At 4:00 a.m. Beijing time on December 29, the 20th round of the Premier League, Liverpool played away to Leicester City. In the first half, Salah missed a penalty and fired a shot over the crossbar. Mane missed a one-handed deficit in the second half, Lukeman counter-attacked with a sword in the throat, and Liverpool lost 0-1. Liverpool swallowed the second game of the season, won two consecutive rounds, six points behind Manchester City, and the Premier League title race has changed dramatically.
Before the match, Liverpool finished second in the table, and the last round of the game was postponed. With six days of rest, Leicester City in 11th in the table, with a number of main players absent due to injury, plus having played Manchester City 48 hours ago, the consumption is self-evident, regardless of strength, form and physical fitness. It seems that Liverpool's victory is not difficult at all, even easy.
In the 16th minute, Salah was put to the ground by Ndidi inside the penalty area and Liverpool won the penalty. However, Salah's penalty was saved by Schmeichel Jr. and the header was then dropped over the crossbar.
According to statistics, this is the second time in Salah's Premier League career that he has conceded a penalty, the last time was four years ago.
In the 32nd minute, Henderson picked out a pass from the edge of the penalty area, Leicester City defenders made a mistake, Salah pumped a close-range shot, and was saved by Schmeichel Jr.
In the 55th minute, Chamberlain's direct pass, Diogo Jota went straight to the scene, Mane single-handedly faced the goalkeeper, but unfortunately he hit it high again.
Liverpool squandered their chances many times and were punished for turning back. In the 59th minute, Leicester City organized an efficient counter-attack, Dieusbury Hall's direct pass, Lukeman's angle inside the penalty area, in front of Van Dijk to shoot at the near corner, Alisson was powerless, the score became 1-0!
Liverpool then launched an onslaught that pushed Leicester city into the half, but failed to equalize. After 95 minutes of battle, Liverpool lost 1-0 away to Leicester City, the first back-to-back defeat since 1999, and Klopp's side played a 22-year record of humiliation.
In the whole game, Liverpool had the advantage, with 63%-37% possession, shooting 21-6, shooting 4-1, corner kicks 12-1! However, Leicester City scored on the only shot on target.
This 0-1 also made Liverpool suffer the embarrassment of two consecutive rounds of no wins, 1 draw and 1 loss and conceded 5 points. Of course, Manchester City also took a profit, the defending champions extended the point advantage to 6 points, and the pattern of the Premier League title race has changed.
Despite the fierce competition in the Premier League and the tight schedule, Guardiola's side has always been known for its stability, and it is unlikely that Liverpool are counting on the Blue Moon to make consecutive mistakes and concede points, and they are drifting away from the Premier League champions.