away by Alisson. All-in-all, it was a very completer performance. With this win, Liverpool have cut their deficit to City to 9 points with a game in hand. However, Liverpool needs to continue win to trouble Pep Guardiola’s men.
But for now, let’s just hope that key players remain fit and in-form, to repeat these performances. And who knows? Come May, we might have some silverware at the end of it all.
