With fog thickening over Anfield, the conditions made it difficult to fully follow the action, so off-the-ball incidents were likely missed by many. Nevertheless, we’ve highlighted five key moments from Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester.
Jordan Ayew’s unexpected early goal might have cast some doubt on the outcome for around 40 minutes, but Liverpool’s dominance was never in question as they kept Leicester under constant pressure.
With 19 shots to Leicester’s four, Arne Slot’s side controlled the match and earned their goals through Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and, of course, Mo Salah.
Where Mo Salah Searched for His Goal
It took 82 minutes for Salah to get on the scoresheet against Leicester — quite a shock — but when he finally scored, it was with remarkable precision. What made his goal even more impressive was the way he fooled the defenders, looking away from the goal and instead glancing across the pitch as he curled the ball around Victor Kristiansen and past goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
While this may not have been one of Salah’s most iconic goals, it certainly ranked among the most clinically executed finishes we’ve seen in a long time.
Boos or Cheers for Ibrahima Konate?
This moment might not have been caught on camera, but it certainly amused us: Ibrahima Konate, who was in attendance while injured, appeared to approach the fans, expecting cheers, only to be greeted by boos aimed at the Leicester goalkeeper. Stolarczyk, making his Premier League debut, didn’t hesitate to stretch the rules and waste time while the game was level, frustrating the Liverpool fans, who responded with boos. Konate, however, mistakenly thought the boos were directed at him, possibly misinterpreting them as chants of “Ibou,” as we’ve often heard this season.
Waves for Isaac
On Christmas Day, Liverpool shared a video of six-year-old Isaac Kearney meeting Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah. Isaac, a young fan with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, made several friends on his visit to the training ground, including Arne Slot, who later spotted him in the crowd at the match against Manchester City. At the Leicester game, Slot was delighted to see Isaac again and waved to him when he recognized his young friend in the stands.
The Curl from Cody Gakpo
While the fog made it hard for some viewers to catch every detail of the game, fans closer to the action had a clearer view. One fan had the perfect vantage point to see Gakpo bend the ball into the far corner to equalize for Liverpool. The angle from which this goal was filmed clearly showcased the amount of curl Gakpo applied to bring the ball back inside the post from outside the line.
Was This Really Offside?
In the 68th minute, Gakpo thought he had scored his second goal of the night, but after a VAR review lasting nearly four minutes, the goal was ruled out. The decision was based on Darwin Núñez being offside in the buildup when Salah passed the ball across the box. While the footage provided wasn’t definitive, it felt harsh to definitively call it offside. The implementation of semi-automated offsides can’t come soon enough to resolve such debates.
