Uneven Liverpool Toss a Pair of Points Away against Leicester

This was probably the most frustrated Jürgen Klopp has been all season.

To make matters worse, it happened in the friendly confines of Anfield.

Try as they might -- clearing the snow from only the the 'Pool's offensive zone -- not even the gung-ho grounds crew was enough to put their lads over the top.

Now, where in the wide world of sports did those dudes get that idea?

 

Where else?

That was back in the 1982 playoffs, when the New England Patriots' coach at the time, Ron Meyer, called upon an inmate on work-relase to clear a patch for a game-winning field goal.

The vanquished Miami Dolphins and the NFL front office didn't think too kindly of the stunt, but there were no rules against it.

Apparently, that's where the Premiership is on the matter, too.

 

As it was, the Reds only managed a 1-1 draw with Leicester and missed a golden opportunity to further pad their Premiership lead over Manchester City, who were shocked on the South Coast.

The match began so promising for them, too.

In only the 2nd minute, Roberto Firmino assisted Sadio Mané, who rounded two Leicester defenders and fired home a low effort from close-range that Kasper Schmeichel couldn't stop:

 

From that point onward, it seemed like the early goal was Liverpool's jock-tossing moment, ie- the players assumed a mindset that three points was a foregone conclusion.

Nope.

Maybe they were distracted by thinking this was gonna be a penalty on England international Harry Maguire for clipping Mané a few minutes later ...

 

That probably coulda been a booking, but it definitely wasn't a penalty.

For whatever reason, complacency settled in, and the Reds lacked effectiveness the rest of the way.

On the other hand, the Foxes began to threaten Alisson Becker, capitalizing on individual mistakes. The warning signs were appearing and apparently ignored.

 

On the verge of the break, Leicester finally punished their hosts. Andy Robertson fouled Ricardo Pereira on the left side, and the Foxes were awarded what amounted to a mini-corner. 

James Maddison stepped up and crossed it, looking for Jamie Vardy. Liverpool's defense could partially clear the play, and the ball fell to Ben Chilwell, who headed the ball back into the fray. It ended up being an assist for Harry Maguire:

 

The Foxes might've dodged a bullet in the 72nd minute.

That's when Ricardo Pereira was sailing a little too close to the wind trying to close down Naby Keïta:

 

But it was not to be.

Just like the two points Liverpool left on the table.

As to Leicester, it appears that -- barring a disastrous skid or miracle streak over the final 14 matches -- they're safely ensconced in the Premiership's Goldilocks zone.