How did Brendan Rodgers and Leicester beat Liverpool?
Both Leicester City and Liverpool kicked off under the spectre of Manchester City, one because they’d suffered a heavy defeat at the Etihad just days earlier and the other because Pep Guardiola’s side continue to set an unmatched pace at the top of the Premier League.
While Leicester were able to escape that spectre with arguably their best performance of the season, Liverpool certainly weren’t.
Jurgen Klopp hinted in his pre-match comments that perfection would be required to keep up with City, who have now won nine league matches on the spin, but what he got at the King Power was a long way from that.
Indeed, this result and performance could be the moment Liverpool lost their grip of the defending champions’ coat tails.
Leggy Liverpool lacked Foxes' bite
Liverpool had chances, most notably in the first half when Mohamed Salah had an early penalty kick saved, but this was a match that exposed many of their flaws.
If Manchester City highlighted their title credentials against Leicester on Boxing Day, this was a showcase of all that will stop their rivals from topping the table.
From their lack of shape in midfield, which was accentuated by the misjudged changes made by Klopp in the second half, to the space in behind the full-backs, Liverpool were at their worst.
Even more peculiar was the lack of intensity and energy in their play despite the Reds enjoying a six-day break since their last match.
They, not Leicester, looked like the ones who had played just two days ago.
While Liverpool enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the opposition half in the opening 45 minutes, they were frequently let down by an inability to control the ball in the Leicester box.
Indeed, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Salah all demonstrated a peculiar lack of touch in front of goal that let down the away side at inopportune moments.
In general, Liverpool failed to find a final product throughout.
Whether it was Kostas Tsimikas who completed just four out of 16 attempted crosses, or Mane who managed to put just one of his five total shots on target, Klopp’s team was full of players off their game.
Liverpool finished with 2.23 Expected Goals (xG) compared to Leicester's 0.74, but never looked like translating that into actual goals.
'Klopp let his players down'
For a team that had kept 10 clean sheets in 17 Premier League fixtures, Liverpool were also remarkably open at the back.
Brendan Rodgers recognised this and introduced Ademola Lookman for the start of the second half who almost immediately made use of the space down the channel between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk to score the opening goal.
Against Manchester City just a few days earlier, Leicester conceded much of the central areas, but with four midfielders picked from the start, with Youri Tielemens introduced at half-time for Kelechi Iheanacho to bolster the centre of the pitch further and give the hosts more control, the home team was able to match up to Liverpool, who had just three players in there.
The substitutions made by both managers changed the dynamic of the contest.
In Rodgers’ case, there was a shrewd acknowledgement of where the aforementioned improvements could be made. Klopp, however, altered too much.
This reduced Liverpool to a one-dimensional approach in the close stages - the only chances they had were with crosses and set pieces into the box.
In the first half, Jordan Henderson’s instinct to move out wide to get closer to Alexander-Arnold and overload Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gave Leicester problems.
He was able to do this in the knowledge that Fabinho offered him protection. But by withdrawing Henderson and Fabinho, Klopp eradicated the overloads as well as the protection.
It wasn’t just the players on the pitch that failed Liverpool, it was the man in the dugout too.
Pragmatic Rodgers finally learns his lesson
For all that he has achieved during his time at the King Power, Rodgers can sometimes lack pragmatism, but the tactical decisions made in this match, against his former club, proved the Northern Irishman’s willingness to adapt.
This was a game plan that both respected the calibre of the opponent, but also harnessed Leicester's natural qualities.
There was plenty of fibre in their midfield unit with Wilfred Ndidi making five interceptions and five tackles in 90 minutes. Dewsbury-Hall was also a proactive presence in the centre of the pitch, making four interceptions, illustrating his eagerness to step out and disrupt Liverpool’s passing rhythm where possible.
At the back, where Leicester fielded a makeshift defence, Daniel Amartey also did what was required, winning 100% of his tackles, making nine clearances and four blocks.
In many ways, this match flipped the script for both teams. Liverpool, a team that had scored in 34 consecutive games, couldn’t find the net against a team, Leicester, that had kept just two clean sheets in the Premier League all season.
While Liverpool appeared weary after a six-day break, Leicester were vibrant having played on Boxing Day.
But perhaps the biggest plot twist came in the way an under-fire Rodgers got the better of Klopp.