Liverpool 3-0 Leicester City: Premier League – as it happened

That’s it for tonight’s blog. I’ll leave you with Andy Hunter’s match report from Anfield. Thanks for your company and emails - goodnight!

90+2 min Vardy knocks a bouncing ball past Alisson on the left edge of the box and lobs into the side netting from an impossible angle. Good effort though.

89 min A double change for Liverpool: Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino replace Jota, who was terrific, and Mane, who is always terrific.

88 min Maddison’s corner is headed over by Fofana.

84 min Mane cuts inside Fofana and belts a low shot from 20 yards that is pushed away by the diving Schmeichel. It goes straight to Firmino, but the pace on the ball means he can’t control it.

82 min Alisson comes out of his area on the right to make an effective slide tackle on Justin.

81 min Replays show that approximately 999/1000ths of the ball was over the line when Albrighton cleared Firmino’s shot a few minutes ago.

79 min This has been a surprisingly comfortable night for Liverpool. Leicester will wonder what might have happened had they been given a penalty in the first few minutes, but since then they’ve been second best.

77 min: Firmino and Mane hit the post in the space of five seconds! That was bizarre. Firmino slipped Fofana neatly on the edge of the area and hammered a low shot off the far post. Firmino’s follow-up was then cleared off the line by Albrighton - just about - and finally Mane’s shot hit Schmeichel and ricocheted onto the same post.

76 min “To appreciate just how well-loved Ray Clemence was at Anfield, you only had to be on the Kop and hear the roar of applause whenever he trotted over to take up his position just before kick off or the second half, applause he would always acknowledge in his own discreet manner,” says Michael Cosgrove. “Ah, memories…”

75 min “Curtis Jones does display much promise,” says Gary Naylor. “If only he had a manager who played him as often as Pep plays Phil Foden, we might see more of his international potential.”

Arf.

74 min Robertson zig-zags thrillingly past three players before being fouled by Fofana.

72 min Liverpool appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Jota goes down after a challenge from Fofana. Jota dragged a shot wide at the end of a fine run, and his momentum took him into Fofana. VAR agrees that it wasn’t penalty; Jota and Jurgen Klopp do not.

70 min Milner’s corner is headed away at the near post by Vardy.

67 min A Leicester goal now would make things interesting. They’ve been good in the last seven or eight minutes.

65 min Mendy is booked for a late tackle on Wijnaldum.

65 min Leicester are having a decent little spell, probably their best of the match in terms of sustained possession. Under’s stinging long-range shot is blocked by Milner.

63 min A double change for Leicester: Dennis Praet and Cengiz Under replace Barnes and Fuchs, which means a switch to 4-2-3-1.

62 min: Fine double save from Alisson! Leicester almost found their way back into the game. Maddison’s deflected free-kick reached Vardy, who tried to chest it round Alisson in the six-yard box. Alisson dived at Vardy’s feet to block and then saved the follow up from Barnes.

57 min: Evans almost scores his second own goal! It’s all Liverpool now. Jota twists Justin inside out and drives a shot that is beaten away at the near post by Schmeichel. The ball comes back to Jota, who hammers it low towards the near post. Firmino’s shot is blocked at point-blank range by Schmeichel and then Evans, under pressure from Firmino, heads the rebound against his own post.

54 min: What a clearance from Fuchs! Milner, now in midfield, put Mane clear in the inside-left channel with a fine pass. Mane opened his body to sweep a shot that was palmed up in the air by Schmeichel and was about to drop into the net when Fuchs appeared to head clear from under the crossbar. He was under a lot of pressure from Jota, which made it an even better piece of defending.

54 min Keita walks off very slowly, looking thoroughly cheesed off. Williams is on.

53 min Neco Williams is getting ready to replace Keita, who has done his hamstring. He’ll go to right-back and James Milner will move into midfield.

52 min Keita is down with what looks like - yep - another muscle injury.

49 min Vardy scoots round the back of the defence to win a corner. Maddison’s delivery is poor and Robertson clears.

48 min Maddison slides a fine through pass between Matip and Milner to find Barnes. He moves into the area but is expertly pushed wide by Matip, and Alisson makes a comfortable save.

