For a short while, Newcastle United vs. Arsenal 2.0 appeared to be unfolding before supporters’ eyes at the Etihad Stadium, as Leicester came back from 4-0 down to make it 4-3 against Manchester City on Boxing Day.
Former Man City man Kelechi Iheanacho had struck the seventh goal of the game in the 65th minute at the home of the champions, but Aymeric Laporte soon responded before a late Raheem Sterling strike ended any hopes of an astonishing Leicester comeback on Sunday.
That 6-3 defeat at the Etihad leaves the Foxes 10th in the table after Brighton & Hove Albion’s late-night win over Brentford, and they have no time to dwell on the manner of that defeat before they lock horns with Liverpool after a 48-hour recovery period.
Defeat to the reigning Premier League champions marked Leicester’s fourth loss from six games in all competitions, but all of those defeats have come on the road, with Brendan Rodgers’s men producing the goods at home on a consistent basis recently.
Indeed, the Foxes have won their last three at the King Power – scoring at least three goals on each occasion – but a record of just one clean sheet from their last 16 top-flight games does not bode well against Jurgen Klopp’s rampant attacking crop.
After another unsurprising post-match rant from Klopp over the hectic winter schedule – with Jordan Henderson also weighing in with concerns over player welfare – Liverpool were granted a festive rest when their proposed Boxing Day clash with Leeds United was postponed.
A raft of injuries and COVID-19 cases in the Whites’ camp meant that the game could not go ahead as scheduled, with Liverpool now enjoying the rare luxury of a six-day break in the month of December as they endeavour to sustain their title charge.
Streams Links => Stream 1 HD ¦Stream 2 HD ¦ Stream 3 HD
However, the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on December 19 ended their six-game winning run in the Premier League and eight-game winning streak across all competitions, with those two dropped points seeing them enter the week still second in the Premier League table – level with Chelsea having played a game fewer.
Having scored at least two goals in 11 of their last 12 Premier League games away from home, Liverpool would do well to keep that goal-laden run going at the King Power, especially with two of their most potent attackers about to jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Leicester did manage to claim a 3-1 win against Liverpool on their own turf back in February, though – three months after Klopp’s side had eased to a 3-0 Anfield victory in the top flight
