Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points by fighting back to beat a spirited Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield.
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Jordan Ayew opened the scoring after just six minutes as Leicester, who dropped into the relegation zone earlier on Boxing Day, threatened a monumental upset.
Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah both struck the woodwork before Liverpool finally broke through with an outstanding strike from Cody Gakpo, and it was one-way traffic from then on.
Curtis Jones put the Reds 2-1 up early in the second half, and Salah scored his 100th home Premier League goal to end the contest in the 82nd minute.
Liverpool's lead at the summit could be cut to six points when Arsenal host Ipswich Town on Friday, while Leicester are 18th, one point behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, following Vitor Pereira's side's win over Manchester United.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
17 | +23 | 42 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
18 | +17 | 35 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
18 | +5 | 34 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
How the match unfolded
After surviving one early goalmouth scramble, Leicester stunned the Anfield crowd when Ayew swivelled on Stephy Mavididi's cross and squeezed a finish inside the near post.
Liverpool immediately laid siege to the Leicester area and twice hit the frame of the goal. Robertson headed Trent Alexander-Arnold's delivery against the foot of the post, then Salah curled a shot against the crossbar.
But the Foxes' resolve was broken on the stroke of half-time, Gakpo cutting inside James Justin before finding the far corner with a fantastic finish.
Darwin Nunez side-footed over early in the second half but Liverpool doubled their advantage in the 49th minute, Jones tapping home from Alexis Mac Allister's cross, with the goal confirmed following a VAR check for offside.
Gakpo was frustrated by the flag when lashing home for what appeared to be Liverpool's third in the 68th minute, with a lengthy VAR check confirming the on-field decision to disallow his strike due to Nunez being offside in the build-up.
But the Reds would not be denied a two-goal cushion, with Salah driving forward and stroking into the bottom-left corner.
Leaders dig deep
Liverpool capitalised on a slip-up from Chelsea last Sunday, tearing Tottenham Hotspur apart in a 6-3 victory after their nearest title rivals were held to a goalless draw by Everton.
Having seen the Blues lose 2-1 to Fulham earlier on Boxing Day, the leaders had another opportunity to pull further clear at the summit.
Arne Slot made a pair of changes in advanced areas as Jones and Nunez replaced Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz, both of whom were on target at Spurs. It initially appeared that his tinkering may backfire, with the Reds producing a flat display in front of a frustrated crowd.
However, Gakpo's moment of magic in first-half stoppage time was the turning point, with Liverpool utterly dominant from then on.
Having been quiet by his usual standards in the first half, Salah was influential in the second, playing Mac Allister into the area in the build-up to Jones' goal and then applying his own unerring finish to net the home side's third.
It brought up Salah's 100th Premier League goal at home, with 98 of those coming for Liverpool and two for Chelsea. He is just the eighth player to reach that milestone.
Slot's men now prepare to face West Ham United in their final league game of 2024. Will 2025 bring their second Premier League crown?
Ruud awakening for Van Nistelrooy
Having seen their team dismantled in back-to-back defeats versus Newcastle United and Wolves, shipping seven goals without reply, Leicester's travelling fans had cause for concern as they arrived at Anfield.
Their tensions may have been heightened ahead of kick-off, with Wolves' earlier win dropping the Foxes into the bottom three, while Jamie Vardy was ruled out after sustaining an injury in training.
Nevertheless, Ruud van Nistelrooy's team could hardly have wished for a better start. Mavididi showed good pace to escape down the left and awareness to find the feet of Ayew, who left Robertson reeling with a swivel of his hips before finishing into the bottom-left corner.
Leicester then defended stoically, only to be undone by a moment of brilliance, with Polish goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk, making his Premier League debut, left clawing at thin air when Gakpo sent a magnificent effort dipping into the far corner.
Having conceded mere seconds before the half-time whistle, Leicester looked shorn of confidence after the restart and Liverpool ultimately cruised to victory, despite being far from their best.
Worryingly for the Foxes, they now have the league's joint-worst defensive record this season, matching Wolves' 40 goals conceded. With their relegation rivals starting to gain form, Leicester need to find a way to solve that problem, with Manchester City next up.
Club reports
Liverpool report | Leicester City report
What the managers said
Arne Slot: "I'm quite happy in general. I think during the whole game we played the way we wanted to. The only thing we didn't want to do was go 1-0 down after 10 minutes. The first time they threatened us, it was immediately a goal, due to some sloppy defending, and that's why it was a hard game until we scored the third one. Scoring before half-time really lifted us and you could see this in the second half when we immediately scored the second goal."
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "I think it was a good performance. We knew, coming to Anfield against this Liverpool team, the gameplan had to be right and clear. Everything was clear and the players executed it excellently. We made a great start, went 1-0 up. It was a shame that we couldn't keep the lead into the break and straight after half-time as well, conceding the second, but overall, we stayed in the game for a long time. All credit to our players, and to our goalkeeper who had an excellent game."
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Key facts
Liverpool have won 12 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season; only Man City (14) have earned more.
Mohamed Salah has been involved in 27 goals in 17 Premier League games this season (16 goals, 11 assists), just one fewer than he was in 32 appearances last season (18 goals, 10 assists). His goal to make it 3-1 was his 100th home goal in the Premier League (98 Liverpool, two Chelsea), making him the eighth player to reach this milestone.
Making his 250th Premier League start for Liverpool, Salah became the fourth player to register 250 Premier League goal involvements for a single club (171 goals, 79 assists), along with Wayne Rooney for Man Utd (276), Ryan Giggs for Man Utd (271) and Harry Kane for Spurs (259).
Jordan Ayew’s opener for Leicester was his fourth Premier League goal this season, with the Ghanaian last netting more in a single campaign in 2019/20 (nine). It was also his first goal against Liverpool in the competition at the 14th attempt.
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister provided two assists in a Premier League match for just the second time, previously doing so in February last season against Luton Town.
