(Football news) The Foxes have already eliminated Burton Albion and Tranmere Rovers, triumphing 2-0 on both occasions, to secure a trip to Merseyside, while Jurgen Klopp’s team has not yet had to worry about the competition.
Liverpool won by the same score against West Ham United, 3-1, following victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and LASK Linz in the Premier League and Europa League, respectively. However, unlike several other times this season, Klopp’s team did not need to come from behind to win.
Although Mohamed Salah had already scored from 12 yards out, the Irons did give their more illustrious opponents a scare when Jarrod Bowen bravely dove at Virgil van Dijk’s feet and headed inside the far post in the second half. However, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota also scored in front of the Kop.
The red-hot Reds took advantage of the fact that both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal lost in the North London derby to move up to second place in the Premier League standings, just two points behind Manchester City. Their recent achievements raise the possibility of another exciting title race between the two Northern neighbours.
Liverpool’s winning streak in all competitions now stands at six games, with at least two goals scored in each of those games. Since a 4-1 Etihad humiliation at the beginning of April, Liverpool has gone 18 games without losing in competitive games.
The competition’s nine-time EFL Cup champions, who have won the cup more times than any other team in history, have also won each of their last four third-round matches. However, the 2022 champions’ successful defence was ended by Man City in the fourth round nine months ago.
An unfortunate 13 days before the Foxes were formally demoted from the top flight, Leicester’s penultimate Premier League home game in the 2022–23 season ended in a 3-0 loss to Liverpool, making their incredible 2015–16 title triumph seem like a distant memory.
However, Leicester has already taken over the lead of the promotion-chasing pack, claiming 21 of the available 24 points in the 2023–24 Championship to firmly establish their place atop the rankings with Enzo Maresca giving commands from the sidelines.
Prior to the international break, Leicester was defeated for the first time this season, losing 1-0 to Hull City at home. However, the fortnight of rest worked wonders for the visitors, who recovered to win three straight games against Southampton, Norwich City, and most recently Bristol City.
The veteran striker showed that there is still plenty of life in his 36-year-old legs by channelling his inner Emmanuel Adebayor and running the entire length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Robins faithful after Jamie Vardy’s penalty made the difference in the weekend’s 1-0 victory over Bristol City.
Only newly promoted Ipswich Town can rival Leicester’s seven wins in their first eight games, but promotion aspirations are temporarily put on hold as Leicester looks to avoid just their second EFL Cup third-round exit in the past seven years after losing a penalty shootout to Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Also read: Manchester United kick off Carabao Cup campaign with 3-0 win
