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Liverpool are accustomed to singing about walking through the storm. They had to walk through the fog here, losing their way when Leicester City took the lead. But they ended up striding seven points clear at the Premier League summit, with the bonus that they retain a game in hand on second-placed Chelsea.
Comebacks were supposed to be Jurgen Klopp’s forte. If Arne Slot has overseen more than he would ideally like, the latest was both required and executed. The reward was a 22nd win in 26 games under the Dutchman. In a division where so many others are consistently inconsistent, Liverpool stand out as the exception to the rule.
It helps that they have a sizeable cast of match-winners. If Mohamed Salah tops the bill, he also completed victory, bending in a shot to get the goal that eluded him earlier when he drew a fine save and then hit the bar. Yet the game was decided by Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones, a duo who began the season on the bench and who might not figure in Slot’s first-choice team. Gakpo pressed his case to do so, joining Salah and the rested Luis Diaz in double figures for the season with a superlative equaliser and ending his night with an assist as well.
It had a particular cruelty for the beaten manager. Gakpo improved in his six months under Ruud van Nistelrooy at PSV Eindhoven. He repaid him by cancelling out Leicester’s advantage with a strike that condemned an influence on his career to a night in the relegation zone. Not that Gakpo’s goal, a stunning strike from 25 yards, seemed to come from Van Nistelrooy’s repertoire: he scored famously few from outside the penalty area. But it inspired a turnaround that Liverpool had always threatened.
Certainly they produced the right response when trailing, neither panicking nor being too passive when allowed plenty of possession. Sometimes pressure tells, and this was one such occasion. Leicester showed a doggedness to hold on to their advantage for as long as they did. Yet it felt unsurprising when Liverpool overcame them. Slot’s side have that habit, that momentum.
Some of their recent matches may have been more eventful than the Dutchman would have liked. Liverpool have now conceded nine goals in their last four league games. Without Jamie Vardy, sitting it out with a minor injury, Leicester soon struck anyway. Jordan Ayew met Stephy Mavididi’s low cross, then spun, leaving Andy Robertson turning in the wrong direction, before beating Alisson at his near post. After Robertson’s red card against Fulham, it was another difficult start for the left-back. Having dropped into the bottom three for the first time all season, Leicester seemed set to extricate themselves, at least until the stroke of half-time.
Liverpool were relentless. They had a surfeit of crosses and a host of corners. The Premier League debutant Jakub Stolarczyk, in for the dropped Danny Ward, made a point-blank save from Salah after three minutes. The woodwork was overworked. Robertson looped a header against the upright from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross. Salah curled a shot onto the bar.
Then Gakpo levelled following a pass from Mac Allister. The World Cup winner had two assists in a few minutes, either side of half-time, following an overlapping run when his cutback was met by Jones; as with the Argentinian’s strike at Tottenham on Sunday, Liverpool were rewarded for getting two of their central midfielders in the box at the same time.
The scoring was completed when Gakpo swept the ball to the right flank and Salah bent in a shot for his 19th goal of the season and his 12th in his last 10 league games.
Liverpool could have added further goals earlier but for the vagaries of Darwin Nunez’s touch on an evening that, even by his standards, contained a certain erraticism. Nunez set up a Leicester counter-attack, spooned a shot over the bar. When Salah provided him with a fine chance, he shot straight at Stolarczyk. The Uruguayan was offside when Gakpo had a second goal disallowed, though it was drilled in emphatically.
And in his quest for a third goal, Slot brought on Dominik Szoboszlai, who then got the booking that will bring a ban. He will not play at West Ham on Sunday but Liverpool will go there with a commanding lead in the title race.
Leicester, meanwhile, will host Manchester City while in trouble. They had allowed their opponents 82 shots in Van Nistelrooy’s first four games and brought up an unwanted century in the fifth. In their native Netherlands, he contested the title with Slot. Now it may be destined for Liverpool and Leicester have to ensure they are in the same division as them next season.
