Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash between
Liverpool and
Leicester City at Anfield!
The hosts have a huge chance to move one step closer to the league title tonight after Man City's slip-up against Newcastle yesterday, with victory taking them seven points clear at the top. Leicester are not a team in very good form either, so Jurgen Klopp's side are firm favourites to pick up all three points - although the Foxes have pulled off a couple of surprises already this season.
Let's start with a look at the team news...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson; Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Shaqiri, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane
SUBS: Mignolet, Fabinho, Lovren, Sturridge, Lallana, Origi, Camacho
LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Pereira, Evans, Maguire, Chilwell; Albrighton, Mendy, Ndidi, Gray; Maddison; Vardy
SUBS: Ward, Morgan, Simpson, Choudhury, Barnes, Okazaki, Iheanacho
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, the Liverpool one is certainly interesting, with no recognised right-back starting despite both Fabinho and Camacho being amongst the substitutes.
Quite how the hosts line up with those personnel remains to be seen, but it could be that Henderson features as a makeshift right-back, or Liverpool will utilise a back three of Matip, Van Dijk and Robertson.
There are positives for Liverpool on the absentee front, though, as Van Dijk starts despite having suffered from illness in the build-up to this match, only returning to training on Monday.
Wijnaldum was also a doubt due to a knee problem, but he too makes his return to the starting XI having sufficiently recovered from the problem.
The usual attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and
Sadio Mane once again start, and it could be a milestone day for Salah in particular with the Egyptian just two goals short of 50 in the Premier League for Liverpool.
Only seven players have reached that tally for the club in the Premier League before, and Salah is set to become by far the fastest to get there, even if he doesn't manage it today. Tonight will be his 60th Premier League game for Liverpool, whereas the previous fastest was Torres in 72 matches.
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Jurgen Klopp has made two changes to the side which scraped to the thrilling 4-3 win over Crystal Palace last time out, with the suspended James Milner dropping out and Fabinho moving to the bench.
The players to replace that duo are Shaqiri and Wijnaldum, while Dejan Lovren is back on the bench following his own spell on the sidelines.
It is not a full-strength Liverpool side by any means, though, and that may give these Leicester players some encouragement as they look to bounce back from defeat to Wolves last time out.
Harry Maguire picked up a leg injury in that match, but he has recovered during the 11-day break to start at the heart of the defence once again tonight. There is a change alongside him, though, as Wes Morgan is replaced by Jonny Evans.
That is one of three changes made by
Claude Puel from that defeat to Wolves, with Simpson and Barnes also dropping out of the starting XI for this match.
Simpson's absence means that Pereira drops back into defence, with Marc Albrighton coming in for him and the impressive James Maddison earning a recall in place of Barnes.
Aside from that trio, it is as you were for the Foxes, with Mendy and Ndidi patrolling the middle of the park and Gray once again starting out wide.
Ben Chilwell is a player who has been linked to Liverpool's title rivals Man City in recent weeks to, so this is a chance for him to show how he fares against the very best in the league, and he may particularly fancy his chances going forward considering Liverpool's lack of a recognised right-back.
Leicester main dangerman will be Jamie Vardy, who has a phenomenal record against the top-six teams and Liverpool in particular, netting in each of his last five Premier League appearances against the Reds.
Indeed, only Andrew Cole (11) and Thierry Henry (8) have scored more Premier League goals against Liverpool than Vardy, who has seven to his name.
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Liverpool have never been better prepared to deal with Vardy, though, with the Reds' title challenge this season being built on an uncharacteristically sturdy defence, led by Van Dijk and Alisson.
The Reds may have conceded three times in their last outing, but they still boast comfortably the best defensive record in the division having conceded only 13 times, keeping a league-high 13 clean sheets.
The 4-3 win over Crystal Palace last time out was the type of match we have been used to seeing from Liverpool in recent years, but not this term and they will not want too many repeats - even if they did still pick up a crucial three points.
