Liverpool won 3-0 at Leicester City to pile further misery on the relegation-threatened hosts at the King Power Stadium on Monday night.
Curtis Jones got a quickfire first-half brace to put Jurgen Klopp’s Reds comfortably in control, with Trent Alexander-Arnold getting the third with a stunning free-kick.
The win continues Liverpool‘s good run of form at the end of a tricky season for them and keeps them in hot pursuit of the Champions League spots.
Meanwhile, for Dean Smith’s Foxes, it’s another game closer to Premier League relegation, with just a trip to Newcastle United and a home fixture with West Ham remaining for Leicester’s great bid to escape the drop.
Having failed to put in place proper plans for the post-Brendan Rodgers era, Leicester is determined not to make the same mistake twice.
If they somehow squeeze clear of the bottom three, Graham Potter is their first choice to take charge, although interim boss Dean Smith will have a strong case to retain the post. Rescuing the Foxes from here would be a fine achievement.
But Leicester knows that Championship football next term is a distinct possibility and has begun to assess their options. The work of Swansea boss Russell Martin is admired at King Power Stadium, while Jon Dahl Tomasson has bolstered his reputation by keeping Blackburn in the promotion race for most of the season, on a tight budget.
If he wanted the job, Smith would also be a contender, having led Aston Villa to promotion in 2019.
A glance at the Liverpool bench brought a reminder of one of the most unusual transfer deals of recent times.
The Brazilian midfielder moved to Anfield on loan from Juventus last September but has had a spell to forget, restricted to a single senior appearance – as a substitute for the 4-1 thrashing at Napoli in the Champions League the week after he joined.
Injury has effectively curtailed Arthur’s chances at Anfield and he will return to Turin in the summer. ‘Next season will be decisive in my career and I am working very well. I’m looking forward to showing this new version of Arthur.’
There may have been slightly split loyalties in James Maddison’s family here. In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport in November 2020, the Leicester midfielder revealed his mother, Una, was a Liverpool fan. At least someone was guaranteed to be happy at the end of the game.
At the elite level, the modern full-back is not really a full-back at all, as demonstrated by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s average position during the first half.
The England man spent as much time infield as he did patrol the right flank, and it should have paid dividends when his superbly flighted first-time ball was miscontrolled by Cody Gakpo, who was clean through.
It was a gamble worth taking, as Jordan Henderson’s intelligent positioning, coupled with Leicester’s difficulties building attacks, meant Alexander-Arnold was rarely exposed.
The one time he was caught out of position, Harvey Barnes was released by James Maddison but could not make it count.
Curtis Jones is closing in on 100 senior appearances for Liverpool and this was the first time he had scored more than once in a match. The young midfielder marked his 95th game in a Reds shirt with goals within four minutes of one another late in the first half.
Midway through the first half, a message flashed on the big screen. ‘The pitch is for players, the stands are for spectators. Anyone entering the pitch will face a ban and police action.’ It was the first time the words had been displayed in this way at King Power Stadium this term and after Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was confronted by a fan at Leeds two days earlier, it felt timely.
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