20 April 2025
Leicester 0 Liverpool 1
It was a mismatch of bottom versus top at the King Power Stadium as Leicester welcomed Liverpool. Defeat would condemn The Foxes to relegation but most realised this was now a matter of when and not if. The Reds were looking to maintain their mammoth lead over Arsenal as they edge towards winning the Premier League for the 20th time in the club’s history.
Foxes’ fans have not even seen their team score at home for some time. It was really testing the commitment of their season ticket holders to continue rocking up every week. Liverpool started the match looking like they were focussed on getting a comfortable win on the road. Not difficult against their opponent, all of the newly promoted teams have struggled to be competitive at this level.
Szoboszlai threaded a pass through the Leicester defence for Salah to run onto. He opened his body up as he looked to slot a left-footed effort into the far corner. Hermansen was completely beaten but the Egyptian’s shot hit the inside of the post, seeing it go across the goal line before striking the other and coming back into play. A rare sight at any level and a huge let off for the hosts.
Mavididi was causing problems for Bradley out wide. He skipped past the full-back and laid it off into the path of Ndidi on the edge of the box. The midfielder hit a first-time shot that cracked against the post and came back out. Both teams had got as close as you can to taking the lead in the early stages without having a goal to show for their exploits.
Every time the visitors came forward, utilising their pace up top, they looked like scoring. Gakpo found some space down the left flank before floating a cross in towards Salah, who was lurking at the back post. He struck it on the volley but Hermansen made a superb save to deny Arne Slot’s side a goal to break the deadlock at the King Power.
The Reds then forced a corner and Konate rose for a completely free header. He looked to plant his effort in the far corner, with The Foxes’ keeper rooted to the spot. Fortunately for the hosts, Ndidi reacted quickly to volley it over his own crossbar. It proved to be a vital clearance as the two sides headed in at the interval with nothing to separate them.
After the break, the match continued in the same fashion. Liverpool were finding it so easy to play their passing game and more worryingly for Ruud van Nistelrooy, exploiting pockets of space all over the pitch. Salah lifted a pass in behind the defence for Szoboszlai to cross from the byline. It came to Gakpo at the far post with Hermansen well out of position. The Dutchman drilled an effort at goal but it was blocked again by the hosts.
Nobody would have been putting a bet on this game ending goalless at this point. It just seemed a matter of time before the league leaders broke the deadlock. However, time was starting to run out and a draw against a side in the bottom three would be seen as points dropped in this title race. It would certainly give The Gunners a glimmer of hope in North London.
A rare attempt at The Reds’ goal saw the ball balloon into the air after it took a deflection. Alisson looked to punch it clear but Daka hooked it towards goal and Vardy put it in the back of the net. Celebrations barely had time to materialise as it was ruled out for a foul. The replay showed a nudge from the Leicester man on the keeper had prevented him from being able to get to it.
The visitors forced another corner as Tsimikas swung it into the box. Van Dijk’s flick-on was headed goal-bound by Salah but his effort struck the post. Mac Allister reacted quickly beyond the goal but his strike hit the underside of the crossbar. As the hosts tried to clear their lines, it came out to Aleander-Arnold in the penalty area.
Liverpool’s substitute smashed a left-footed volley into the back of the net to send the away end into delirium. You could not have written a better script. The academy product has frustrated fans by not committing to a new contract and now he had scored a crucial goal to keep their title push on course. He sprinted to the corner to celebrate with the travelling contingent.
Arne Slot’s side held on to take the three points and another giant stride towards the Premier League title. It was no more than they had deserved, over the course of the game, they had 28 shots of which 10 were on target. This was a sombre stat for the hierarchy to consider as The Foxes’ relegation was confirmed once the final whistle went in this match.
Did you enjoy this article? Please share to your social media. With one click you can help spread the word and make Solid at the Back the one-stop shop for all Premier League fans.