Leaders Liverpool survive Leicester scare to go seven points clear

Curtis Jones fired Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favourites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against struggling Leicester on Thursday.

Arne Slot’s side were shocked by Jordan Ayew’s early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalise just before the interval through Cody Gakpo.

England midfielder Jones marked his 100th top-flight appearance with the second goal soon after half-time.

Mohamed Salah’s 19th goal this term wrapped up Liverpool’s 11th win in their last 13 games in all competitions.

Liverpool’s comeback lifted them well clear of second-placed Chelsea, who were beaten 2-1 by Fulham earlier in the day.

“Because we went 1-0 down it was a game before we made it 3-1 and then I think you saw how good we really are,” Slot said.

The rampant Reds, who hold a game in hand on Chelsea, have been beaten just once in 17 league matches this season.

They have won 22 of their 26 games in all competitions in a remarkable run since Slot arrived from Feyenoord in the close-season to replace Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp led Liverpool to their last Premier League title in 2020 and Slot has them perfectly positioned to emulate that feat in the second half of the season.

“It’s bit of a boring answer, but as a manager you go game by game because you know how many you still have to play,” Slot said of Liverpool’s title bid.

“You see especially in the Premier League results that you didn’t expect because teams have so much quality.

“Maybe if it was the Eredivisie it would feel like this but not in this competition.”

Also through to the League Cup semi-finals and top of the Champions League, Liverpool, who travel to West Ham for their last match of the year on Sunday, will go into 2025 in contention of an unprecedented quadruple.

Third-bottom Leicester are one point from safety after a third consecutive defeat.

Salah nearly gave Liverpool the perfect start as his close-range effort smacked the post.

But on a night when Anfield was surrounded by a murky mist, Liverpool’s defence was lost in the fog in the sixth minute.

Relentless pressure

Stephy Mavididi surged away down the left wing and whipped in a low cross which Ayew controlled adroitly before spinning to smash a low shot past Alisson Becker at his near post.

Liverpool’s defence was unusually lax in the early stages and Leicester’s Bilal El Khannouss was left unmarked for a volley that whistled over.

But the tide soon turned and Darwin Nunez met Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross with a header that was deflected behind before Salah’s chipped effort looped onto the roof of the net.

Andrew Robertson was inches away from equalising when the Liverpool defender’s header cannoned off the post.

Slot’s men were pouring forward in waves and Salah’s curler ricocheted off the crossbar just before half-time.

Gakpo ensured Liverpool would be rewarded for their relentless pressure on the stroke of half-time as the Dutch forward stroked a superb strike into the top corner from the edge of the area.

Gakpo’s 10th goal in all competitions this season was a familiar sight for Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, who coached him during their time at PSV Eindhoven.

Leicester haven’t won at Anfield in the Premier League since 2000 and their hopes of a historic victory were in tatters just four minutes into the second half.

Sweeping into the Leicester area in a blur of pace and movement, Salah and Alexis Mac Allister teed up Jones to slot home from close range, with the goal surviving a lengthy VAR check for a potential offside.

Salah put the final flourish on Liverpool’s stirring fightback, cutting in from the right flank to guide a fine finish into the far corner in the 82nd minute.