Leicester 1-0 Liverpool: player ratings, heroes and villains as Mo Salah penalty miss proves costly

Liverpool brought the curtain down on 2021 with a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Leicester City.

The Reds were well below their best at the King Power Stadium and failed to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp’s side had a gilt-edged chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot after Mo Salah was tripped by Wilfred Ndidi - but saw his spot-kick saved by Kasper Schmeichel on 19 minutes.

Then in the second period, Sadio Mane was set free but blazed over the bar.

And Liverpool were made to pay in the 59th minute when Ademola Lookman opened the scoring just minutes after coming off the substitutes’ bench.

The visitors were unable to find a way back into the game and suffered a second league loss of the season.

The heroes

- Ademola Lookman: talk about making an instant impact. As soon as Lookman picked up the ball, he only had eyes for goal. Racing past Joel Matip, the former Everton man did well to crack a powerful shot beyond Alisson at his near post.

- Kasper Schmeichel: a huge performance from the Leicester captain. He became only the second keeper to save a Salah penalty in the Premier League and also stopped a close-range effort from the Egyptian moments later. Schmeichel also made a big stop from Virgil van Dijk in the closing stages. Man of the match.

- Brendan Rodgers: the Leicester boss has been under huge pressure in recent weeks. But despite having a depleted squad because of injuries, he engineered a heroic win for the Foxes. The three points would have felt even sweeter against his former employers.

The villains

- Mo Salah: the Liverpool winger’s penalty was well below par. It was a decent height for Schmeichel to get down to his left before Salah headed the rebound against the bar. Not only that, but he was well below his best for a second successive game.

- Joel Matip: the defender allowed Lookman to skip past him far too easily. Granted, Matip was already on a booking but needed to commit himself and attempt to thwart the Leicester forward.

- Sadio Mane: the Senegal international squandered a huge chance to open the scroing. Slipped in by Diogo Jota, Mane only had Schmeichel to beat but lacked composure. That’s nine games without a goal for him.

Player ratings

Leicester: Schmeichel 8, Castagne 7, Amartey 7, Ndidi 7, Thomas 8, Dewsbury-Hall 7, Soumare 6, Choudhury 5 (Tielemans 56; 7), Maddison 7, Iheanacho 5 (Lookman 56; 8), Vardy 7.

Liverpool: Alisson 6, Alexander-Arnold 6, Matip 5, van Dijk 5, Tsimikas 5, Fabinho 7 (Milner 64; 6), Henderson 5 (Firmino 70; 5), Oxlade-Chamberlain 4 (Keita 56; 5), Salah 4, Jota 5, Mane 4.

What’s next for Liverpool

The Reds have a crunch clash against Chelsea on January 2.

The result of the game could have a significant impact on the Premier League title race come the end of the season.