As it happened: Leicester v Liverpool – 8 changes for the reds in the League Cup

League Cup 3rd Round
Tuesday 19 September 2017 - 7:45 pm
King Power Stadium
Leicester2
0Liverpool
Show Match Events
45'↔️ Coutinho off, Woodburn on
Ulloa off, Okazaki on ↔️52'
57' Grujić
⚽️ Okazaki65'
72'↔️ Wijnaldum off, Ings on
74' Klavan
⚽️ Slimani78'
Ndidi off, Choudhury on ↔️83'
Iborra90'
Possession %
3070
Total Shots
821
Shots on Target
53
Shots Blocked
18
Offside
1
Hide Match Events

The reds travel to Leicester City for the first of 2 games at the King Power Stadium this week.

Liverpool join the League Cup competition at the 3rd round stage due to being in European competition - and Klopp has used the opportunity to give his squad a run out.

Danny Ward starts in goal, with Joe Gomez and Jon Flanagan named in the defence.

Marko Grujic starts in midfield - and Dominic Solanke and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain make their first starts for the club - joining forces with Philippe Coutinho.

The reds have been finalists, and semi-finalists (twice) in the last three seasons of this competition.

As it happened...

19:09 UK
It's matchday - 8 changes

Jurgen Klopp spins the wheel of squad selection for the League Cup clash away at Leicester but it's a slightly more senior side than usual in this stage of the competition.

Confirmed XI: Ward, Flanagan, Gomez, Klavan, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Coutinho, Solanke, Oxlade-Chamberlain

Bench: Karius, Moreno, Milner, Markovic, Ings, Woodburn, Alexander-Arnold

19:18 UK

Ings is involved in the squad for the first time since October 2016, while Lazar Markovic was last named in a squad in the 6-1 defeat to Stoke City in May 2015, 5 months before Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool.

Ings has 3 goals from 11 appearances in over 2 years.  Markovic has 33 appearances and also 3 goals.  He arrived just over 3 years ago.

19:27 UK
Our opponents

There's plenty of recognised names in the Leicester City line up as well

19:35 UK
3 substitute appearances

Oxlade-Chamberlain has had 3 brief substitute appearances at LFC since his £35M deadline day move.

Tonight is his first start.

19:44 UK
Teams are out

Jordan Henderson leads the reds out on to the pitch at the King Power Stadium.

Kick off seconds away.

19:46 UK
KICK OFF

We are underway in the League Cup!

19:52 UK

7' Corner for Leicester comfortably claimed by Danny Ward.  

19:53 UK
Good chance

8' Coutinho at the edge of the area feeds the ball out to the left - Robertson is in space.  He whips in a ball to the middle of the area but Oxlade Chamberlain snatches at the shot.  Hit it with his right - should maybe have used his left.

19:55 UK

9' Robertson seeing plenty of the ball and getting a lot of space down that left wing.  He plays a great cross into the area but there is nobody there to get their head on the end of it.

19:57 UK

10' Coutinho loses the ball in the middle of the pitch - Leicester send the ball forward to Slimani but out comes Danny Ward to launch the ball to safety.  ????

19:58 UK

11' Coutinho picks the ball up from Robertson - twists, turns, twists again and unleashes a shot but it's not got enough venom on it.

20:02 UK
Possession from the reds

14' A good period of Liverpool possession - frustration eventually gets to Leicester and Albrighton commits a foul.   Gomez places pressure on the keeper from the free kick and the reds win a corner which comes to nothing.

20:04 UK
Briefly away from this game

Well done Divock

20:07 UK
Chances spurned

18' Ball fed to Oxlade Chamberlain at the corner of the box but - is that a cross or a shot? Either way - it's well over and wide.

20:08 UK

21' Coutinho plays a crossfield pass and he's given it straight to Leicester - Demarai Gray bears down on Gomez, he turns him but just can't do the business with a shot  A lucky let off - not the first mistake from Coutinho.

20:12 UK
Robertson at the heart of LFC's good moves

23' Half-way through this first half and Robertson has been creating most of Liverpool's chances. The reds have had 7 chances already.

He's found space again and sends in another delicious cross.  

But Solanke can't get enough on it.

Meanwhile Oxlade Chamberlain is being made to work harder than he must be used to - he is visibly dripping with sweat.  He's not quite at the races.

