Reds fail to press home advantage

[team1]Liverpool[/team1][score1]1[/score1][team2]Leicester City[/team2][score2]1[/score2][/score]

Jurgen Klopp saw his team pass up the opportunity to open a commanding seven-point advantage at the top of the Premier League after a frustrating 1-1 draw at Anfield last night.

If this is the period of the year described, famously and unforgettably, by Alex Ferguson as “squeaky bum time,” then clearly that phenomenon is affecting both Liverpool and Manchester City on the evidence of a fraught 24 hours at the top of the Premier League.

A goal from Sadio Mane was cancelled out by Harry Maguire but, more than the simple fact that Liverpool left two points on the table last night, the obvious nerves shown by his players, and shared by supporters, should have concerned the Liverpool manager.

Manchester City’s implosion at Newcastle on Tuesday had certainly given fresh impetus to the growing sense among Liverpool supporters that this is their year, the stars aligning perfectly to end their 29-year wait for the English league title.

Events at Anfield, 124 seconds in to the game, did nothing to disavow them of that notion.

It was a bright and breezy start by Klopp’s side, plenty of patient build-up, pass and move, the ball shifted quickly from back to front and, with barely two minutes gone and scarcely a Leicester touch of the ball, Liverpool had the lead.

Andrew Robertson and Roberto Firmino, with the deftest of touches, carved out the space in the Leicester defence and Mane had the composure and confidence to curl a precise finish into the bottom right-hand corner.

It was a goal that came at the end of a move that featured 30 Liverpool passes.

What a start although, as Klopp would doubtless have warned his team, it was worth remembering that City had made an even more impressive start on Tyneside on Tuesday.

The Kop rang out with chants of “Rafael Benitez” just to underline that point — a tribute to their former manager’s efforts in that shock upset of Pep Guardiola — and the immediate response to scoring suggested Liverpool would not fall into the trap that had befallen City.

Indeed, they should arguably have scored twice more in the next four minutes. First, Firmino showed amazing control to deal with Mohamed Salah’s overhit cross, drawing a sprawling save from Kasper Schmeichel from the resulting shot.

Then, from Xherdan Shaqiri’s resulting corner, Mane was somehow granted space six yards out to glance a header just beyond the far post.

But the second goal did not immediately arrive and, with the frigid, snowy conditions not exactly helping Liverpool’s passing game and Joel Matip hardly exuding an air of confidence at the back, Leicester began to gain a foothold.

Matip went into the book for a crude foul that stopped Jamie Vardy breaking past him, Demarai Gray took on Roberston and drilled in a near-post cross which Alisson held well and the Brazilian keeper almost gifted Leicester an equaliser on 24 minutes.

Alisson’s dawdling over a clearance saw Vardy charge down the ball and Marc Albrighton receive the ricochet before delivering an excellent far post cross which the unmarked James Maddison headed down, and wide of the net from two yards.

Home supporters were rattled, momentarily at least, the weight of that near-three decade wait for a title hanging heavy on their shoulders.

They probed, through Mane and Salah in particular. The latter had a good shot blocked and appealed half-heatedly for a penalty while the former was prevented from launching a counter-attack by Maguire, who earned a yellow card for his troubles.

But the second goal did not arrive and, as the tension grew ever more evident, the inevitable happened in the one minute of first half injury-time when Liverpool’s defence failed to deal with a Maddison free-kick.

Wilfred Ndidi saw a shot blocked on the edge of the area and Ben Chilwell cleverly headed the rebound into the area where Maguire, astonishingly, was unmarked six yards from goal and able to finish in nonchalant fashion.

Liverpool were undoubtedly rattled, Leicester growing in belief as the second half got underway and, soon, skilful approach play from Chilwell set up another opportunity for Maddison from which he failed to test Alisson.

Maguire almost scored again, from another set-piece, with his far-post header being cleared off the line by Firmino and Alisson being required to save from the ricochet off his own man.

Liverpool finally began to show some of their old attacking resolve and Naby Keita should have had a penalty when challenged from behind by Ricardo Pereira as he bore down on goal.

And, in an open and entertaining end to the game, a spirited Leicester break could have ended with far more than a poor Demarai Gray shot directly at Alisson while Jordan Henderson’s cross picked out Firmino whose ferocious drive was well parried by the diving Kasper Schmeichel.

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Alisson 5; Wijnaldum 6, Matip 5, van Dijk 8, Robertson 7; Henderson 7, Keita 6 (Lallana 66, 6); Mane 7, Firmino 7 (Sturridge 82), Shaqiri 6 (Fabinho 66, 6); Salah 6.

LEICESTER (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel 7; Pereira 6, Evans 7, Maguire 8, Chilwell 9; Mendy 6, Ndidi 7; Gray 6 (Okazaki 83), Maddison 6 (Choudhury 76, 6), Albrighton 6; Vardy 6 (Iheancho 89).

Referee: Martin Atkinson.