Match Preview: Liverpool v Sevilla

The Reds will return to Champions League action on Wednesday when they face Sevilla at Anfield.

Liverpool held by Sevilla in Champions League opener

Liverpool began their Champions League group stage campaign with a 2-2 draw with Sevilla at Anfield on Wednesday.

Match Day: Liverpool 1-1 Burnley

Liverpool endured a frustrating afternoon at Anfield as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley on Saturday.

Goal Highlights: Liverpool 1-1 Burnley

Liverpool is keen to make up for the frustration of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Burnley.

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Showing posts with label leicester city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leicester city. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Liverpool eliminated from Carabao Cup at Leicester


Liverpool suffered elimination from the Carabao Cup at the third-round stage on Tuesday night as they were beaten 2-0 by Leicester City.

Shinji Okazaki came on as a second-half substitute to put the Foxes into the lead against the run of play after the Reds had dominated the opening period at the King Power Stadium.

The strike served to galvanise the home side – and they made certain of their place in the next round when Islam Slimani powered an unstoppable effort into the top corner as the clash ticked towards its finale, ending Jürgen Klopp’s side’s tournament hopes in the process.

Liverpool return to the same venue on Saturday tea-time for a Premier League encounter with Leicester, in which they’ll hope to end a run of four matches without a win.

The key points…


  • Okazaki comes off bench to put home tem in front on 64 minutes.
  • Slimani powers in second for Leicester on 78.
  • Oxlade-Chamberlain makes full debut for Liverpool.
  • Ings comes on for first appearance in 11 months after injury.


The team news…

Liverpool made eight changes to their starting line-up for the cup tie, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain handed a full debut.

Elsewhere, Danny Ward, Dominic Solanke, Jon Flanagan and Marko Grujic also began, as did Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Philippe Coutinho.

Danny Ings was named on the bench for the first time since October 2016.

The first half…

Despite the changes, Liverpool set about taking the game to their opponents from the off – and were almost ahead after just five minutes had elapsed.

Winning the ball back high up the pitch, Coutinho slid a pass into the path of Andy Robertson’s run into the area. The Scot steered it back into the centre, where Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived primed to turn it into the net; however, he was denied by an outstanding block by Ben Chilwell.

From the resulting corner, the Reds threatened again as Solanke made a nuisance of himself among a crowd of blue shirts, winning possession and drilling agonisingly across the face of goal from a tight angle.

Next, Coutinho bamboozled his way beyond three defenders and into the box, where a drive towards the near post was beaten away by Ben Hamer.

The Brazilian then had another attempt thwarted by the hosts’ goalkeeper before Solanke stabbed over the bar on the stretch when attempting to reach Robertson's latest centre.

The chances were being created frequently – even into first-half stoppage time, when a Coutinho prod presented Solanke with a chance, but he scooped over under pressure from Hamer.

Indeed, as the teams headed back to the dressing rooms, Liverpool’s attempts tally at goal stood at 13 to Leicester’s two.

The second half…

Ben Woodburn replaced Coutinho at the break and while the Reds maintained their first-half pressure in the early exchanges, the Foxes fashioned their best chance of the evening so far nine minutes after the restart when Demarai Gray’s low drive across goal had Ward momentarily worried.

And as the contest progressed, Craig Shakespeare’s side visably grew into it – and duly took the lead on 64 minutes.

A cleared corner was hoisted back into the danger zone, where Wes Morgan headed across into the path of Vicente Iborra. He nudged it back towards Okazaki, who diverted the ball low into the bottom corner.

Liverpool’s response saw Woodburn skim the roof of the net with a curler from the left-hand side of the box, while Ings was introduced for Wijnaldum.

The striker was close to an equaliser when he attempted to glance Woodburn’s cross around Hamer, but he couldn’t make the necessary connection.

However, Leicester’s influence on the game had continued to grow since making the breakthrough - and with 12 minutes left to play, they helped themselves to a second when Silmani cut in from the right and arrowed a powerful effort into the top corner, ending the Reds' hopes of progress in the competition.

Source: Official Liverpool FC

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Premier League Asia Trophy: Liverpool beats Leicester City for the trophy


Liverpool rounded off their tour of Hong Kong by winning the Premier League Asia Trophy with a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday.

Islam Slimani headed the Foxes into an early lead from close range; however, Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah combined magnificently to enable the former to nod in an equaliser soon after.

Coutinho then got himself on the scoresheet with a stunning finish prior to the break, cutting in from the left and drilling into the far corner to ensure it was the Reds clinched the pre-season friendly tournament trophy.

In front of a near-40,000 crowd, a sizeable majority of which there in support of Jürgen Klopp’s side, Liverpool began strongly.

The zip of the Reds’ attacking play was raising decibel levels and causing Leicester problems, and Coutinho had Kasper Schmeichel worried with a trademark curler after just three minutes on the clock.

However, firmly against the run of play, the Foxes grabbed an early lead; after opening up their opponents down the left, Christian Fuchs delivered to the back post, where Slimani powered a header into the net from point-blank range.

Nevertheless, Liverpool didn’t waste any time restoring parity – and they did so via a goal of outstanding quality.

Initially collecting the ball wide right, Salah swapped passes with Trent Alexander-Arnold before moving inside. He then laid it square to Coutinho and continued to dart into the box.

The Brazilian took a touch before scooping a pass into the path of his teammate’s run, and Salah did the rest by heading beyond Schmeichel.

Then, 10 minutes before half-time, the Reds went close to taking the lead. Kasper Schmeichel’s punch under pressure at a Coutinho free-kick dropped invitingly for Georginio Wijnaldum, but his hook back towards goal bounced just wide of the upright.

Klopp was forced into a change just before the interval, with Alberto Moreno taking the place of James Milner due to a knock, but Coutinho gave cause for cheer when he struck a second with a trademark piece of quality.

Picking up possession on the left, the No.10 ducked and weaved his way beyond Leicester challenges before arrowing an unerring effort across goal and into the far corner.


However, that advantage could have been wiped out twice inside the opening three minutes of restart.

First, Jamie Vardy moved into space inside the box and steered his shot across goal but wide of the post, before he was thwarted in a one-on-one situation by Loris Karius on the edge of the area soon after.

At the other end, substitute Marko Grujic hooked a half-volley over the crossbar with an acrobatic effort, while Liverpool required another new introduction to the contest – Ragnar Klavan – to pull off a saving challenge to prevent Vardy from steering home a leveller after he’d again wriggled into a dangerous position.

There were to be no further opportunities of note for either team as the game edged towards its conclusion in sweltering conditions, meaning the Reds were the team lifting the Premier League Asia Trophy before heading back to Merseyside.

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