Liverpool keep hopes of top four finish alive in Premier League, push Leicester City towards relegation, see

Liverpool edged Leicester City close to relegation and kept alive their chances of breaking into the English Premier League’s top four with a 3-0 win on Monday. Curtis Jones scored an unlikely first two goals before Trent Alexander-Arnold fired in an indirect free kick to wrap up a mismatch at King Power Stadium between teams headed in opposite directions.

For Liverpool, an impressive rally at the end of the season with a seventh straight win secured at least a place in the Europa League and put the fifth-placed side behind both Newcastle and Manchester United in the race for the last two Champions League qualifications. done. Position behind Manchester City and Arsenal.

Watch Curtis Jones score the opening goal for Liverpool here…

A beautifully timed run before a clinical finish @curtiszr_10 _ to open the scoring pic.twitter.com/P02n8rqmwr— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 15, 2023

Liverpool have two games left – against Aston Villa at home and Southampton already away – while Newcastle and Man United have three to play. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said, “I don’t think it’s likely, but if they slip up, we have to be there.” “Will they slip? I don’t know. Will we win both games? I don’t know.”

For Leicester, morale could hardly be lower with their top flight status in serious jeopardy just seven years after winning the league in one of the great underdog stories in the history of the game. The Foxes are in next-to-last place and are two points from safety with two games remaining. They are at third-placed Newcastle, and at home to West Ham, for one of the most challenging away games in the league.

Leicester have won just one of their last 14 league games and conceded eight goals in their last two games after a 5-3 defeat at Fulham last week. Jones is an academy product enjoying a fine end to an injury-plagued season. The 22-year-old midfielder had scored only once this season before, volleying Mohamed Salah’s right-wing cross at the far post and neatly side-footing home his 33rd.

Groans from the home fans were already heard inside the stadium and three minutes later when Salah picked out Jones again, who controlled the ball in a central position on the edge of the area, he turned and fired into the far corner. Tried to dive in. , Salah completed a hat-trick of assists when he tapped a free kick backward with the sole of his foot, giving Alexander-Arnold a clear approach on goal to round goalkeeper Daniel Iversen’s corner.

“It’s a bunch of really good footballers,” said Leicester’s interim manager Dean Smith, “but we came up against a team that outplayed us physically today.” It’s very simple.

Alexander-Arnold has also come into his own in the latter part of the season after being deployed in a hybrid defender-midfielder role, a tactical switch that helped cover his defensive shortcomings and put other midfielders – such as Jones – forward. Increases. Both the players have benefited from this.

Since the positional tweak, Alexander-Arnold has collected six assists to accompany his goal against Leicester. Liverpool’s return to form may be too late to qualify for the Champions League, but it at least signals that Klopp’s side could be title contenders next season.

Klopp’s repeated fist-pumping in front of Liverpool fans after the match was perhaps a sign of him keeping the faith, with Newcastle and Man United perhaps needing two wins from their last three games. Newcastle have a tough finish at home to Brighton and away to Chelsea either side of a home match against Leicester, who – even with a win – could still condemn the Foxes to relegation.

Leicester may need to win both of their remaining games, but seem to have a beaten bunch of players. Smith said, ‘We know what we have to do now.