47 min “Hi Rob,” says Simon Gill. “Greetings from (at the moment, at least) a very happy Liverpool fan in the Czech Republic. Steve Tayler was recollecting a save Ray Clemence made from a forward who thought he was going to lob him but ended up dollying the ball into his grateful arms. I am not 100% sure if we are recalling the same incident but I remember him doing exactly that in about 1973 at the Anfield Road end against peak Leeds - the forward was either Allan Clarke or Peter Lorimer. My, how we laughed. We loved him.”

He’d be booked for ungentlemanly conduct nowadays.

46 min Another devastating cross from Robertson is volleyed over ar the far post by Jota. That was a decent chance, though was under pressure from Justin. This isn’t news, but Andy Robertson is quite magnificente.

46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half.

Liverpool are signing who?

“Haven’t been able to watch recently, but Curtis Jones strikes me as a VERY tasty player - a cert for England,” says Francis Mead. “What do you think?”

I wouldn’t say a cert but he does look really promising. He’s made some excellent runs through midfield tonight, with and especially without the ball.

Half-time reading

45+1 min Replays show Justin won the ball, though he may have gone through Milner to do so. A yellow card feels a bit harsh.

45 min Justin is booked for a frustrated tackle on Milner.

43 min While I was typing that bit about the goal, Alisson got down smartly to his left to push away a long-range shot. I think it was from Tielemans but I wouldn’t swear it in a court of law.

That was beautiful play from Liverpool. It started when Curtis Jones sprayed a long pass out to Robertson on the left. Albrighton committed himself, which allowed Robertson to zip inside him and curl a glorious cross towards the near post. Jota made a superb run in front of Fuchs and planted an accomplished downward header past Schmeichel. Great goal.

39 min A slip from Fofana almost lets Mane in. He recovers well, though, and eventually takes the sting out of Mane’s shot on its way through to Schmeichel.

35 min At the other end, Mane pokes wide after a through pass from Keita. He was offside anyway.

34 min A lovely effort from James Justin. He ran at Milner and Jota, cut inside and curled a dipping shot just wide of the far post. Alisson probably had it covered but it was a really nice bit of play.

32 min Evans fouls Mane just outside the area on the left wing. Robertson’s deep free-kick is headed back across goal by Matip, and the leaping Firmino studs the ball wide from a yard. It was a tricky chance - at waist height, and with the ball looping away from him and the goal - but he would have scored with a firmer touch.

31 min Liverpool are controlling the game. Leicester have been pinned in their own half for much of the last 15-20 minutes.

28 min “Anyone who leaves Gordon Banks out of their top five,” says Robert Clayton, “never saw him play.”

We didn’t have TV in the womb.

27 min Robertson’s dangerous inswinging corner is headed just wide by Matip, under pressure from Fofana. The ball dipped awkwardly in front of Matip; I think it came off his shoulder in the end, but it still almost went in the net.

25 min “There’s an interesting article to be written about all-time greats who had the misfortune to spend their career playing second fiddle to someone even greater,” says James Evans. “Clemence is one, Aussie leg-spinner Stuart MacGill another. And of course there’s Cantona playing in the shadow of Le God.”

I had no idea that was what they called Brian McClair.

24 min: Just wide from Barnes! This is great stuff now. Barnes, in the inside-left channel, slides the ball down the line to Vardy in the area. He pulls a speculative low cross into the middle, where Barnes runs onto the ball and slices a first-time shot just wide of the far post. He probably should have scored.

22 min: Firmino has a goal disallowed! It was the right decision - he and Jota clattered Schmeichel as he collected a Robertson cross. That led to him dropping the ball and Firmino turning it over the line from 0.0001 yards.

Milner clipped in a corner from the right towards the six-yard line, where Evans was so busy wrestling with Mane that he took his eye off the ball for a crucial split-second. It hit him on the back of the head and flew past Schmeichel.

20 min Leicester are struggling to get Vardy in the game. Mind you, that was the case after 20 minutes at the Etihad earlier in the season, and he ended up scoring a hat-trick.

19 min Fuchs is limping after being caught accidentally on the side of the leg by Jota. I think he’ll be okay.

18 min Robertson volleys a loose ball well wide from 20 yards.

15 min Firmino is looking quite sharp, which will encourage Liverpool. They have been the better team in the first 15 minutes, though there hasn’t been much in it.

13 min Jota receives Firmino’s pass in the D, shifts the ball away from Fuchs and sweeps a fierce shot that is palmed away by the falling Schmeichel. It was a lovely strike but a bit too close to the keeper.

13 min Liverpool are having most of the ball, but Leicester are springing so quickly when they win it. This is already a fascinating game.

