Leicester City 1-2 Liverpool: Three things we learned

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LEICESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Xherdan Shaqiri of Liverpool and Rachid Ghezzal of Leicester City battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Liverpool FC at The King Power Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Rachid Ghezzal grabs his chance with both hands

Has anyone had a better week than Rachid Ghezzal? He scored on his first start for Leicester City against Fleetwood Town earlier this week, got selected in the Algerian national team, and found the back of the net against Liverpool on his first start in the Premier League against Liverpool as well.

It isn’t his goal, however, that deserves the plaudits, it’s what he did apart from it that does. Let us have a look at his numbers from this afternoon:

Total passes: 44

Passes completed: 38 (86.4%)

Key passes: 2

Successful dribbles: 2

Accurate crosses: 2

Tackles won: 3

Aerial duels won: 1

That’s as comprehensive a showing as you would want to see from your winger. Not only was Ghezzal heavily involved in the final third, he was just as aware of his defensive duties, too – something that, if you’ve got a good memory, we didn’t say too many times about Riyad Mahrez.

Say it quietly, but so far, he is proving to be a nail hit right on the head.