Magic Coutinho Makes The Difference For Liverpool

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson earned Liverpool a 3-2 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Shinji Okazaki and Jamie Vardy found the net for the Foxes, with the latter missing the chance to make it 3-3 from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute.

Below are four talking points from the game.

1. Liverpool lack control but have the firepower to win

Individual mistakes at the back have undone Liverpool several times already this season, but their general lack of control was just as much to blame for Jurgen Klopp’s charges almost letting this match slip away from them.

The Reds were always going to come under heavy pressure after Okazaki halved the deficit on the stroke of half-time, yet they still should have done a better job of taking the sting out of the game after the break. When Henderson rounded off a counter-attack in the 68th minute, Liverpool looked set to enjoy a comfortable final quarter; instead, they proceeded to concede within seconds and were then pushed onto the back foot as Leicester sought an equaliser.

This inability to prevent the match descending into chaos did not cost Liverpool on this occasion, but it may do in the future.

2. Vardy and Okazaki don’t make life easy for anyone

Leicester spent big on Islam Slimani and Kelechi Iheanacho in the last two summer windows, yet Vardy and Okazaki remain Craig Shakespeare’s favoured front two. The pair were once again a real nuisance for the Liverpool backline on Saturday, constantly hassling and harrying the man in possession and turning lost causes into promising opportunities.

Okazaki fulfils the role of second striker, dropping back into midfield to block passing lanes and ensure Leicester are not overrun in the centre of the park. Vardy, meanwhile, is an expert at stretching defences with runs in behind, as he demonstrated on numerous occasions here – including when he was brought down by Simon Mignolet for the penalty. Slimani and Iheanacho possess their own qualities, but both have their work cut out to split up the Vardy-Okazaki partnership. 

3. Coutinho decisive with goal and assist

Coutinho did not run this game, but his decisiveness in the final third was ultimately the key factor behind Liverpool’s victory. A terrific cross for Salah allowed the Egyptian to open the scoring in the 15th minute, before Coutinho curled in a sumptuous free-kick to double the visitors’ lead soon after. It was the former Inter man’s 16th Premier League goal from outside the box since he moved to England in January 2013, a record no-one can match in the same timeframe.

Coutinho was deployed on the left-hand side of a front three here, while he has already been used as part of a midfield trio this season. The Brazilian will probably switch between the two roles throughout the campaign, depending on his team-mates’ availability and the identity of the opposition in front of Liverpool.

4. Are Leicester in trouble?

In a word: no. Although Shakespeare’s side currently find themselves outside the bottom three on goal difference alone, there is no need to panic in this part of the East Midlands. Leicester have had a difficult run of fixtures, facing Arsenal (away), Manchester United (away), Chelsea (home) and Liverpool (home) in the opening weeks, and in none of those matches did they disgrace themselves.

A 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion and a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield means Leicester have not yet lost to a non-big six side this term. With Bournemouth, West Bromwich Albion, Swansea City, Everton and Stoke City to come between now and the middle of November, it is unlikely to be long before Leicester climb up the table.