Leicester City player ratings v Liverpool as one man stands tall in valiant defeat

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Leicester City sit inside the relegation zone for the first time after their valiant effort at Premier League leaders Liverpool failed to yield any points.

City had dropped into the bottom three when Wolves beat Manchester United earlier on Boxing Day, with only victory enough to lift them out. And a shock looked on when Jordan Ayew netted in the sixth minute.

But while City defended heroically at times, the in-form table-toppers’ dominance eventually paid off, with Cody Gakpo striking on half-time, and then Curtis Jones and Mo Salah netting in the second period. Despite defeat to his old rival Arne Slot, and despite City’s position in the table, it was a showing that Ruud van Nistelrooy will take heart from.

After the torment Danny Ward suffered against Wolves, there was little surprise that van Nistelrooy opted to change his goalkeeper. With Mads Hermansen still sidelined by a groin problem, Jakub Stolarczyk was brought in for his first start of the season.

That was true too for Patson Daka, the Zambian starting in place of the injured Jamie Vardy. Harry Winks, in for Oliver Skipp, was the third fresh face into the line-up.

In the fog at Anfield, City settled into their shape deep in their own half immediately and just three minutes had been played when Stolarczyk was tested for the first time. But in a confidence boost to the Pole, the defence as a whole, and the City fans, he denied Salah with his thigh and then dived at cvJones’ feet to excellently scramble the ball away.

The City gameplan was to be compact and counter, and with their first foray forward, they stunned Anfield. Stephy Mavididi surged down the left then found enough space away from Trent Alexander-Arnold to play in a low cross that found Ayew. The Ghanaian, whose inclusion over Facundo Buonanotte had caused a stir among supporters, did brilliantly to bounce off Andy Robertson, spin and finish into the bottom corner.

City settled back into their shape but continued to look dangerous when they ran forward at pace. Mavididi should have set up Daka for a golden chance for a second, but over-hit his through ball.

Given the level of Liverpool pressure, City defended their box well, but there were still chances. Robertson flicked a cross onto the post and then, after a brief respite for City, Salah clipped the crossbar.

It looked like City might be halfway to a victory, but in added time at the end of the first period, Gakpo cut inside James Justin and curled a brilliant effort into the far corner from 20 yards. It would have stung van Nistelrooy that little bit more, with Gakpo one of his star players during his time as PSV manager.

Liverpool immediately reasserted their dominance after half-time and within five minutes, they had a second. Alexis Mac Allister scampered down the inside right channel and cut the ball across for Jones to slam in.

Liverpool kept attacking and so, despite trailing, City continued to play on the counter-attack. And they had a golden chance for an equaliser when Mavididi crossed and Daka escaped Virgil van Dijk’s attention, only for the striker to mis-hit his shot.

Liverpool felt they needed a third goal to kill the game, and thought they had it when Gakpo lashed in, only for a lengthy VAR check to rule it out for offside. They did get their third 10 minutes from time, Salah bending into the bottom corner. Here's how we scored the players.

Jakub Stolarczyk: Even in defeat, he produced the performance that van Nistelrooy, the defence, and the fans needed. He produced a superb double save early on, especially in diving at Jones’ feet and made a few decent stops thereafter. He looked confident at corners too, punching a few away. 7

James Justin: Early on, he was a great outlet for Stolarczyk and advanced down the right well, making City’s rare forays forward quicker and more threatening. But defensively, he was just beaten by Gakpo far too often, the Dutchman skipping by him far too easily for the first Liverpool goal. 5

Conor Coady: It was a backs-to-the-wall effort and that’s something he thrives in. So many times he was in the right place to head or boot clear crosses. He remains van Nistelrooy’s main man at the back. 7

Jannik Vestergaard: He lost Nunez on a couple of crosses but was quick to close down shots from the edge of the box. The pace of Liverpool’s attack looked too much for him at times in the second half, but it was his passes that were more likely to set up City’s best counters. 6

Victor Kristiansen: It’s hard to criticise him too much against one of the best-performing players in world football, but he did struggle to keep tabs on Salah at times, especially on back-post crosses. Never lost heart though. 5

Harry Winks: His calmness on the ball ensured that City did have a chance of building counters from their own half. He was caught out by Liverpool’s lightning quick press on occasion, but when he did get passes away, they usually found a man in space. 6

Boubakary Soumare: There were occasional bursts forward, but otherwise it wasn’t his night. He spent a lot of the night chasing and never quite reached a point where he was halting Liverpool’s dominance. 5

Jordan Ayew: He produced an excellent, touch, turn and finish to give City hope of an almighty shock. But he didn’t do much beyond that, neither helping out the defence that often, nor making a difference at the top end. 6

Bilal El Khannouss: It’s not what he’s usually in the team to do, but he was absolutely terrific in his defensive work in the first half, picking up loads of loose balls, tracking back really well and flying in to clear the box. He was tidy on the ball, if not spectacular, but grew quiet in the second half. 6

Stephy Mavididi: He was the best outlet for the counters, but while he crossed for Ayew’s goal and Daka’s big second-half chance, he over-hit a through ball to the striker for what would have been a superb opportunity for 2-0. He did look a little out of ideas at times too. 6

Patson Daka: He chased really hard, annoying Liverpool defenders and the crowd with his speed, persistence and winning of free-kicks. But when his big chance came, he fluffed his lines. 5

Oliver Skipp: He was fine, passing reasonably well and doing his fair share of defensive work. But he just doesn’t get on the ball as often as Winks does. 5

Facundo Buonanotte: Tried to weave his way in and out of Liverpool players, but they hunted in packs and he got nowhere. Still, that won’t stop the calls for him to start. 5

Bobby De Cordova-Reid: Not on the pitch for long enough to make an impact. N/A

Caleb Okoli: The above is true for Okoli too, who came on late in the match. N/A

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