Vardy goes full-throttle as Liverpool's attack falters again
It was the league's top scorer inflicting the damage for the league's leaders. Jamie Vardy struck twice as Leicester City beat Liverpool 2-0 to reinforce Jurgen Klopp's belief that the Foxes are "a perfectly-tuned team".
Claudio Ranieri could celebrate a clean sheet coupled with a goal of the season contender as well as a poacher’s effort on Tuesday night. The full package.
For the Reds boss though, defeat served as a reminder of his team’s multiple flaws.
Nervous at the back and tame up front, Liverpool had plenty of the ball against their opponents, but could not match their sharpness in possession. Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Shinji Okazaki illustrated what a difference it can make when perspiration is matched with inspiration. Klopp's men have much of the former, but have been struggling with the latter which is why they tried to sign the prolific Alex Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January window.
Liverpool were aware they needed to buy goals because there is currently not enough in the squad. No-one has hit double figures for the Reds across all competitions this season, with Christian Benteke the highest scorer with seven.
Meanwhile, Leicester don't just have Vardy sitting pretty at the summit of the league's scoring charts, Mahrez is in the top five too. The hosts were confident in their play, while Liverpool were overcomplicated and created more work for themselves with poor decision-making.
Klopp was aware Leicester would stick to their blueprint, and he also knew it would be hugely challenging to get the better of them. He was correct.
"We all know about [Leicester's] quality... their clear idea of their game, their clear style. It's difficult to play against, as most of the teams in the Premier League have felt when they've met them," Klopp said prior to the game.
"The good thing with a clear plan is you know about it, so they won't change a lot - but all the other teams knew about it too and they couldn't avoid their strengths for 95 minutes."
There were 60 minutes on the clock when jaws dropped and Liverpool looked done for. Mahrez delivered a stunning long pass over the top for Vardy and the striker allowed it to drop over his shoulder before smashing a dipping volley in from an angle. Eleven minutes later, he struck again after reacting quickest to a loose ball and it was game over.
Liverpool have managed heroics at the death in two of their previous three games - the shootout win over Stoke in the League Cup to book a spot at Wembley and the 95th-minute goal in the dramatic 5-4 win at Norwich, but they cannot continuously rely on those fightbacks.
The Merseysiders managed just two shots on target against Leicester and had 12 corners to the hosts' three. They had the ball, time, space and opportunities but were completely ineffective.Klopp has previously said: "When you don't score a lot of goals, you firstly have to defend very disciplined.
"If you concede two goals it's not too easy to score three. If you stay concentrated then you will find a moment at the other end with your quality. Some teams have to work harder for one goal than other teams."Liverpool are one of those teams. They have not managed to keep it tight at the back - conceding 13 goals in their last six league away games - and they do not possess enough quality in the final third.
Klopp will hope that the impending return of Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi will assist the attack, and while Daniel Sturridge is also pencilled in to train this week, Liverpool won't be counting on his clinical edge given his injury problems.
At the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night, Leicester showed why they're the division's pacesetters and they shone a spotlight on all the things Liverpool are lacking, especially up front.
Manchester United 3 Vs 0 Stoke
