Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City: Wout Faes scores two own goals as Reds rally for Anfield win

Two own goals from Wout Faes helped Liverpool come back from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1 at Anfield on Friday night.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gave Leicester a shock lead with a well-taken one-on-one goal inside four minutes, but two mistakes of the highest order from Faes within seven minutes of each other at the end of a frantic first half cost the Foxes their valuable lead.

Leicester took advantage of a frantic start to proceedings at Anfield when Dewsbury-Hall burst through an absent Liverpool defence to dink the ball beyond Alisson Becker to take the lead inside four minutes.

The Foxes continued to trouble Liverpool to no avail as the hosts started shakily, but it was the Reds who had the ball in the back of the net next through Mohamed Salah, but the Egyptian had drifted offside and the goal was ruled out.

Liverpool eventually found an equaliser seven minutes before the break in bizarre circumstance. Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a low cross in a dangerous area at the front post, but there was no threat in the box as Danny Ward prepared to collect. Faes had other ideas, though, and chose to ignore loud calls from his goalkeeper to leave the ball, took a swipe at it, and could only watch on agonisingly as the ball spun off his boot, over the head of Ward, and bounced across the line at the back post.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for Faes, who turned Darwin Nunez’s one-on-one effort that came off the post into the roof of his own net as he tried to make a clearance to give Liverpool the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Salah missed a great chance to put Liverpool two goals ahead when he slotted a one-on-one effort to the wrong side of the post. Nunez slipped Salah through with a great defence-splitting ball, but with only Ward to beat, he got the execution all wrong.

Dewsbury-Hall had the best chance of the second half when Timothy Castange delivered an inviting ball for the goalscorer, who was completely unmarked in the Liverpool box, but he headed wide.

Both sides continued to threaten throughout the second half but lacked quality in front of goal. Nunez and Salah were presented with numerous chances, but neither could beat Ward who had a fairly comfortable game.

Despite a flurry of hopeful chances from Leicester towards the end of the game, Liverpool held on and crept over the line to wrap up all three points.

Liverpool remain in sixth place, two points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth spot, whereas Leicester, in 13th, are in danger of dropping closer to the relegation zone over the weekend.

TALKING POINT – LEICESTER UNDONE BY THEIR OWN MAKING

Despite two defeats from two since the Premier League’s return after the World Cup, Leicester were actually much improved following their 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Boxing Day. It was a fairly even game all told, with Liverpool far from their best, but Leicester looked dangerous throughout whenever they had a go and could have easily come away with something.

It was a night to forget for Wout Faes, though, who put the ball in his own net twice. The first was poor defending, there was a clear call from his goalkeeper to let the ball trickle into his hands, but Faes completely ignored him and went to clear a harmless ball, before it spun off his boot and into Ward’s net in comical fashion. For the second, he could be considered unlucky. Faes did well to track Nunez’s shot which came back off the post and into the path of the Belgian, but he was in one of those positions where you have to sort your feet out quickly before hooking the ball away, and he just couldn’t do that, as he slammed the ball into his own net.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – THIAGO (LIVERPOOL)

The midfielder had a really good game in the middle of the park. He made a handful of inch-perfect challenges in dangerous areas and spurred on Liverpool attacks with some great forward passing.

He also completed the most dribbles in the match, as well as the most passes as he dictated the game. He committed and won the most fouls, winning 12 duals in total in a dominant performance.

MATCH RATINGS

LIVERPOOL: Alisson 6, Alexander-Arnold 8, Matip 7, Van Dijk 7, Robertson 7, Thiago 8*, Henderson 7, Elliot 7, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Salah 7, Nunez 7

Subs: Gomez N/A, Keita 6, Tsimikas 6, Bajcetic N/A

LEICESTER: Ward 8, Castagne 6, Amartey 6, Faes 4, Thomas 6, Soumare 6, Perez 7, Ndidi 6, Dewsbury-Hall 8, Barnes 6, Daka 7

Subs: Tielemans 6, Vardy 6, Iheanacho 6

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

4’ – GOAL! LIVERPOOL 0-1 LEICESTER CITY (DEWSBURY-HALL): What a start for Leicester! Leicester walk through the midfield with one-touch moves before Patson Daka sets up Dewsbury-Hall who breaks beyond an absent Liverpool defence, and makes no mistake as he beats Alisson one-on-one.

21’ – LIVERPOOL COME CLOSE TO AN EQUALISER! Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sends Nunez on a chase down Liverpool’s left wing and the forward beats Faes with ease before pulling a cross back for Mohamed Salah, whose shot is inches wide.

27’ – LIVERPOOL HAVE THE BALL IN THE NET… But the flag is up for offside. Ward collects the ball and looks to ping it left to Thomas but it hits Salah on its way. The ball falls to Nunez who returns the ball to Salah and the Egyptian makes no mistake with the finish, but he had drifted offside.

38’ – GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-1 LEICESTER CITY (FAES OWN GOAL): That is an extraordinary own goal! Alexander-Arnold delivers a low cross in a dangerous area, but there is absolutely no danger in the box as Ward prepares to collect, but Faes takes a swipe at the ball at the near post and it flicks behind him and over the head of Ward.

45’ – GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-1 LEICESTER CITY (FAES OWN GOAL) – How’s your luck? Nunez is through on goal and dinks the ball over Ward but is denied by the post, only for it to bounce back towards the chasing-back Faes who looks to clear the ball over the bar, but can only steer it into the roof of his own net.

61’ – HUGE CHANCE FOR DEWSBURY-HALL! Timothy Castange whips in a delicious ball for Dewsbury-Hall, who is completely unmarked in the Liverpool box, but he heads wide.

KEY STAT