Curtis Jones at the double as Leicester's relegation fears deepen
DOUBLING UP: Liverpool's Curtis Jones celebrates scoring his side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium. Pic: Tim Goode/PA Wire
Curtis Jones had scored two goals in a half before for Liverpool. Heck, it wasn't even the first time he had netted twice between the 32nd and 36th minutes for Jurgen Klopp's Reds.
The brace he celebrated at Lincoln City as a teenager in 2020 was nothing more than a cameo in an EFL Cup mismatch though. This time he was helping push fellow Premier League winners to the brink of relegation.
Jones' sole concern of course was to make sure Liverpool recorded a seventh straight victory, one that moved them to within a point of both Manchester United and Newcastle in the Champions League slots above them.
It is not impossible that Klopp and Co will catch one or even both, although both Uniteds boast a game in hand. More likely though is that the 22-year-old's goals will see Leicester, the glorious 5000-1 shot champions of 2016, demoted along with Southampton and, if chanted wishes from the away end are realised, Everton.
Leicester wouldn't be the first champions to suffer such a fate - Blackburn managed it in four years between 1995 and 1999 - but City's demise is no less shocking. They are but two points off safety but few are now predicting wins at Newcastle next week or at home to West Ham on the final day.
Foxes interim boss Dean Smith gambled before kick-off in declaring Jonny Evans fit enough for a first Premier League start since early October and the veteran turned out to be the guy you couldn't take your eyes off in the first 30 minutes.
The game was a couple of minutes old when his 35-year-old legs couldn't quite get on the end of James Maddison's free-kick, conceded by Trent Alexander-Arnold's reckless high kick on Harvey Barnes.
Evans then slid in on Cody Gakpo and caught man as well as ball but referee Craig Pawson ruled it perfectly legal.
Leicester had certainly missed the calmness of their captain at the back - 21 failures to record a single clean sheet and just one win since February 11 are big reasons why they are second bottom.
The Northern Ireland defender sold Gakpo a dummy and even attempted a dribble across his own goalmouth at one point, narrowly avoiding disaster with a hasty clearance.
Liverpool had taken control by then, however, in terms of possession if not chances, as Luis Diaz, having landed on Barnes and giving him a bloody nose, exasperated Klopp with an effort into the side-netting before Jones, of all people, showed him how to finish.
Goalkeeper Alisson had been a spectator save for an early foiling of Jamie Vardy and turned playmaker with a long ball in the 33rd minute that Diaz chased hungrily.
Wout Faes failed to deal with the bounce and Diaz's nod allowed Jordan Henderson to locate Mo Salah on the right of the box. The Egyptian's curled cross was expertly despatched by the onrushing Jones, first time via his left boot from five yards.
VAR checked whether Diaz had gone too soon. He hadn't and the goal stood.
Within three minutes Jones had the ball in the net again - and also had to wait to see if it would be allowed.
There was nothing suspect about the finish - a turn and despatch worthy of any of Anfield's finest front-men. It was question of whether Evans had played him on from Salah's pass. This time it looked as though he hadn't but on the night referees' chief Howard Webb decided to go public on the secret deliberations of Stockley Park it too was allowed to count.
Leicester deflated like a sad souffle: within seconds of their own kick-off hordes of red shirts charged at them and Daniel Iversen denied Gakpo.
Leicester had to be bold in the second period or face the consequences from fans still angry about the previous week's five-goal capitulation at Fulham. Barnes tried to make it happen with a shot destined for the top corner but Alisson stuck out a big glove to divert it behind.
It wasn't Leicester's night and nor was it Evans' as another ball/man tackle on Henderson was deemed a foul and Salah's clever touch of a free-kick set up Alexander-Arnold for a perfectly-struck third in the 71st minute.
Game over and, for Leicester, season too in all probability.
Iversen 7; Pereira 6 (Thomas 68, 3), Faes 6, Evans 7 (Souttar 89, 2), Castagne 7; Tielemans 6, Ndidi 6 (Daka 62, 4), Soumare 6; Maddison 6, Vardy 6, Barnes 7 (Tete 62, 4).
Alisson 7; Alexander-Arnold 8, Konate 7, van Dijk 7, Robertson 6; Henderson 7 (Milner 74, 3), Fabinho 6, Jones 8 (Carvalho 85, 3); Salah 7 (Elliott 88, 2), Gakpo 6, Diaz 7 (Jota 74, 3).
Craig Pawson 6.
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