Liverpool have shown big character in a lot of games this season, but that one was a little different as usually they have dug out 1-0 wins rather than 4-3 ones. That said, if Liverpool were to win every game from now until the end of the season 4-3, they would snap your hand off.
Indeed, Manchester City's slip-up yesterday means that Liverpool are still four points clear of the champions at the top of the table and could extend that lead to seven tonight - something which will be very difficult to come back from for Pep Guardiola's side.
Rarely have we seen a better team that Man City's current crop, though, so Liverpool know that they must keep on winning themselves if they are to finally end their long, long wait for the Premier League title.
The maths work out that Liverpool 'only' need 13 more wins from their final 15 games to clinch that first top-flight title since 1990, and the encouraging sign for them will come in the fact that they have won 13 of their last 15 Premier League games too.
Indeed, the Reds have only lost one of their last 24 league outings - that coming away to Man City at the start of this month - and have won 11 of their last 12 in the division.
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This will be Liverpool's first game for 11 days having been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round, so they should be suitably rested having jetted off to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp.
They will also be glad to see the back of January, having lost 11 of their 28 matches across all competitions under Klopp in the month - including two more this term. If they avoid adding to that loss tally tonight then the title really would be theirs to lose.
Liverpool boast a formidable record here at Anfield this season, winning each of their last nine home games across all competitions including seven in a row in the Premier League.
Manchester City - on October 7 - were the last visiting team to avoid defeat here, and another win tonight would see them make it eight successive home league wins for the first time since March 2010 under Rafael Benitez.
Liverpool have only lost once at home in the past 12 months across all competitions - a 25-game run which includes 20 wins - while in the Premier League they are unbeaten in their last 32 Anfield outings.
That is the division's longest run since Man City went 37 games from December 2010 to December 2012, although they did concede as many goals in he most recent home games as they had in their previous 15 - once again due to that 4-3 triumph over Crystal Palace.
Leicester are certainly underdogs heading into this contest, then, but they also have recent history of upsetting the odds against some of the league's biggest teams and will hope to carry some of that into this one.
The Foxes overcame Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and then Manchester City at the King Power either side of Christmas - although since then their form has taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Claude Puel's side have lost four of their five games across all competitions since those back-to-back wins, including each of their last three outings coming into this one.
Those trio of defeats include a shock one at the hands of Newport County in the FA Cup, while their last two Premier League games have seen them conceded a total of six goals en route to losses against Southampton and Wolves.
Just as Liverpool's 4-3 win in their last outing was out of character, Leicester's 4-3 defeat also saw more goals than many had been expecting, although they can perhaps feel a little hard done by not to have come away with anything from Molineux.
Despite conceding four in that match, Leicester still boast the best defensive record outside the top four, conceding just 29 goals so far this term.
It is their form at the other end of the table which has proved to be the most concerning, though, with only the bottom eight scoring fewer than the Foxes - who have only scored as many as they have conceded.
Such statistics - and recent results - have increased the pressure on Claude Puel once again, after those wins over Christmas appeared to relieve it. The Frenchman's job always seems to be under question, and his time at the King Power may be coming to an end judging by the upcoming run of fixtures.
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Leicester's next three games come against Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, although they may even feel more confident about that than a run against teams sitting around them in the table following the wins over Chelsea and Man City.
That said, the Foxes have lost each of their last 11 Premier League games against sides starting the day top of the table, conceding 27 times in that run and at least twice per match. In reply, Leicester have netted only five goals against Premier League leaders since beating Manchester United on January 31st, 1998 - almost exactly 21 years ago.
Leicester's only victory since Boxing Day did come on Merseyside, although a trip to Anfield is a far different proposition to a trip to Goodison Park right now.
Another defeat tonight would see them fall to three successive losses in the league for the first time under Puel - and the first time since February 2017 under Claudio Ranieri - while they would also lose back-to-back league away games for the first time this season.
Leicester's away form has been decent in general, though, and the Foxes would sit in sixth place if only away records counted this season - above Arsenal in the table.
