Sports - Football - Premier League - LCFC 1:2 LFC
Liverpool held on to their lead against Leicester to make it four wins out of the first four league games for the first time in 28 years, despite Alisson Becker's howler (63') and struggling against the Foxes after Sadio Mané (10') and Roberto Firmino (45') had put the Reds ahead at the King Power stadium.
Jürgen Klopp will have been a very relieved manager to have banked the three points despite the dominance by the home side and his team's flaws and errors after the restart in today's lunchtime kick-off.
Claude Puel will have been the more frustrated, having paid for their mistakes in the first half but not being able to make all their chances and breaks count to make a comeback in the second half, especially after Rachid Ghezzal pulled one back in such embarrassing and devastating fashion against the visitors.
Hence, it was a game of two very different halves.
Here are my live match notes as it all unfolded:
Vardy's still suspended for Leicester, Henderson's in for Keita, Lovren's still out for Liverpool. See the full line-up at the bottom of this post.
The King Power Stadium's louddddd!
KICK-OFF
5' Salah puts the rebound off Firmino's attempt wide, good save by Schmeichel against Bobby, Liverpool on top early on.
09:30 MANÉ GOAL! Robertson on the left side of the box, passes back to Mané in the box, through the heart of the Foxes' back defence to give the Reds the lead, easy finish for the Senegalese, his fourth goal, what a gap, too easy, BOOM! 0-1
15' All Liverpool, 66.1% possession to be exact.
20' Robertson again, putting Leicester under pressure, pushing, crossing and passing into the box from the left, but defended and cleared this time.
24' Best chance for Leicester so far, Gray runs clear of van Dijk, shoots, Alisson punches the ball away.
25' First corner for the home side, Alisson catches and throws clear, no pressure.
30' Gomez clears more Leicester pressure after Maddison set up Gray but he couldn't quite get to it.
32' Both sides give and take the ball, Albrighton takes a shot from distance, nowhere near.
33' Another shot from distance, Maddison this time, they are fuming to the ref about something, don't have a clue what they're on about...
34' Leicester free kick, flag is up, that's a waste.
36' Firmino concedes a free kick in the centre circle, trying to be flashy but handling the ball instead.
38' Milner is down, holding his head after clashing with Pereira on the rub. Play is stopped, but not for long, Leicester take their throw seconds later.
40' Another Leicester free kick, headed away. Missing all the fouls... ?! Soft one against Firmino I think this call was...
43' Mané with loads of space on the left, pulls the ball back, Liverpool trying to stretch the Foxes, Salah with a shot eventually, from the edge of the box, Schmeichel saves, out for a Red corner.
44' Milner takes, skipper Morgan heads it away for another Red corner.
45' Milner takes again, FIRMINO HEADS IT IN! The ball somehow bounces or just gets away from full-stretched Schmeichel's left glove and in. 0-2
Just one minute added on, Klopp couldn't have asked for a better start, Puel's birthday cake will taste very sour if it stays this way (he's gonna be 57 tomorrow).
Under Klopp, Firmino has been directly involved in 60 Premier League goals (37 goals, 23 assists), 15 more than any other Liverpool player. BOOM!
RESTART
48' Leicester chance wide, Ghezzal from the right, Alisson thought of going for it but then watched the ball go out for a goal kick.
50' Maddison shot from outside the box, nice curl, too much space, Alisson reads and catches it, easy, both gloves.
52' Maddison took and totally wasted Leicester's first corner of this half, wide. Liverpool throw. The home side keep the pressure up and going though, grabbing the ball back straight away, Maddison in the box again, CHANCE, wide. The Foxes are getting closer and closer, dominating this half so far.
55' Van Dijk is BOOKED for bringing down Maddison, free kick in dangerous territory outside the box for the Foxes. The wall does it's job and blocks any threat for the Reds.
57' Another Leicester corner, CHANCE, somehow Alisson gets the ball, there were three or four Leicester players clear on goal there! I can hear Klopp shouting his face off, no wonder! WTF?!
58' Liverpool counter, Salah mistimes his pass to Firmino, Leicester clear the threat.
59' Chilwell breaks on the left, his cross is headed away by Gomez.
