Liverpool sweated for it, but ultimately secured their spot in the fourth round of the League Cup as Dominik Szoboszlai helped down Leicester.
Liverpool 3-1 Leicester
League Cup 3rd Round, Anfield
September 27, 2023
Goals
McAteer 2′
Gakpo 48′ (assist – Gravenberch)
Szoboszlai 70′ (assist – Endo)
Jota 89′ (assist – Quansah)
It is almost customary now for Liverpool to go a goal down to a poor chance early on, and it was much the same as they kicked off the League Cup campaign.
With Kostas Tsimikas folding like a cheap suit on the left flank, Leicester were able to break, and with the ball falling to Kasey McAteer, the youngster finished well for 1-0 within two minutes.
From there, though, Liverpool were on top, with Ben Doak dazzling down the right as he was denied a strong shout for a penalty, kept out by Jakub Stolarczyk from close range and then hit the bar from a similar distance.
The chances kept coming, with the Reds almost restoring parity through Cody Gakpo, only to be thwarted by a goal-line clearance from Conor Coady.
Coady putting his body – and at times, face – on the line to keep out his former club was a consistent theme throughout the first half, with Liverpool going in for the break frustrated.
HT: Liverpool 0-1 Leicester
There were no changes at half-time, and Jurgen Klopp‘s patience was rewarded within three minutes of the restart, with smart footwork from Ryan Gravenberch seeing him tee up Gakpo for a turn and finish.
It certainly seemed as though there had been choice words from the manager in the dressing room, with a number of players – Gakpo included – stepping up their performance levels.
With the tie still in the balance with 25 minutes left of normal time, Klopp saw fit to send on both Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez, arguably the two most popular players inside Anfield.
And it took five minutes for Szoboszlai to put Liverpool ahead, picking the ball up from Wataru Endo, stepping forward from range and powering in off the crossbar.
The Reds still had defending to do, but did so well as Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konate and Stefan Bajcetic all made timely challenges to keep the lead.
Liverpool’s victory was then guaranteed by a burst down the right from Quansah and a deft flick from Diogo Jota to ensure a fourth 3-1 win in a row.
TIA Man of the Match: Curtis Jones
Referee: Tim Robinson
Liverpool: Kelleher; Jones (Bajcetic 79′), Quansah, Konate, Tsimikas (Chambers 90′); Endo, Elliott, Gravenberch (Szoboszlai 65′); Doak (Nunez 65′), Jota, Gakpo
Subs not used: Adrian, Van Dijk, Matip, Mac Allister, Diaz
Leicester: Stolarczyk; Souttar, Coady, Justin; Pereira, Choudhury, Casadei (Ndidi 57′), Albrighton (Fatawu 64′); Yunus (Dewsbury-Hall 65′), McAteer, Iheanacho (Daka 64′)
Subs not used: Hermansen, Faes, Vestergaard, Winks, Mavididi
Next match: Tottenham (A) – Premier League – Saturday, September 30, 5.30pm (BST)
