 |
| Image via liverpoolecho.co.uk |
Klopp had opted to start a striker this time out which was refreshing to see because I personally think playing without a natural forward has been troublesome of late. I would have preferred to see Benteke chosen but it was Divock Origi who was given the chance to lead the line with Lallana, Firmino and Coutinho all in support.
Early in the first half it was Lallana and Emre Can who both ruffled Leicester's feathers after the former hit the side netting and the latter saw a stinging effort saved. Shortly afterwards, Origi made a decent break controlling the ball well in the box with pressure from the Leicester defence but he couldn't produce a goal. I can understand why Klopp chose Origi to start because the desire is clearly there from the forward and he definitely strives to make things happen with plenty of movement however when it comes to finding the back of the net, Benteke has the upper hand and for me he deserved to start.
Unfortunately for Origi an injury saw him leave the field at 41 minutes and on came Benteke. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had the injury not occurred, would Benteke have still been sitting on the bench way into the second half? Who knows.
Mahrez and Vardy have been immense for the Foxes this season but they were kept relatively quiet at Anfield on Saturday. Mahrez's best moment was perhaps on display after a weaving run outside the box was followed by a great shot which Simon Mignolet saved.
The second half saw a lovely chance for Benteke after a perfect cross from Jordan Henderson. The Belgian however headed way over the bar and would have to wait a while longer to find his goal. Just after the hour mark, his opportunity came. A cross from Firmino found its way into the box and Benteke scored with a neat finish to put Liverpool into the lead.
I definitely wasn't expecting us to beat Leicester and so I was happy simply to be level at 0-0, the goal from Benteke was a massive bonus and it was just a matter of holding on for the remainder of the game, not an easy task against Ranieri's current side!
Late in the second half a brilliant block from Can kept the Reds in the game and this was followed shortly after by some tension in the box when the Foxes sent up their keeper for a last ditch attempt at goal. The attempt backfired though when Liverpool managed to steal possession and make a break. With no keeper it looked as though Christian Benteke was certain to find the back of the net, but he didn't, he found Leicester's only defender which also meant, despite the linesman failing to notice, he was in fact offside.
It didn't matter though because the final whistle had been blown and the Reds had beaten Ranieri's boys. I never would have thought at the start of the season that a win over Leicester would be so massive but we need to ensure we take some real positives from the performance. A clean sheet and a win against this side is something no other team has managed so far in the league this season and they have only lost on one prior occasion.
A brilliant win for the Reds who will look forward to facing Sunderland now on Wednesday evening.