60' LCFC 64%-36% LFC = 2nd half possession, home side coming and hitting back strongly...
61' SUB Iheanacho replaces Albrighton, first change made by Puel, can the home side make all their work pay and hit back?
62' Robertson chance wide, Red subs warming up as well.
62:21 ALISSON SCREWS UP, prances around the ball on the left side in the box, loses it to sub Iheanacho, runs back desperately, Ghezzal (who was booked earlier but I totally missed it) meets the fine pass and nets it, 1-2. WHAT A GOAL TO CONCEDE! OUCH! THAT'S WHY I HATE BACKPASSES!!!
67' The King Power stadium is super loud again now! Klopp is getting his subs ready...
69' Gray on the left, messes up the chance and/or pass, whatever it was supposed to be, Alisson collects. Sarcastic cheers all round.
71' SUBS Klopp rings in the changes, Salah's replaced by Shaqiri, Keita comes on for Henderson.
75' Leicester 5-1 Liverpool in chances this half! Puel is getting the next SUB ready... Gray is replaced by Okazaki.
78' Keita wins a free kick after being wrestled down, Liverpool play around the box, until Okazaki intercepts Shaqiri's pass.
79' Chilwell's down after Alexander-Arnold kicked the ball right into his best bits, OUCH!
80' Reds throw after the Fox recovered... Saying that, they are now waving for help, Chilwell goes off the pitch with his doc...
81' Liverpool try to waste time with the ball in the corner, Shaqiri is brought down and wins a free kick.
82' Milner takes, Mané heads it wide. Last change for the home side, Maddison comes off to be replaced by Amartey.
85' Mané on the left for Liverpool, the Foxes clear the threat, the Senegalese looks hurt in the process, nothing obvious... Seems okay after a few seconds...
86' Alexander-Arnold SHOT nowhere near, goal kick. Red fans are louder now.
87' Van Dijk kicks the ball clear, but Leicester keep pushing, Milner clears, not far, free kick to the home side, taken quickly, Keita blocks...
88' Mané down, free kick to the Reds, Mandy BOOKED for pushing the Senegalese down.
89' Last change for the Reds, Alexander-Arnold comes off for Matip. Free kick wasted, Schmeichel eventually collects the ball comfortably.
90' Shaqiri wins a corner on the right - FIVE MINUTES ADDED ON!!! Klopp doesn't look too happy about that. Milner takes the corner short with Shaqiri in front of him, Liverpool throw, they take their time, of course.
Gomez throw into the box, Leicester run clear, van Dijk puts the ball out for a throw, Klopp is loud and fuming. Liverpool fans singing YNWA... TENSE!!! Can the Reds hold on to the lead?
Milner is BOOKED for blocking and bringing down Pereira, another dangerous free kick, to Chilwell on the left, van Dijk whacks it out for a corner, Schmeichel comes up...
The ref has a word with Morgan and Matip... Van Dijk heads the corner away, Keita is down and free kick is given to the Reds eventually, Ndidi is BOOKED for his elbow/push, seconds to go.
Liverpool keep the ball well... AND HOLD ON TO THE LEAD TILL THE FINAL WHISTLE! THAT'S THREE POINTS - despite the embarrassing goal they conceded, the first of the season against Alisson.
Not a nice nor convincing win, but it's the points that count most and it's four wins out of four for the Reds! Boom!
Leicester Goal: Ghezzal 63'.
Liverpool Goals: Mané 10', Firmino 45'.
HT stats: LCFC 0-2 LFC
Possession: 47.4%-52.6%
Shots: 6-7
On target: 2-4
Offside: 2-0
Corners: 1-3
Fouls: 1-5
Bookings: 0-0
FT stats: LCFC 1-2 LFC
Possession: 51.2%-48.8%
Shots: 12-10
On target: 5-4
Offside: 3-2
Corners: 4-4
Fouls: 9-12
Bookings: 3-2
Leicester Team: 1 Schmeichel; 3 Chilwell, 15 Maguire, 5 Morgan (c), 14 Pereira; 25 Ndidi (booked 95'), 24 Mendy (booked 88'); 11 Albrighton (8 Iheanacho 61'), 10 Maddison (18 Amartey 82'), 31 Ghezzal (booked 61'); 7 Gray (20 Okazaki 76'). 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 6 Evans, 12 Ward, 21 Iborra, 28 Fuchs.
