Liverpool 3-1 Leicester: 3 Foxes talking points

Leicester City’s Carabao Cup run came to a close on Wednesday night as a tough trip to Anfield proved too much for the Championship leaders. Kasey McAteer silenced the Liverpool fans as his early finish saw the Foxes take a shock lead into half-time, but the hosts came out firing for the second 45, showcasing their individual talents to win the game 3-1.

Enzo Maresca used the game as a litmus test to see if his side could implement their style of play against a far superior opposition. Credit to the Foxes, they never strayed from their gameplan. Whilst there was some heart-in-mouth passes around the box, Liverpool had to adapt to see aside their determined visitors.

Speaking to LeicestershireLive after the game, Maresca said he was ‘very proud of the players’ as they showed ‘it doesn’t matter the opponent, it doesn’t matter stadium, we play the way we want to play.’ Liverpool’s manager was also very complimentary of the Foxes, with Jurgen Klopp calling Leicester a ‘super-coached team’, further stating he could ‘smell the confidence they have’ and they they ‘made life difficult for us.’

Here are Foxes of Leicester’s three talking points following a gutsy performance away to the Premier League giants.

Conor Coady and  Harry Souttar impress

Knowing that the game was more a bonus rather than a priority, Maresca used the trip to Anfield to rotate his side heavily. Both Leicester and Liverpool made 10 changes to their previous games, with Ricardo Pereira the only player keeping his place from the 1-0 win over Bristol City.

Of all the changes, most eyes were on a brand-new centre back partnership with Conor Coady making his long-awaited debut for the club, alongside the returning Harry Souttar. Coady had been on the bench for the last three games, but was finally ready for his first start against his former side.

The England international took all the plaudits in the defence, mostly due to goal-saving blocks in both halves. The veteran showed all his experience as he kept his side ahead at half-time. The goals for Liverpool came in the second half, but still we saw Coady help his side ride huge waves of pressure and, without him, the score could have been double for the Reds.

The Aussie’s selection was a surprise for some. The Australian international was all-but set to leave for Rangers in the summer, but a move never materialised for him. With the uncertainty of his future, Maresca instead settled on the likes of Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes and Callum Doyle who were all committed to the project.

With Souttar now at the club for at least a few more months, and Doyle’s long-term injury, Maresca elected to finally use Souttar last night, and he paid his manager back with a solid shift in the back. If he can keep up performances like that, he’ll put himself firmly into the manager’s plans.

The Foxes are now blessed for centre back options, all four of Vestergaard, Faes, Coady, and Souttar have strong arguments to be starting against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. With Doyle out injured, and James Justin still finding his feet after his injury woes, we could see Vestergaard used as an unconventional left back, alongside two half backs.