1st September, 2018
Liverpool overcame a terrible mistake by Alisson to beat Leicester City 2-1 on Saturday and maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season.
The visitors led thanks to Sadio Mane’s well-taken 10th-minute strike – the Senegalese’s fourth league goal of the season – before Roberto Firmino’s downward header doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time.
However, Rachid Ghezzal – on his first start for the Foxes – took advantage of an awful error by Alisson, who got caught in possession, to give the hosts hope just past the hour-mark.
Liverpool stay top of the table having won their first four league matches for the first time since 1990, while Claude Puel’s men remain on six points after a second defeat of the campaign.
Jurgen Klopp’s side arrived at a sun-drenched King Power in buoyant mood having won their opening three top-flight games without conceding, and it showed in the early exchanges.
The visitors spurned two gilt-edged chances after just five minutes when first Firmino, who had breezed behind a static Harry Maguire, failed to beat Kasper Schmeichel from close range before Mo Salah inexplicably side-footed the rebound wide of the gaping goal.
However, those misses were soon forgotten as Liverpool made the breakthrough after a storming run down the left by Andy Robertson, who bulldozed his way through Ricardo’s flimsy challenge.
The Scotland international then found Mane on the edge of the area and after the forward evaded Maguire’s tackle, he beat Schmeichel with a toe-poked effort into the bottom corner of the net.
Leicester could have drawn level midway through the first half, only for Alisson to palm away Demarai Gray’s shot when one on one with the goalkeeper and just as the hosts started to build up a head of steam, Liverpool struck again.
James Milner swung in a corner from the right and Firmino escaped the attentions of James Maddison to plant a header just out of Schmeichel’s grasp as the forward got off the mark for the season.
The home side came out all guns blazing after the break in search of the goal to get them back in the contest, and they got it thanks to a horrible gaffe from Liverpool’s new £67m ‘keeper.
Jamie Vardy served the last of a three-match ban, with Rachid Ghezzal replacing Kelechi Iheanacho and Mark Albrighton coming in for Daniel Amartey.
Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson made his first start of the season replacing Naby Keita in midfield.
Van Dijk was pressurised into playing the ball back to the Brazilian, who got dispossessed by Kelechi Iheanacho as he tried to dribble his way past the substitute in the area. That mistake allowed the striker to tee up Ghezzal for a simple finish into the unguarded net.
Luckily for Alisson and Liverpool, it did not cost them.