Puel's side have scored in 11 of their 12 Premier League away matches this term too, while by contrast they would only sit 14th in the table is home form alone counted. That said, Leicester have now lost their last two games on the road across all competitions.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Leicester have always looked capable of hurting Liverpool in recent years, particularly with Vardy up front, but they are no longer the counter-attacking force which stormed to the title and come into this match in poor form. It does not look like being a straightforward game for Liverpool by any means, but they should have enough to pick up the win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 2-0 Leicester
Despite Vardy's fine record against Liverpool, Leicester have now lost their last three league games against the Reds and nine of the last 13, with only two wins in that time.
Another victory for Liverpool would see them make it four in a row in this fixture for the first time since a run between February 1987 and September 1996.
Leicester have also lost six and won none of their last seven Premier League away games at Anfield, picking up just one point from the last 21 on offer at this ground.
Indeed, you have to go back to May 2000 for Leicester last win here, when Tony Cottee and Phil Gilchrist were on the scoresheet.
Leicester's most recent visit here came in December 2017, when Jamie Vardy gave them a third-minute lead to put them on course for a shock. Mohamed Salah came to Liverpool's rescue - as he so often has in the past season-and-a-half - with a second-half brace to hand the Reds all three points.
It was the other two of Liverpool's front three who scored in the most recent clash between these two sides, though, with Mane and Firmino netting in another 2-1 win at the King Power in September.
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Right, the players are out and we're just about ready for kickoff. We will have a minute's silence before kickoff in memory of Emiliano Sala...
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Leicester get us underway at a snowy Anfield!
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 LEICESTER (SADIO MANE)
GOAL! It is a dream start for Liverpool as Sadio Mane gives them the lead inside three minutes!
Liverpool knock the ball around inside the Leicester half until advancing into the box, and Mane collects it before bending his low finish past Schmeichel and into the bottom far corner!
Incidentally, it is Henderson who is playing at right-back for Liverpool tonight in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
SAVE! Liverpool have come flying out of the blocks tonight! Firmino comes close here as Salah floats a cross towards the far post. The Brazilian takes it down on his chest, flicks it away from Pereira but then sees his low strike well saved by Schmeichel.
CHANCE! Another big chance for Liverpool from the resulting corner as Mane finds himself unmarked, only to glance his header well side when he should do better.
PENALTY APPEAL! We saw Fernandinho give a penalty away for Man City last night, and Henderson almost does the same here. He seems to inadvertently trip Maddison, but the referee says no. We will have to wait to see a replay before judging that decision...
CHANCE! Almost another chance for Liverpool as a low cross is fizzed into the middle, but Shaqiri cannot get anything on the ball despite getting in front of his man.
We have finally had a chance to see a replay of that penalty incident and it looked to be just outside the box, but it was certainly worth asking the question.
Liverpool have enjoyed 84% of the possession in this opening 15 minutes and Anfield is rocking at the moment. It was a brilliant start from the Reds, but Leicester have just begun to show one or two signs of settling.
YELLOW CARD! Matip picks up a yellow card for a trip on Vardy after the Leicester man had just nudged the ball past him.
Leicester have avoided any further damage from that early Liverpool storm and they are now asking plenty of questions of their own. Gray earns a yard down the right here and drills a low cross into the box which ends up in the arms of Alisson.
Here is that Liverpool goal which separates the two sides...
Leicester are sitting very deep at the moment and Liverpool are happy to just knock the ball about amongst themselves in the meantime. Leicester are putting them under very little pressure and Liverpool are simply being patient and waiting for them to break shape.
Salah tries to thread a pass through the eye of a needle for Shaqiri, but Pereira does well to get his body across and allow Schmeichel to mop up.
CHANCE! Big chance for Leicester to level things up, and it stems from an Alisson mistake. Vardy is quick on his and partially blocks his clearance, which allows the Foxes to get the ball back into the middle. It arrives to Maddison at the back post, but he can't squeeze his header into the far corner.
