Liverpool vs Leicester City: 3 Takeaways From a Mediocre Encounter

The last of the weekend’s English Premier League games was Liverpool vs Leicester. The top of the table vs second-to-last. It was a tussle between two teams whose respective fates were essentially sealed. Liverpool are only awaiting their coronation ceremony and The Foxes are all but set for a return to the Championship. But today’s match had the power to accelerate or decelerate the teams’ arrival at their prescribed destinies. 

The Reds Are On Holiday

There’s been a discernible dip in intensity in Liverpool’s last couple of games, which can be traced back to their Carabao Cup Final defeat. Since then, the three wins they’ve ground out have been by a solitary goal. Everyone from Goalkeeper Alisson Becker to Mohammed Salah in attack seems to be playing in second gear. 

It was no different at the King Power stadium for Liverpool. As expected, the Reds hogged the ball, but they had no thrust in the final third. Luis Diaz seemed to be the only player in red with a stake in the game. His skill created a shooting chance at the tail end of the first half but in keeping with the game’s theme, he produced a wayward finish. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Unlikely Savior

It’s Easter season, so pardon the religious reference. This jaded version of Arne Slot’s squad needed deliverance from their mediocrity. But it wasn’t Diogo Jota, on for the anonymous Cody Gakpo, who provided the breakthrough. Neither was it Harvey Elliott, who has been known to get the Reds out of jail with crucial goals.   

Liverpool’s unlikely goal scorer was a defender who had been on the field for only five minutes. Today’s cameo was the first time Alexander-Arnold has been on the field for over a month. Not that Reds fans have missed him. Mainstream media and social networks have been flooded with rumors of the fullback’s impending move to Real Madrid. 

Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk’s recent contract renewals have made TAA look even more like a want-away traitor dazzled by the Bernabeu’s lights. But the Judas in Liverpool’s story turned out to be the hero, enduring the scorn and slamming home the match-winner. His shirtless celebrations were just short of a taunt at the traveling fans.   

Vardy Is Done

Jamie Vardy has been a talisman for Leicester City FC over the past 13 years. He helped them climb up to the Premier League, helped them win it, was relegated with them, and promoted again with them. No Foxes player in the history of the club has scored more goals than Vardy. 

Now, even in his prime, you couldn’t confuse the Leicester number 9 with Ronaldo. The Brazilian or Portuguese version. But he had bags of pace and he knew where the back of the net was. This season has been a tough one for the 38-year-old. Winner of the Golden Boot not too long ago, he has only managed seven goals this term.

More importantly, or more frustratingly, for Leicester fans, neither he nor his teammates have scored in their last nine games. This home defeat confirmed the Foxes’ relegation. It’s unlikely Vardy has the stomach or the legs for another season of soccer, even at a lower league. His ineffective hour on the pitch was evidence that his best days were well behind him. Average as his replacement Patson Daka, he jolted Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté out of their slumber.

Final Thoughts

Few tears will be shed in East Midlands tonight over this latest loss. The Foxes have been steadily drifting toward relegation since November. But the entry of 15-year-old Jeremy Monga in the game’s dying embers is a sign that Leicester City is already rebuilding for the future. As for the Reds, winning Liverpool vs Leicester for the second time this season is another jewel in an already glittering crown. But Alexander-Arnold’s farewell gift to their fans is a reminder that they’re due for a rebuild, or at least reconfiguration.