Curtis Jones double for Liverpool damages Leicester’s survival hopes

Jürgen Klopp had said there are five millions ways to win a game and in a routine victory that ensures Manchester United can feel Liverpool breathing down their necks, Trent Alexander-Arnold exhibited one of the finer ways in which to score a goal. Alexander-Arnold emphatically sealed victory with a stunning free-kick and he could have hardly picked a better moment given Gareth Southgate and his assistant, Steve Holland, were among those in attendance. Alexander-Arnold, who again played as an inverted full-back, popping up centrally, arrowed his strike into the top corner, cementing a seventh straight win after a fine double by the excellent Curtis Jones.

Liverpool railroaded lowly Leicester, scoring twice inside three first-half minutes, to earn a healthy buffer and Alexander-Arnold capped victory after the returning Jonny Evans was deemed to have fouled Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool captain. The only shock was Mohamed Salah firing wide on 79 minutes after being freed as Liverpool went in search of a fourth goal. Liverpool’s late push to qualify for the Champions League continues to gather pace but Leicester’s thoughts are firmly elsewhere. If Leicester are to survive, a team that has won one of their previous 15 matches, must win one – if not both – of their remaining matches. And even then that may prove insufficient.

For a reminder of how the outlook has changed for Leicester, on this day two years ago they were cavorting with the FA Cup after lifting the trophy for the first time in their history at Wembley. Five of the starting lineup from that day, which was played in front of a limited 20,000 crowd owing to the pandemic, also began here, including the club captain Evans, who made his first league start since