11 min “You are going to leave out Banks!!!???” says Francis Mead. “I think he was the best ever, worldwide. And personally, I always thought Clemence was a more reliable goalkeeper than Shilton.”

He played his last game before I was born, hence the omission.

10 min The resulting corner breaks to Keita, whose long-range shot is comfortably saved by Schmeichel.

9 min: Good save from Schmeichel! Thta was excellent play from Liverpool. Keita angled a through apss to Jones on the right of the area. He took the ball in his stride and smashed a shot from a tight angle that was pushed round the post by Schmeichel.

7 min Under the current handball rules, Matip was really lucky to get away with that appeal earlier in the game. We should start calling it VARbitrary.

6 min Leicester have made a bright start, particularly down their left against the fill-in right-back Milner.

5 min “Hi Rob,” says Paul Griffin. “In terms of Liverpool shotstoppers who could read the game, use their body to make saves, and cover angles, in tight one-on-ones, it seems churlish not to include Stephane Henchoz in the mix.”

4 min Leicester appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty after the ball hits Matip on the arm in the penalty. VAR decides there’s nothing to see here. Hmm, I would like to see that again. I thought Matip moved his arm slightly towards the ball.

2 min Milner’s floated near-post corner is headed into the side netting by the stooping Mane. That was a clever effort that almost caught Schmeichel out.

2 min Jota and Mane combine well to tee up Keita, whose long-range shot deflects behind for the first corner.

2 min “Gary Naylor is right about Liverpool’s last line of defence when Clemence was playing,” says Steve Tayler. “I remember a game on MotD (I’m going to say against Leicester, but I’m probably making that bit up) when the ball fell to an opposing forward in the centre of the goal some 6-8 yards out. Clemence took a step forwards, shaping to lunge for the ball, and then stepped back just as the forward tried to chip him. The shot was a simple catch for a grinning goalie.”

1 min Peep peep! Leicester, in their white away kit, kick off from left to right. Liverpool are in red.

There is a poignant minute’s applause for the late Ray Clemence. Before the game, Alisson laid Clemence’s iconic green shirt behind one of the goals.

Hang on, Naylor meant the best five full stop! “At risk of going a bit David Brent, of those I’ve seen, in alphabetical order, I’d go: Buffon, Clemence, Schmeichel, Shilton, Southall.”

I think it’s pushing it to include him in the best five overall, but you saw more of him than I did.

“Who are the five England goalkeepers?” asks Elliot Wilson. “I think of Shilts, Clemence, Seaman, Banks, and then maybe Del Boy saying ‘Bonetti, Bonetti’, but is he the fifth you had in mind?”

In Naylor’s lifetime, that’d be my five. In my lifetime, I’d replace Banks and Bonetti with Tim Flowers and lord knows, maybe Nigel Martyn.

Here come the players. It’s a cloudy evening at Anfield, with scattered showers that will ease going overnight. A dry night with clear spells for many, as cloud clears in the early hours. Feeling chilly. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

“Hi Rob,” says Gary Naylor. “Whilst it is right and proper that Ray Clemence has been celebrated as a universally liked and admired man, we should not lose sight of what a fearsome foe he was on the pitch. Players would get past Tommy Smith, Jimmy Case or Graeme Souness only to face down Clemence in a one-on-one game of chicken in which you were absolutely certain that he would not blink first.

“Just because his career coincided with that of Peter Shilton, we should not be in any doubt that he was an all-time great goalkeeper, top five in my lifetime for sure.”

Top five England goalkeepers? Yeah, I’d agree with that. He’s probably slightly underrated because of Shilton.

“Hello Rob,” says Geoff Wignall. “So, do you think Liverpool’s heavy-mettle football will be up to this serious test of their metal?”

My point exactly.

It finished Leeds 0-0 Arsenal at Elland Road

“Ahem,” says Marie Meyer. “Sending out JM7 is never an ‘enforced change’. It is a splendid, delightful, evergreen option.”

“I haven’t been following football properly for a while,” says Wendell D’souza, “but I don’t think Virgil played vs City.”

My point exactly.

“A lot of midfielders in that Liverpool XI,” weeps Matt Dony. “Maybe Klopp is trying to cheer up Guardiola after yesterday’s debacle? (Using ‘humour’ to try and deflect from the fact that I am terrified about tonight’s match.)”

Pre-match reading