LEICESTER'S record of scoring in every game this season came to a halt as Christian Benteke's goal sunk them at Anfield. Here Reginald Enyi looks at what we know now that we didn't before the Boxing Day clash.
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| Benteke scored the only goal of the game after coming off the bench |
1. All good things must come to an end
Leicester were not quite at it here, not quite as potent on the counter attack as usual and suffered only their second defeat of the season as a result.
It has been a remarkable rise to the summit of the Premier League by Claudio Ranieri’s side and, having grown accustomed to winning, it will now be interesting to see how they react to this reverse when hosting Manchester City on Tuesday.
They are far from a two-man team, but with Riyad Mahrez relatively quiet, barring a shot which brought a smart save from Simon Mignolet, taken off after 80 minutes and Jamie Vardy subbed after 69 minutes they lacked attacking threat.
Mignolet went on to make an excellent save from substitute Nathan Dyer, but Leicester’s proud record of having scored in every game this season is over.
2. Benteke must take his chance
Jurgen Klopp’s backing for Christian Benteke whenever he is quizzed about him quickly finds itself contradicted by the Liverpool manager’s own actions.
Overlooked when the first substitution was made at Watford last weekend, Benteke again found himself behind Divock Origi here only for opportunity to knock earlier than he could have imagined.
In fairness to the £32.5m striker, he has only started two consecutive games under Klopp which is a sequence hardly allowing him to find his rhythm and range.
He is likely to get that now and his winning goal here, a smart finish on the slide from Roberto Firmino’s only contribution of note, should boost his confidence.
But he must show he has the movement and mobility to prosper in a Klopp team.
3. Origi has no luck
Origi had been given the chance to start ahead of Benteke and was impressive until being forced off through injury in the 38th minute.
His searing pace had troubled Leicester captain Wes Morgan, he pressed from the front and all that was missing was the finish to go with his intent.
When Liverpool signed Origi, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger privately questioned whether the striker, who had been playing in France, would score enough goals in the Premier League.
A hat-trick against Southampton in the Capital One Cup showed his potential and Jurgen Klopp will hope the setback is not too serious.
4. Top four the target for Klopp
If Liverpool can muster some momentum, string together some back to back victories, then a Champions League berth is not beyond them.
Their hopes will also require a wobble from either Tottenham, or Leicester, but a five point gap to fourth position cannot be viewed as insurmountable.
Next up is Sunderland when Klopp’s side can expect the sort of physical test they have shirked in recent matches.
5. Anfield turns up the volume
Klopp has been working on improving the atmosphere at Anfield: Whether by openly questioning why some supporters were leaving early or the manner in which he gathered his players together following the 2-2 draw with West Brom before telling them to bow in appreciation in front of the Kop.
Whatever the tactic, his efforts are working.
This famous old stadium was noisier than for some time, especially in the opening 20 minutes. That the visiting Leicester supporters still sang, ‘Is this a library?’ shows just how bad things have been before.
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