UPDATE: There has been a goal elsewhere in the PRemier League tonight, with Wilfried Zaha giving Palace the lead against Southampton at St Mary's.
Leicester have the chance to whip a free kick in from deep, but Maddison puts far too much on it and the big men from the back give him a disapproving glare.
Crucial defending from Albrighton as he cuts out Mane's pass which almost made its way through to the overlapping Robertson inside the box.
This match has been played at a really good pace, and both teams are playing their part in that. The opening half an hour has flown by.
Suddenly it is Liverpool who are being pinned back into their own half, to the point that Keita simply settles with hammering it clear when he gets the chance.
Better from Liverpool again now as they reassume control of possession inside the Leicester half. The Foxes are being patient and refusing to get drawn out of shape, but one more goal for Liverpool would surely force them to change their approach.
Liverpool want a penalty as Salah's curling effort hits Chilwell and initially looks a little dodgy, although the replay shows that it hit his foot. No penalty.
UPDATE: More good news for Liverpool as Spurs have fallen behind against Watford through Craig Cathcart.
Salah has been at the centre of a few diving storms of late and he goes down in the box again here after running into Maguire. It is neither a penalty nor a dive, though, and the referee again gets it right.
Just five minutes left in the first half here and Liverpool have not been able to take complete control of this match as it looked like they might do after the early goal. They will be wary of what happened to Man City last night.
YELLOW CARD! Liverpool fans want a red for Maguire as he clips Mane when the Senegal international would have been clean through on goal. However, the distance from goal sees the referee settle for a yellow.
Very important touch from Chilwell as he does really well to beat Matip to the ball from Keita's floated cross into the box.
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-1 LEICESTER (HARRY MAGUIRE)
GOAL! Leicester level things up right on the stroke of half time as Maguire tucks home from inside the box! Maddison's free kick is not properly cleared by the Reds and Chilwell floats a header back into the box. There are three blue shirts in offside positions, but Maguire is not one of those as he escapes both Van Dijk and Matip to sweep home.
HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 LEICESTER
Well, that goal has stunned Anfield right at the end of the half, with Leicester levelling things up right on the stroke of the interval.
Liverpool have seen the vast majority of possession in that opening 45 minutes and made a really quick start to the game, but Leicester grew into the match and threatened their equaliser before it came.
The opening goal arrived after just over two minutes as Liverpool made a perfect start to the match, particularly after Man City's result yesterday.
Mane was the man who got it, beating his marker with a lovely touch and body swerve before placing his finish into the bottom corner past Schmeichel.
At that stage it looked as though Liverpool might go on to put the game to bed early, but Leicester came back into the match and finally got their reward right on the stroke of half time.
It was poor defending from Liverpool as they initially failed to deal with Maddison's free kick into the box before Chilwell lifted a header back into the middle, where Maguire escaped Van Dijk before sweeping his finish home.
It is still all to play for in the coming 45 minutes, of course, but that goal will have just ramped up the pressure on Liverpool once again.
This is a huge opportunity for them to move seven points clear of the nearest title challengers, but they have work to do to avoid slipping up just as Man City did last season. We are in for a huge second half at Anfield.
KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half at Anfield!
Salah tries to swing a cross into the area for Robertson, but it is just too far in front of the marauding full-back.
UPDATE: There is another fascinating scoreline developing at Dean Court tonight, where goals from Josh King and David Brooks have given Bournemouth a 2-0 lead against Chelsea.
CHANCE! More dangerous play from Leicester as first Chilwell and then Maddison break into the box, but the latter tries to pull the ball back into the middle instead of going for goal himself and Mane is back there to clear the danger.
YELLOW CARD! Pereira goes into the book for a foul on Mane, who had skipped away from the defender.
CLOSE! Oh my word, how has this one not gone in for Leicester?! Maguire is again left completely unmarked from a free kick as he gets round to the back post and nods the ball back into the middle. It looks like Matip who almost turns the ball into his own net, but Alisson makes a big save and the Reds are then able to scramble it clear.