Liverpool Team: 13 Alisson; 66 Alexander-Arnold (32 Matip 89'), 12 Gomez, 4 Van Dijk (booked 55'), 26 Robertson; 7 Milner (booked 93'), 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c) (8 Keita 71'); 11 Salah (23 Shaqiri 71'), 10 Mané, 9 Firmino. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 15 Sturridge, 18 Moreno, 20 Lallana, 22 Mignolet.
Referee: Paul Tierney
Man of the match: Joe Gomez
Stadium: The King Power Stadium
Attendance: 32,149
Click here for my last LFC match report.
All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Sky Sports app and RMC Sport match coverage.
Showing posts with label Mané. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mané. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 September 2018
Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Liverpool Thrash Sorry Arsenal 4-0
Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 4:0 AFC
Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield, no competition, full stop.
The Reds were in total control from kick-off to the final whistle and could have scored more against the Gunners in the Super Sunday clash.
The first goal was great, a nice header from Roberto Firmino with 17 minutes gone, off a cross by Joe Gomez, who did well down the right.
The second was a superb counter attack, Sadio Mané finishing off nicely with a curled effort after a quick run on the left and Firmino picked him out spot-on.
Jürgen Klopp's men were dictating nearly everything and Arsène Wenger had to make changes after the break.
But neither Francis Coquelin nor Olivier Giroud or Alexandre Lacazette made any difference, the first brought on at the start of the second half, the other two just past the hour.
Shambolic stuff followed after the interval, just before the double-change was made by the visitors.
Hector Bellerin gave the ball away off an Arsenal corner for Mohamed Salah to pounce on it, with a clear run on goal, and slot it home to make it 3-0, a cool finish past Petr Cech.
No one was left back by the Gunners. And it didn't get any better, they just didn't wake up.
The Reds were left free to dance and prance all over them, sub Daniel Sturridge making it 4-0 with just under a quarter of an hour to go, heading the ball in with plenty of time and space.
Cech has conceded 30 goals against Liverpool, more than any other side in the Premier League.
It was 10-0 in shots on target. It was the first time since 2014 Arsenal didn't get any attempts towards the goal.
This no-show performance by Arsenal was even worse than the 5-1 thrashing I attended with my boyfriend (who is an Arsenal fan) back in February 2014.
Liverpool were just hungrier, more organised, sharper and quicker, pressing, squeezing and squashing anything and everything out of their opponents, not giving them any breathing space or chance whatsoever.
Klopp had raised eyebrows by letting out-of-favour number one Loris Karius start ahead of in-form-ish keeper Simon Mignolet for a clash that is not exactly known and remembered for its lack of goals. Quite the opposite.
But apart from the odd shaky reaction to pass backs and not the best kicks, the German stopper didn't get anything to deal with or worry about.
Arsenal were just embarrassing. They didn't offer or form any kind of counter, opposition, cover, defence, form or even will!
Wenger in? Wenger out? Definitely shaking all about!
Meanwhile, this very convincing win will take Liverpool into the international break and transfer deadline day very confident and comfortable up to second place in the league table, two points behind high-flying rivals Manchester United.
Liverpool Goals: Firmino 17', Mané 40', Salah 57', Sturridge 77'.
Liverpool Team: 1 Karius, 12 Gomez, (booked), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren (booked), 18 Moreno, 23 Can (16 Grujic 83'), 14 Henderson, 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Salah, 9 Firmino (7 Milner 80'), 19 Mané (15 Sturridge 73').
Subs not used: 52 Ward, 17 Klavan, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.
Arsenal Team: 33 Cech, 16 Holding (booked), 6 Koscielny, 18 Monreal, 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain (9 Lacazette 62'), 8 Ramsey (34 Coquelin 46'), 29 Xhaka (booked), 24 Bellerin, 11 Özil (booked), 7 Sánchez (12 Giroud 62'), 23 Welbeck (booked).
