The merciless Reds, who have already won seven straight games across all competitions, were the only team to overcome City this year.
Merseyside’s Kasey McAteer’s third-minute goal gave the visitors the advantage going into halftime, but goals from Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Diogo Jota ended Leicester’s hopes of winning the League Cup four times in a row.
I’m really proud of them to keep playing the way we want to on the ball, said manager Enzo Maresca at the end of the half. We won 1-0 to end the first half. Results are essential, no doubt, but playing directly against a big team is what matters most.
Apart from the goal, we played in the way we wanted to play and the most important thing was to come here against this opponent, in this stadium, and play the way we want. It’s always a chance to learn something.
Marc Albrighton made his 300th appearance for the Football Club with his return to the starting lineup, and Conor Coady made his long-awaited debut after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the offseason.
Many of the 2,092 traveling Foxes fans are accustomed to Anfield as an away game from previous campaigns, but they may not have anticipated returning so soon after the previous campaign.
With seven victories in their first eight games, Leicester has gotten off to an explosive start in the Sky Bet Championship. However, Jürgen Klopp’s Reds have also been encouraged by five straight victories on the Premier League stage, moving them up to second in the top division.
Despite the divisional gap, this was an interesting matchup for the neutral.
Klopp certainly wasn’t underestimating City – saying he expected a ‘proper test’ in his programme notes.
Second-tier Leicester took the lead after three minutes. Albrighton, the second-oldest member of the team, harassed Kostas Tsimikas off the ball.
Yunus Akgün, a Turkish international on loan from Galatasaray, was rapidly fed by him. He moved quickly in the appropriate direction while keeping a close eye on McAteer’s run down the middle.
The Academy graduate was let free by the perfectly timed pass to sprint on it and lob the ball beyond Caoimhn Kelleher into the bottom corner. With his fifth goal of the year, McAteer has now surpassed all other scorers for Leicester.
Liverpool reacted by encircling the opposing goal. With a millimeter, Wataru Endo missed.Then Harry Souttar bravely rebuffed Gakpo’s effort.
Later, Jota mishit the ball from two yards out at the far post, and Jakub Stolarczyk made a spectacular stop on Ben Doak’s follow-up.
Once more, the Polish goalie was there to prevent Jarell Quansah from carelessly touching a corner that was taken by Tsimikas. Doak’s effort ricocheted off of City’s crossbar after he was set up at the far post and got the rebound.
A spectacular goal-line clearance by Coady, a former Liverpool youth prospect, prevented Gakpo from leveling the score in minute 22. The Foxes were steadfastly holding their ground despite the stormy night in the North West.
Liverpool, nine-time winners of the League Cup, were well on top, but that immediate spell of alarm for Maresca’s visitors had passed.
Their hosts were beginning to shoot from range instead of trying to play through City. Those efforts would either miss the target, or be scooped up by Stolarczyk.
Tsimikas and Ryan Gravenberch were two such players to see strikes collected by the Foxes ’keeper. The choppy weather was playing a role on the night too. Any high balls often hung in the air before floating down to the nonplussed players trying to project its trajectory.
A goal to the good at the break, City will have expected Liverpool to come at them after the interval. Each side had made 10 changes to their starting XIs but there were none at the break.
Behind three minutes into the first half, the Reds were level two into the second. Gakpo’s assured prod of the ball from the edge of the box cut through the area and into Stolarczyk’s bottom corner in front of the Kop. Klopp’s home side sensed a turning of the tide.
Leicester needed Coady’s block to stop Jota from completing a quick-fire turnaround. A huge slice of fortune was served City’s way before the hour-mark when Gakpo’s deft header bounced off the bar, but not onto Stolarczyk and in after the former Dunfermline Athletic loanee had committed to his original dive.
The goal decision system was required to verify it hadn’t crossed the line. Albrighton was then able to hook the ball away – anywhere he could – to prevent a follow-up on the line.
Szoboszlai, a summer recruit from RB Leipzig, was a second-half introduction for Liverpool and had his say with 20 minutes to play.
It was his rocket, 20 yards out, which whistled through the Merseyside air and almost broke the net to put the six-time European champions in front.
Shortly after, McAteer happily accepted an invitation to leave Wilfred Ndidi. However, Jarell Quansah successfully blocked his path to the goal with a timed challenge.
Darwin Nez misrolled the ball in another area and Szoboszlai attempted to duplicate his prior accomplishment by arrowing the ball from around a yard away.
Maresca Proud
Ndidi was barreling toward goal when Patson Daka passed the ball to him down the center. He was about to fire a shot at the goal when Endo’s big toe came out.
With 60 seconds left in regulation, Jota’s deft flip into Quansah’s low pass into the danger zone clinched the victory for Klopp’s team despite Nez’s misguided attempt on the counter for Liverpool.
In added time, Harvey Elliott rued his luck as another goal-line block from Coady kept it at three. These nights won’t define Leicester City’s season, but there will be aspects which have pleased Maresca nonetheless. Back to league duties.
