Liverpool 2 Leicester City 2
Liverpool'sseason long disappointing home form came back to haunt them once againyesterday, as they squandered a two goal advantage to throw away two points tothe Premier League's bottom side, Leicester.
BrendanRodgers' side had shown signs of the vitality from last season in recordingtheir biggest win of the season over the Swans on Monday evening, but againstLeicester they seemed to revert back to the form shown in earlier league gamesat home this campaign. Maybe the extra day's recovery benefitted the away team,as they seemed to have more energy than their expensively assembled opponents.
Intruth, a draw was probably the minimum a determined Leicester side deservedfrom the game, as they could count themselves unlucky in the extreme to havehad two contentious penalties awarded against them in the first-half and hadhit the post early on through Riyad Mahrez.
Bothspot kicks were awarded for hand ball and both were clinically despatched bycaptain Steven Gerrard, restored to the team after being rested for the homewin against Swansea.The first penalty decision looked very harsh as the ballseemed to hit Wes Morgan in the face rather than the arm from Raheem Sterling'sattempted cross. The second came after Philippe Coutinho flicked the ballgoalwards but looked like a case of the ball striking the arm at close range asDanny Simpson was penalised.
Twogoals ahead at the break, the home fans would have hoped for a comfortable winand a continuation of their recent upturn in fortunes, but the visitors hadother ideas and resumed the second period seeking some reward for theirendeavours, rather than tamely surrendering to the Anfield giants. They pulleda goal back through a wonderful David Nugent volley in the 58th minutefollowing a neat Jamie Vardy lay off, the boyhood Evertonian no doubt takinggreat pleasure in putting one over on the Reds for once. It soon became 2-2 asJeff Schlupp netted two minutes later for the rampant Foxes as an unexpectedthree points became a distinct possibility, with half a hour still to play.
Therewere chances at both ends as the minutes ticked away with Lazar Markovicmissing a particularly good headed chance for the home side, but a drawwas probably a fair result overall, something that Rodgers acknowledged in hispost match appraisal.
Leicesterwill have been more pleased with the point than Liverpool, even though theyremain bottom of the table, as they demonstrated that they have some fightinside them to battle back against adversity. For Liverpool, the ChampionsLeague places look a distant hope unless they can convert missed opportunitieslike this and the return of Daniel Sturridge (expected later in January) cannot come soon enough.
Liverpool'sseason long disappointing home form came back to haunt them once againyesterday, as they squandered a two goal advantage to throw away two points tothe Premier League's bottom side, Leicester.
BrendanRodgers' side had shown signs of the vitality from last season in recordingtheir biggest win of the season over the Swans on Monday evening, but againstLeicester they seemed to revert back to the form shown in earlier league gamesat home this campaign. Maybe the extra day's recovery benefitted the away team,as they seemed to have more energy than their expensively assembled opponents.
Intruth, a draw was probably the minimum a determined Leicester side deservedfrom the game, as they could count themselves unlucky in the extreme to havehad two contentious penalties awarded against them in the first-half and hadhit the post early on through Riyad Mahrez.
Bothspot kicks were awarded for hand ball and both were clinically despatched bycaptain Steven Gerrard, restored to the team after being rested for the homewin against Swansea.The first penalty decision looked very harsh as the ballseemed to hit Wes Morgan in the face rather than the arm from Raheem Sterling'sattempted cross. The second came after Philippe Coutinho flicked the ballgoalwards but looked like a case of the ball striking the arm at close range asDanny Simpson was penalised.
Twogoals ahead at the break, the home fans would have hoped for a comfortable winand a continuation of their recent upturn in fortunes, but the visitors hadother ideas and resumed the second period seeking some reward for theirendeavours, rather than tamely surrendering to the Anfield giants. They pulleda goal back through a wonderful David Nugent volley in the 58th minutefollowing a neat Jamie Vardy lay off, the boyhood Evertonian no doubt takinggreat pleasure in putting one over on the Reds for once. It soon became 2-2 asJeff Schlupp netted two minutes later for the rampant Foxes as an unexpectedthree points became a distinct possibility, with half a hour still to play.
Therewere chances at both ends as the minutes ticked away with Lazar Markovicmissing a particularly good headed chance for the home side, but a drawwas probably a fair result overall, something that Rodgers acknowledged in hispost match appraisal.
Leicesterwill have been more pleased with the point than Liverpool, even though theyremain bottom of the table, as they demonstrated that they have some fightinside them to battle back against adversity. For Liverpool, the ChampionsLeague places look a distant hope unless they can convert missed opportunitieslike this and the return of Daniel Sturridge (expected later in January) cannot come soon enough.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
