Final, 2-2: It’s all over at Anfield. Liverpool-Leicester City ends in a draw.
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Liverpool will be disappointed at the thought of sharing the points with Leicester City. Steven Gerrard gave the Reds a two-goal lead with two first-half penalty kicks, but the Foxes stormed back and tied the score with a pair of well-taken goals in the second half. It was just result for a game in which the teams were equally competitive, which is a bitter pill to swallow for Liverpool.
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The draw keeps Liverpool in eighth place in the Premier League standings with 29 points after 20 games. Leicester City remains rooted at the bottom with 14 points from as many games.
That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
Postgame analysis of Liverpool-Leicester City >>
90th minute +4, 2-2: Gerrard tries to curl a shot into the top corner but he misses the target.
90th minute +3, 2-2: Liverpool pins Leicester City in its own end and might have had a scoring chance had Cambiasso not intervened with a header.
90th minute, 2-2: There will be a minimum of four minutes of added time in the second half.
90th minute, 2-2: Nugent shoots from a tight angle, but Mignolet saves it at the near post.
89th minute, 2-2: Markovic heads wide from 10 yards out. Sterling created the chance with a dribble and floated cross from a tight space inside Leicester City’s penalty area.
88th minute, 2-2: Liverpool appeals for another penalty kick after Borini went down under Morgan’s challenge. The referee allows play to continue.
86th minute, 2-2: Henderson collects a deflection inside Leicester City’s penalty area. He tries to lob the on-rushing Hamer, but the goalkeeper knocks it out for a corner kick.
85th minute, 2-2: Liverpool makes its final substitution, as Lambert replaces Moreno.
83rd minute, 2-2: Coutinho tries to drive a shot on target, but it hits Borini.
82nd minute, 2-2: Sterling cuts in from the left and shoots with his right foot, but the well-positioned Hamer saves it.
79th minute, 2-2: Coutinho twists and turns at the edge of Leicester City’s penalty area before launching a left-footed shot on goal. Hamer saves Coutinho’s shot. Liverpool remains on the front foot.
77th minute, 2-2: Borini continues to search for the go-ahead goal, but his shot hits Markovic, allowing Leicester City to clear the danger.
75th minute, 2-2: Leicester City makes its final substitution. Ulloa replaces Vardy.
74th minute, 2-2: Sterling slips a pass to Borini at the penalty spot, but Borini’s shot misses the target.
73rd minute, 2-2: Leicester City continues to apply pressure. Nugent cuts inside and shoots from 20 yards out, but the immense Sakho blocks it out of danger.
72nd minute, 2-2: Liverpool makes another personnel change, bringing on Markovic for Lucas.
67th minute, 2-2: Leicester City makes its second substitution. Cambiasso replaces Hammond.
66th minute, 2-2: Lucas shoots a bobbling shot on goal. Hamer collects it without a problem.
64th minute, 2-2: Liverpool needs to regain a measure of control over the game, as Leicester City rewarded itself for an impressive second-half spell with a pair of goals.
Liverpool now is looking to push the game into Leicester City’s half by increasing the tempo of its passing and being a little more clever with its movement.
60th minute, 2-2: Schlupp scores, and Leicester City has tied the game.
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58th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Nugent scores a fine goal, and the Foxes bite into Liverpool’s lead.
After some slick build-up play, Vardy chested a pass into the path of Nugent, who volleys a shot past Mignolet.
57th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: James drives a corner kick into Liverpool’s goal-mouth, and Nugent flicks it wide with a glancing header.
55th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Lallana limps down the tunnel after injury forces him out of the game. Borini replaces Lallana in Liverpool’s first substitution.
53rd minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Leicester City has a decent spell of possession in Liverpool’s half, but the Reds’ defense holds firm, and the visitors fail to carve an opening.
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48th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Liverpool turns the ball over in its own half, creating a chance for Leicester City. It ends when James shooting well over Mignolet’s goal.
46th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: The second half is underway at Anfield. Moreno darts forward and shoots over the crossbar in an early foray.
Halftime, 2-0 Liverpool: That’s the end of the first half. Liverpool leads by two.
The Reds started slow but are riding high at the interval. They took some time to get going in the new year, as Leicester City showed more energy and menace in the opening stages, but they now lead since Gerrard converted each of his spot kicks after the referee made controversial decisions. The official shouldn’t have awarded the first one, but the second one had more merit. Regardless, Gerrard showed his legendary composure in the one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper.
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Liverpool can and must find a higher gear in order to coast to victory in its first game of 2015. If Leicester City scores first, it can drag Liverpool into a battle of wills in which nerves can play a decisive role in the outcome.