20:15 UK
Chance of the game so far

Coutinho to Solanke - to Robertson - he is at the corner of the 6 yard box and fires it to Coutinho.  It's deflected by a Leicester play out - but the referee doesn't award a corner.  Andy Robertson furious at the decision.

20:20 UK

31' Another shot from outside the box from Oxlade-Chamberlain - cuts inside and then fires a left footed low shot.  

The keeper gets down to collect it but gives it straight back to Liverpool.  

The reds, just like at the weekend, are in total control but it remains goalless.

20:28 UK
Free kick over the bar

40' It was a good position for Coutinho to take the free kick - but the Brazilian blazed it over the bar and it remains, frustratingly, 0-0 as we approach half time.

20:36 UK
HALF TIME

Absolute dominance from Liverpool.  But frustratingly it remains 0-0.

Chance now for the Leicester boss to re-organise his team - have the reds missed their chance to go and win this tie?

We make that 13 shots to 2 for the reds.

20:49 UK
Substitution at half time

Phil Coutinho goes off and Ben Woodburn is on to replace him.

20:51 UK
Wild tackle from Grujic

46' Straight from the kick off Leicester head to the Liverpool goal and win a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box - a bit of a reckless tackle by Grujic.

20:52 UK

47' Demerai Gray though delivers a free kick in the style of Coutinho in the first half - it's well over the crossbar and Liverpool take the sting out of that initial burst from the Foxes.

20:55 UK
Robertson in the first half

He's playing left back remember.  Graphic shows Andy Robertson's heatmap in the first half. 

20:57 UK
Substitution for Leicester

52' Shinji Okazaki on for Leonardo Ulloa who took a knock.  

And straight away he wins a tackle, nutmegs Jordan Henderson and then plays an ambitious crossfield pass. 

It's woken up the Leicester fans - he's a bit of a favourite here.

21:00 UK
Great chance for Leicester

54' They're waking up now.  This second half is a bit more evenly matched than the first.

Demarai Gray with a dribble, cuts inside and fires a shot in - it's narrowly wide.

21:02 UK
Yellow Card

57' And Marko Grujic goes into the referee's book.  He already committed that foul early in the half. 

This time his slide on Wilfred Ndidi gets him a booking.

21:12 UK
Goal

65' And it's the substitute Shinji Okazaki who gets the goal.

Liverpool fail to defend the set-piece - a bit of head-tennis and Okazaki is there to fire in - takes a deflection, disappointingly, off Andy Robertson

Leicester 1-0 Liverpool

21:15 UK

70' Now that was a good free kick crossed in by Oxlade-Chamberlain - but it goes, unbelievably, through everybody in the box.  The faintest of touches would have sent that into the net.

Aaarrrghh.

21:17 UK
Substitution

73' Danny Ings comes on for Gini Wijnaldum.  He's playing his first LFC game for almost 11 months.  Good luck, and welcome back.

21:20 UK
Yellow card

74' Klavan goes into the book for a barge on Okazaki.  Looked nastier on replay - he turned his back to him and caught him with an elbow.

From the free kick Leicester pump it into the box but Danny Ward comes out magnificently to claim.

21:24 UK
Goal

78' Islam Slimani with a powerful shot to make it 2-0 .  Collected the ball from the throw in and smashes it in with his left foot.  Looks like the reds are, despite first half domination, heading out of the competition.

Leicester 2-0 Liverpool

21:25 UK
Leicester in control now

And Danny Ward is forced to tip a shot around the post - the shot was from Gray.  They are feeling super confident now.  A true game of two halves.

21:29 UK
Leicester sub

84' Hamza Choudhury comes on for Ndidi.

He's got an amazing barnet.

21:35 UK
Into injury time

4 minutes of it.  It's not going to be enough for the reds to get back into this.

21:37 UK
Another wasted shot

90+3' Henderson sideways it to Grujic who smashes over the crossbar.  Poor.

21:40 UK
FULL TIME

Leicester 2-0 Liverpool

If you don't take your chances then you go out.  The reds were utterly dominant in the first half - but ultimately toothless.  

Leicester rode the storm - brough on Okazaki and he ignited the home fans and the Leicester performance.

The reds are going to have to start finding the net - starting back here on Saturday in the Premier League.

21:54 UK
Post Match

Klopp: 'I'm sick of conceding goals like this.'

22:02 UK
That's all folks

It was a great first half - not so great second half.  The reds haven't won now since August and need to get back to winning ways, against Leicester this weekend.

Join us then for happier times... hopefully!

Our match report from tonight.



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