Sports
Alisson’s error costs Liverpool to fall again, beaten 1-3 by Leicester
It never rains but pours, for Liverpool, and no thanks yet again to Alisson Becker’s error.
If anything could sum up the Reds’ season then here it was, all wrapped in one horrific, seven-minute bundle.
All of a sudden, the world’s best goalkeeper has started making mistakes.
After his two howlers against Manchester City last weekend came another at the King Power Stadium, as Leicester struck a crucial blow in the battle for a top-four place with a 3-1 victory that was as farcical as it could be damaging, for Jurgen Klopp’s champions.
Liverpool looked on course for three vital points, 1-0 up with just 12 minutes remaining. Mo Salah’s wonderful finish, from a sublime Roberto Firmino assist, had given them a deserved advantage, reward for an enterprising and surprisingly-confident performance away from home.
They’d even had a bit of fortune, too, with Jamie Vardy hitting the crossbar when clean through and VAR overturning a penalty awarded for a foul on Harvey Barnes by Thiago Alcantara. Things were looking up.
And then they weren’t.
First, James Maddison’s free-kick, awarded instead of the Barnes spot-kick, found its way into the far corner. Up went the flag, but after a lengthy review, VAR deemed that Firmino had played Leicester’s onrushing men, none of whom got a touch, onside. It was 1-1.
OK, so a point away from home to a rival can’t be sniffed at, yeah? Think again. Within three minutes, the Reds’ world had caved in.
There appeared to be little danger when Youri Tielemans aimed a diagonal in the vague direction of Barnes, right to left.
Ozan Kabak, the debutant, looked to have it covered, but Alisson raced from his line to confuse the situation. Kabak, stretching, got to the ball, but steered it against his goalkeeper and straight to Jamie Vardy, who virtually walked the ball home for 2-1.
Vardy strummed the corner flag like a guitar, while goalkeeper and defender simply looked at one another. Everyone else, meanwhile, wondered what the hell had just occurred. “A misunderstanding,” Klopp called it. You could say that.
There were only nine minutes remaining and yet somehow it got worse for his side. Alisson had to make a genuinely incredible double-save to deny Barnes and Vardy almost immediately, and he was left exposed once more as Barnes latched onto Wilfried Ndidi’s pass to finish confidently for his 12th goal of the season.
From 1-0 up to 3-1 down, in the space of seven absurd minutes; Klopp looked like he could strangle someone on the touchline, and no wonder.
He argued with somebody behind him in the stands, and looked incredulously at those on the pitch; no answers, no explanation. What on earth is happening to his team?
They had looked decent for the most part, too. They’d pressed well, created opportunities and fashioned a superb goal for themselves.
They’d done the hard bit but, as against City last week, they finished the game dreadfully and paid the price, conceding three times in the blink of an eye.
They’re under pressure now for a Champions League spot, make no mistake about that. They are woefully out of form and their destiny is no longer in their own hands. If the teams below them win their games in hand, they could fall to ninth. Ninth!
Everton, who face the Reds next weekend, will be licking their lips. They haven’t won at Anfield since 1999, but they may never have a better chance to end that particular hoodoo.
-Goals,com
Sports
Haaland scores as Man City beat Leicester 2-0
Haaland scores as Man City beat Leicester 2-0
Savinho and Erling Haaland scored to give Manchester City, Man City a much-needed 2-0 victory, in manager Pep Guardiola’s 500th game in charge, over Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Sunday, the champions’ first win in five Premier League games.
Man City’s second win in 14 games across all competitions meant they climbed two spots to fifth place in the standings with 31 points, 11 behind leaders Liverpool who have two games in hand. Leicester remain in the danger zone in 18th place.
Savinho netted his first goal for City in the 21st minute when he pounced on a rebound from Phil Foden’s long shot after Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk pushed the ball into his path. The Brazilian fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
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Haaland, who has just two goals in eight league games in his worst stretch of his Premier League career, doubled City’s lead in the 74th minute when he headed home a looping cross from Savinho, who latched onto a pass from Kevin de Bruyne.
Their victory was far from a walkover, however.
Leicester fans screamed for a penalty early on when Jamie Vardy found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from a counter-attack. Ortega brought Vardy down in the box but Man City were saved by the offside flag.
Josko Gvardiol nearly cost Guardiola’s team a first-half goal with a disastrous header back to Ortega that was intercepted. City’s disorganised back line saw Facundo Buonanotte clatter a shot off the bar minutes later.
Leicester had another glorious chance early in the second half when Vardy headed into the box and James Justin got a touch on it that looked headed into the back of the net before Manuel Akanji cleared it off the line.
Haaland scores as Man City beat Leicester 2-0
Sports
Nottingham Forest rise to second after 2-0 win at Everton
Nottingham Forest rise to second after 2-0 win at Everton
Nottingham Forest ended the year on a high by beating toothless Everton to move up to second in the Premier League.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flying side are quickly turning into the story of the season with stellar showings that are threatening to disrupt the top-flight’s elite.
With Arsenal not in action until Wednesday, victory at Goodison Park guaranteed finishing the day just a place behind leaders Liverpool, who travel to West Ham later on Sunday (kick-off 17:15 GMT).
Striker Chris Wood was involved in both of his side’s goals, netting a delightful finish for his 11th league goal of a fruitful campaign, before feeding Morgan Gibbs-White for the captain to coolly convert in the second half.
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New Zealander Wood had given the Everton defence a couple of warning signs when he fired a long-range volley wide and flicked a header over, but made no mistake when exchanging headers with Anthony Elanga before producing a lofted finish over the stranded Jordan Pickford.
At the other end, Armando Broja was given his first Toffees start and showed quick feet on the edge of the area but drilled wide, while Ramon Sosa should have doubled Nottingham’s lead before half-time when played through, but the Paraguayan sent his shot the wrong side of the post.
Gibbs-White made sure of the points just after the hour mark, cutting inside and firing home to lift Nottingham up to being Liverpool’s closest title challengers at the halfway stage.
Nottingham Forest rise to second after 2-0 win at Everton
Sports
Salah strikes as Liverpool hammer West Ham 5-0
Salah strikes as Liverpool hammer West Ham 5-0
Liverpool stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points as they thrashed an abject West Ham United at the London Stadium.
It was another capital goal-fest for Arne Slot’s irresistible side after the 6-3 win at Tottenham seven days previously, the outcome never in doubt as a first-half masterclass left a desperately passive Hammers well beaten.
Liverpool had already missed several chances before Luis Diaz gave them the lead with a powerful finish on the half-hour mark. Cody Gakpo was then the beneficiary of Mohamed Salah’s brilliant footwork to add a second after 40 minutes, before the Egyptian inevitably got in on the act himself with a low drive on the stroke of half-time for his 20th goal of a superb season.
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Julen Lopetegui’s side could not even manage damage limitation as Trent Alexander-Arnold added the fourth after 54 minutes when his long-range effort took a deflection off Max Kilman’s head past Alphonse Areola.
Only Mohammed Kudus offered anything resembling hope for the hosts, hitting the woodwork in each half while Luis Guilherme did the same just before the end, but this was no consolation as they were utterly outclassed by this rampant Liverpool outfit.
The gap in quality was emphasised six minutes from time when Salah bamboozled several West Ham defenders with a brilliant run from inside his own half before setting up substitute Diogo Jota for a typically clinical finish
Salah strikes as Liverpool hammer West Ham 5-0
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