45th minute +1, 2-0 Liverpool: Henderson volleys Gerrard’s corner kick out of the air, but it misses the target by a foot or so. It would have been a spectacular goal.
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45th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: There will be a minimum of three minutes of added time in the first half.
40th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Gerrard blasts the ball past Hamer, and the Reds lead by two.
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39th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: It’s another penalty kick for Liverpool.
Coutinho flicked the ball into the air. The pass went straight to Simpson’s hand, and the referee pointed to the spot.
37th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Sterling dribbles past Wasilewski at the top of Leicester City’s penalty area but pulls his shot wide of the near post.
37th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Drinkwater has to leave the game with an apparent injury. Nugent replaces the stricken midfielder.
36th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Wasilewski is cautioned for a foul on Sterling.
31st minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Lallana hits a low drive to the far post, but it narrowly misses. Moreno created the opportunity with a run down the lest and a pass to the center.
27th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Lallana misses with a header after Moreno’s cross reached him in the Leicester City penalty area.
22nd minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Mahrez’s free kick takes a deflection and goes slightly over the crossbar.
21st minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Lucas is cautioned for a late, sliding tackle from behind on Mahrez.
17th minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Gerrard slots the penalty kick into the corner, and the Reds have the lead.
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It’s little surprise, as Gerrard is a master from the spot.
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16th minute, 0-0: It’s a penalty kick for Liverpool. Coutinho’s passed forward into Leicester’s penalty area for Sterling to chase. Sterling’s cross hit the hand of the sliding Morgan, who claims the ball actually hit his face.
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Replays show the ball hit Morgan’s face. The referee made a bad call.
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15th minute, 0-0: Schlupp drags a shot wide of Mignolet’s goal from 20 yards out.
12th minute, 0-0: Leicester City threatens again, as Schlupp outruns Can on the left and crosses into Liverpool’s penalty area, but Mahrez shoots over the bar from close range.
Liverpool dodged a bullet. Mahrez should have scored.
Ninth minute, 0-0: Toure has returned to the field, but he’s moving gingerly. Lovren is warming up on the sidelines.
Fifth minute, 0-0: Toure appears to have suffered an injury after falling awkwardly. The Liverpool center back is receiving treatment on his left leg.
Second minute, 0-0: Coutinho has a chance at the other end, as he pulls down a clearing header and shoots off target.
Second minute, 0-0: Mahrez slams a free kick off the near post. The Leicester City winger’s effort beat Mignolet, who left the near post open.
Kickoff: Liverpool-Leicester City is underway at Anfield.
Pregame: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Emre Can (23), center back
Kolo Toure (4), center back
Mamadou Sakho (17), center back
Alberto Moreno (18), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Lucas Leiva (21), midfielder
Steven Gerrard (8), midfielder
Philippe Coutinho (10), forward
Adam Lallana (20), forward
Raheem Sterling (31), forward
Substitutes
Danny Ward (52), goalkeeper
Dejan Lovren (6), defender
Javier Manquillo (19), defender
Lazar Markovic (50), midfielder
Seyi Ojo (54), forward
Rickie Lambert (9), striker
Fabio Borini (29), striker
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Leicester City
Ben Hamer (12), goalkeeper
Ritchie de Laet (2), left back
Wes Morgan (5), center back
Marcin Wasilewski (27), center back
Danny Simpson (17), right back
Danny Drinkwater (4), midfielder
Dean Hammond (7), midfielder
Matty James (8), midfielder
Riyad Mahrez (26), midfielder
Jeffrey Schlupp (15), midfielder
Jamie Vardy (9), striker
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Substitutes
Adam Smith (31), goalkeeper
Liam Moore (18), defender
Esteban Cambiasso (19), midfielder
Anthony Knockaert (24), midfielder
Tom Lawrence, forward
David Nugent (35), striker
Leonardo Ulloa (23), striker
9:30 a.m. ET: The back end of Liverpool’s 2014-15 Premier League campaign starts Thursday at Anfield when it faces Leicester City.
The Reds enter the new year on the back of a two straight wins in festive period. They can mount their first three-game winning streak of the Premier League season with a win over the Foxes.
The Reds are slowly returning to their desired performance levels. Manager Brendan Rodgers has tweaked the Reds’ system in a way which has brought their up-tempo, high-pressing style of play back to the fore in recent games.
The teams last met on Dec. 2 at King Power Stadium. Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana scored to fueled the Reds’ 3-1 win. The midfielders are likely to feature as Liverpool looks to repeat last month’s feat and continue its climb up the standings.
Liverpool-Leicester City kicks off at 10 a.m. Stay right here for all the action from Anfield.
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Thumbnail photo by Twitter/@br_uk
