Liverpool plunged Leicester City nearer to relegation and stored alive its personal probabilities of ending within the prime 4 of the English Premier League with a 3-0 win on Monday. Curtis Jones was the unlikely scorer of the primary two objectives earlier than Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped an oblique free kick into the highest nook to wrap up a mismatch at King Power Stadium between groups heading in reverse instructions.
For Liverpool, a seventh straight victory in a formidable end-of-season rally secured not less than a spot within the Europa League and moved the fifth-placed workforce some extent behind each Newcastle and Manchester United within the race for the ultimate two Champions League qualification positions, behind Manchester City and Arsenal.
WATCH Curtis Jones rating opening aim for Liverpool HERE…
A beautifully-timed run earlier than a scientific end from @curtisjr_10 to open the scoring _ pic.twitter.com/P02n8rqmwr
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 15, 2023
Liverpool has two video games left — towards Aston Villa at house and already-relegated Southampton away — whereas Newcastle and Man United have three to play. “I don’t think it’s likely but if they slip, we have to be there,” Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp stated. “Will they slip? I don’t know. Will we win both games? I don’t know.”
For Leicester, morale might hardly be decrease with its top-flight standing significantly underneath menace simply seven years after successful the league in one of many nice underdog tales within the historical past of sports activities. The Foxes are in next-to-last place and two factors from security with two video games remaining. They are at third-placed Newcastle, for one of the daunting away video games within the league, and at house to West Ham.
Leicester has gained simply certainly one of its final 14 league video games and has conceded eight objectives in its final two, after the 5-3 loss at Fulham final week. Jones is an academy product having fun with a positive finish to an injury-hit season. The 22-year-old midfielder had scored solely as soon as this season earlier than working onto Mohamed Salah’s right-wing cross to the far put up and neatly side-footing house a end within the thirty third.
The groans from the house followers contained in the stadium have been already audible they usually elevated three minutes later when Salah once more picked out Jones, who managed the ball in a central place on the fringe of the world, spun and smashed a dipping effort into the far nook. Salah accomplished a hat trick of assists when he tapped a free kick backward with the only real of his foot to provide Alexander-Arnold a clearer view on aim to twist a shot excessive and past goalkeeper Daniel Iversen into the nook within the 71st.
“It is a group of really good footballers,” Leicester interim supervisor Dean Smith stated, “but we came up against a team that overran us physically today. It’s pretty simple.”
Alexander-Arnold has additionally come into his personal within the ultimate part of the season after being deployed in a hybrid defender-midfielder function, a tactical change that helps to cowl his defensive fallibilities and pushes different midfielders — like Jones — additional ahead. It has benefitted each gamers.
Since the positional tweak, Alexander-Arnold has picked up six assists alongside along with his aim towards Leicester. Liverpool’s return to type might need come too late to qualify for the Champions League, but it surely not less than alerts that Klopp’s workforce might return to being a title contender subsequent season.
Klopp’s repeated fist pumps in entrance of Liverpool followers after the match was an indication for them to perhaps maintain the religion, with Newcastle and Man United maybe needing two wins from their ultimate three video games. Newcastle has the more durable end, at house to Brighton and away to Chelsea both facet of a house match towards Leicester, which — with a win — might but condemn the Foxes to relegation.
Leicester might need to win each of its remaining video games, however appears to be like like a crushed group of gamers. “We know what we need to do now,” Smith stated.
