Liverpool won 3-1 at home to Leicester and are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, with Cody Gakpo a particular standout.

Liverpool 3-1 Leicester

Premier League (17), Anfield
December 26, 2024

Goals: Gakpo 46′, Jones 49′, Salah 82′; Ayew 6′

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Alisson (out of 10) – 7

Alisson returned seamlessly to the team and was as confident as ever.

He couldn’t do anything about Jordan Ayew’s early goal, and a shot from Virgil van Dijk gave him no hope.

Liverpool’s No. 1 was otherwise untested and was unable to pull off a save of note.

Trent Alexander Arnold – 6

It was a mixed evening for Alexander-Arnold, which produced both quality and frustrating moments.

There were some delicious crosses from the right but his corners were consistently poor and a shot into the Kop was not well received.

Overall sufficient.

Joe Gomez – 7

Even in the absence of Ibrahima Konate, Gomez wasn’t always able to impress against Leicester.

He can often bounce back after a shaky start, which is what happened here, with a few sloppy passes that were met with anger from the home crowd.

However, Gomez made some key interceptions and got much better as the game went on, for which he deserves a lot of credit.

Virgil van Dijk – 7

Van Dijk went through well overall, although he perhaps felt he could have done a little better by keeping the ball away for Ayew’s goal.

That’s hard, though.

Otherwise, Van Dijk carried out his duties with ease as Liverpool dominated possession at Anfield and completed 98 percent of his passes.

Andy Robertson – 7

While Robertson appears to be at the top of his game at the end of his career, he delivered an encouraging performance this time around.

The Scot was poor on Ayew’s opener, putting his body in a bad position and being outwitted, but played a great long ball to Gakpo before half-time.

He hit the post with a header and continually offered attempts, although not quite with the power he had.

Ryan Gravenberch – 6

Gravenberch has started every Premier League game so far this season, but this was one of his less influential performances overall.

That’s not to say the Dutchman did much wrong by keeping the ball moving, but he didn’t dominate the midfield as much as he often does.

Alexis Mac Allister – 7

There were times when Mac Allister was off the pace early on, but he really grew into the game.

The Argentine never stopped applying pressure, showed great tenacity out of possession and used the ball cleverly.

Assisted Curtis Jones with a precise low cross and got a lovely reception after being substituted late on.

Curtis Jones – 7

Jones came on for Dominik Szoboszlai in the No. 10 role but initially struggled to enjoy a convincing performance.

He dawdled in front of the goal with the net gaping, and as can sometimes be the case, he was generally guilty of holding on to the ball for too long.

However, he gave Liverpool a 2-1 lead with a fine finish to calm nerves and like so many he got better as the game went on.

Mohamed Salah – 7

In his current form, Salah has a strong case for being the best player in the world.

He set about producing a nice flick for Jones early on, but some of his delivery lacked his usual inch-perfect brilliance.

Salah hit the crossbar and played some lovely gliding passes into dangerous areas before scoring his 100th Premier League home goal to seal the final score.

He didn’t do his best, but maybe sometimes we expect too much.

Cody Gakpo – 8 (Man of the Match)

Gakpo was once again deployed in his strongest role on the left and was Liverpool’s most dangerous attacking player in the first 45 minutes.

The 25-year-old looked threatening inside and it was his brilliant throw that made the final score 1-1 seconds before half-time.

After the break he was harshly denied a goal, then he set up Salah. By far the choice among Liverpool players.

Darwin Nunez – 6

Nunez returned to the team at the expense of Luis Diaz, knowing how important it was for him to put in a great performance.

However, once again they wanted more from the Uruguayan, who offered little connection play and was too often offside.

However, in the run-up to Jones’ goal, he managed a nice shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper after a sharp move.

Substitute

Dominik Szoboszlai (for Jones, 77′) – 6

A yellow card means he misses the game against West Ham due to suspension.

Diogo Jota (for Nunez, 77′) – 6

A quiet cameo from the Portuguese.

Kostas Tsimikas (for Robertson, 86′) – N/A

Wataru Endo (for Gravenberch, 86′) – N/A

Harvey Elliott (for Mac Allister, 92′) – N/A

Substitutes not used: Kelleher, Quansah, Chiesa, Diaz

Arne Slot – 7

Things couldn’t be better for Slot, as Chelsea’s 2-1 home defeat against Fulham only makes the three points even more important for his team.

The two changes to his starting lineup made sense and provided some freshness to the squad, but the first half performance left a lot to be desired.

But Slot showed a much better performance from his team after the break as they ultimately won at Anfield.

Seven points ahead of the end – what a job the boss is doing!