It was actually Firmino who almost scored that own goal, and it is a huge, huge save from Alisson from point-blank range. Maguire looked to be slightly offside in the first place, but it would have counted.
Liverpool's defence has not looked like the solid base which has provided the foundation for their title racem and they are fortunate not to be behind here. The Reds are in danger of blowing this huge opportunity.
CHANCE! Better from the hosts as Keita exchanges passes with Firmino on his way into the box before going down under the challenge of Pereira. Keita cannot get good enough contact on the ball at the same time as he goes down under the tackle, but the referee says no. I've seen them given!
UPDATE: Bournemouth are now 3-0 up against Chelsea, with King getting his second of the night! Southampton have also levelled things up against Crystal Palace.
Just half an hour remaining in this match now and it remains on a knife edge. It really could go either way here!
It looks like Jurgen Klopp will be turning to his bench sooner rather than later here. He has seen enough from the hosts.
Referee Martin Atkinson is not making any friends tonight! He blows up for a clear foul on Wijnaldum, but there was also a good chance to play advantage with Liverpool in a very good position.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: A double change from the hosts as Keita and Shaqiri are replaced by Adam Lallana and Fabinho.
Gray plays the ball through to Chilwell, who fizzes a cross right across the face of goal but just too far in front of Vardy. That was begging for a touch!
You can feel the tension inside Anfield at the moment. There have been enough nervy moments to make this crowd very anxious heading into the final 20 minutes.
Leicester are putting in a brilliant battling performance tonight, it must be said. They have not made anything easy for Liverpool here.
CHANCE! Mane wins Liverpool a free kick in a dangerous area and Leicester eventually clear the danger before springing a lightning counter. Gray has Maddison in the middle but goes for goal himself and sees his effort comfortably saved by Alisson. Maddison could have been left with a tap-in!
CHANCE! Firmino almost produces a moment of magic just as Liverpool need it as he collects Henderson's cross before dribbling inside and drawing a good low stop from Schmeichel.
LEICESTER SUB: Leicester make their first change of the night as Maddison is replaced by Hamza Choudhury.
SHOT! Robertson cannot resist the spectacular here as he races on to a high pass from Mane and goes for the first-time volley, but he slices it wide of the target.
UPDATES: Spurs have levelled things up against Watford through Son, while Bournemouth have incredibly added a fourth goal against Chelsea through Daniels.
Liverpool are dominating possession now as we head into the final 10 minutes, and Salah wins a free kick for a push from Pereira right on the edge of the box...
Salah goes for goal himself but the wall does its job. He then tries to pick out Mane, who is flagged offside despite the replay showing he was on. The officials have got quite a few decisions wrong tonight!
LIVERPOOL SUB: A final throw of the dice for Liverpool as Daniel Sturridge replaces Firmino.
LEICESTER SUB: Another change for the visitors as Shinji Okazaki replaces Gray.
Liverpool would still extend their lead at the top if everything stays the same here, from four points to five, but there is still the sense that this would be a big missed opportunity.
SHOT! Liverpool have the chance to break as Mane brings the ball forward, but Choudhury eats up the ground before making a brilliant sliding challenge. The ball falls to Sturridge, but he bends his first-time effort high and wide.
LEICESTER SUB: Late change for the visitors as Leicester is replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho.
There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.
Lallana darts into the box and reaches the byline, but Evans reads his cutback and makes a crucial interception!
CHANCE! Half a chance late on for Liverpool as Mane again meets a corner, but he cannot keep his header down and that might be that tonight!
FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 LEICESTER CITY
Leicester hold on for a point at Anfield, then, becoming the first team from outside the top six to take points off Jurgen Klopp's side all season in the process.
It is not quite a blow to their title hopes having seen Man City lose last night, and therefore this draw extends their lead at the top to five points, but it is still a missed opportunity after Maguire cancelled out Mane's early opener.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Leicester hold Liverpool to a draw at Anfield, added another twist to the title race this season. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
