Resilient Leicester bring Rodgers vision into focus
at the King Power Stadium 3-1
Five years ago Jurgen Klopp was beaten at the King Power Stadium, with Jamie Vardy running rampant for a Leicester City side on their way to lifting the Premier League title.
That remarkable achievement may never be repeated, but on Saturday
there was further evidence that Leicester are refusing to go away quietly, as Brendan Rodgers continues to disrupt the hierarchy.
Since September 2019, Leicester have spent only one match-day weekend out of the top four, and this was Rodgers’s vision in high-definition.
Liverpool’s title challenge disintegrated in front of Klopp, with a seven-minute implosion sparking another inquest ahead of a potentially pivotal week in their season.
The alarming form of goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Liverpool’s centrehalf issues and more injury concerns were thrust into sharper focus, but nothing should detract from the job Rodgers is doing at Leicester.
This will have been a sweet moment for the Northern Irishman, who had previously never beaten his old club. He is building something special, and this performance had all the qualities – high-pressing, intensity and ruthless finishing – for which his best teams are renowned.
Last season Leicester fell away at the end due to a spiralling list of injuries, but this year they appear more resilient and with greater strength in depth. There is a determination to go one step further and bring back Champions League football.
Vardy, winger Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans were excellent on Saturday, but perhaps the key man was Wilfred Ndidi. The defensive midfielder with the telescopic legs performs an incredibly valuable job, and his dominant display cast further doubt over Thiago Alcantara.
Introduced after 17 minutes as a substitute for the injured James Milner, Thiago’s class is without question, but against Ndidi it was a chastening experience. At times it felt like watching a great film director at the end of his career, being responsible for a big-budget turkey.
Leicester remain in contention for a top-four finish and have now beaten Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.
“This year we’ve been really good against the top teams, so it’s not something that we’re not used to,” Barnes said. “We knew it was going to be difficult, but it’s not a massive surprise to win.
“Liverpool are a great side, but we knew they haven’t been in good form. It was about getting chances and denying them a lot of the game, and then we knew we would have a good chance of winning it.”
Barnes enhanced his reputation with another menacing display on the left wing, scoring the third goal. His performance came in front of Gareth Southgate, the England man
ager, and a recall to the squad for next month’s opening World Cup qualifiers is surely inevitable.
Barnes said: “It’s in the back of my mind. There’s a lot to focus on first, we’ve got the Premier League and Europa League, but obviously the Euros are coming up, so I want to be in and around the squad.
“I think it’s my best goalscoring season, and I’m really happy with how the season is going.”
Liverpool had appeared to be rediscovering their verve and vigour for 75 minutes of this contest, with Mohamed Salah giving them the lead. But a controversial equaliser from James Maddison, after a lengthy Var review, swung the momentum 12 minutes from time. They went in front after a bizarre mix-up between Alisson and debutant Ozan Kabak let Vardy in, before Barnes sealed Liverpool’s third defeat in a row. Worryingly for Klopp, Liverpool have now conceded six goals in the final quarter of their past two matches and their own hopes of a top-four finish are in jeopardy. His side face RB Leipzig in the Champions League tomorrow before the Merseyside derby on Saturday.
Klopp is caught in the middle of a storm and probably just wants this season to end so that the club can refresh. For Rodgers, who knows all about late capitulations undoing good work at Liverpool, there is genuine excitement about the months ahead.