Subs not used: 13 Ospina, 14 Walcott, 20 Mustafi, 31 Kolasinac.
Match Stats: LFC-AFC
Possession: 49%-51%
Shots: 18-8
On target: 10-0
Corners: 4-3
Fouls: 6-9
Yellow cards: 2-4
Referee: Craig Pawson
Man of the match: Sadio Mané
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,206
Click here for my previous LFC match report.
All pictures, stats and facts are taken from the BBC match report, SFR & Twitter match coverage.
Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield, no competition, full stop.
The Reds were in total control from kick-off to the final whistle and could have scored more against the Gunners in the Super Sunday clash.
The first goal was great, a nice header from Roberto Firmino with 17 minutes gone, off a cross by Joe Gomez, who did well down the right.
The second was a superb counter attack, Sadio Mané finishing off nicely with a curled effort after a quick run on the left and Firmino picked him out spot-on.
Jürgen Klopp's men were dictating nearly everything and Arsène Wenger had to make changes after the break.
But neither Francis Coquelin nor Olivier Giroud or Alexandre Lacazette made any difference, the first brought on at the start of the second half, the other two just past the hour.
Shambolic stuff followed after the interval, just before the double-change was made by the visitors.
Hector Bellerin gave the ball away off an Arsenal corner for Mohamed Salah to pounce on it, with a clear run on goal, and slot it home to make it 3-0, a cool finish past Petr Cech.
No one was left back by the Gunners. And it didn't get any better, they just didn't wake up.
The Reds were left free to dance and prance all over them, sub Daniel Sturridge making it 4-0 with just under a quarter of an hour to go, heading the ball in with plenty of time and space.
Cech has conceded 30 goals against Liverpool, more than any other side in the Premier League.
It was 10-0 in shots on target. It was the first time since 2014 Arsenal didn't get any attempts towards the goal.
This no-show performance by Arsenal was even worse than the 5-1 thrashing I attended with my boyfriend (who is an Arsenal fan) back in February 2014.
Liverpool were just hungrier, more organised, sharper and quicker, pressing, squeezing and squashing anything and everything out of their opponents, not giving them any breathing space or chance whatsoever.
Klopp had raised eyebrows by letting out-of-favour number one Loris Karius start ahead of in-form-ish keeper Simon Mignolet for a clash that is not exactly known and remembered for its lack of goals. Quite the opposite.
But apart from the odd shaky reaction to pass backs and not the best kicks, the German stopper didn't get anything to deal with or worry about.
Arsenal were just embarrassing. They didn't offer or form any kind of counter, opposition, cover, defence, form or even will!
Wenger in? Wenger out? Definitely shaking all about!
Meanwhile, this very convincing win will take Liverpool into the international break and transfer deadline day very confident and comfortable up to second place in the league table, two points behind high-flying rivals Manchester United.
Liverpool Goals: Firmino 17', Mané 40', Salah 57', Sturridge 77'.
Liverpool Team: 1 Karius, 12 Gomez, (booked), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren (booked), 18 Moreno, 23 Can (16 Grujic 83'), 14 Henderson, 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Salah, 9 Firmino (7 Milner 80'), 19 Mané (15 Sturridge 73').
Subs not used: 52 Ward, 17 Klavan, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.
Arsenal Team: 33 Cech, 16 Holding (booked), 6 Koscielny, 18 Monreal, 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain (9 Lacazette 62'), 8 Ramsey (34 Coquelin 46'), 29 Xhaka (booked), 24 Bellerin, 11 Özil (booked), 7 Sánchez (12 Giroud 62'), 23 Welbeck (booked).
Subs not used: 13 Ospina, 14 Walcott, 20 Mustafi, 31 Kolasinac.
Match Stats: LFC-AFC
Possession: 49%-51%
Shots: 18-8
On target: 10-0
Corners: 4-3
Fouls: 6-9
Yellow cards: 2-4
Referee: Craig Pawson
Man of the match: Sadio Mané
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,206
Click here for my previous LFC match report.
All pictures, stats and facts are taken from the BBC match report, SFR & Twitter match coverage.
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