Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to "keep the pressure" on Newcastle United and Manchester United after Monday night's win at Leicester City moved the Reds to within one point of their top-four rivals.
A superb first-half double from Curtis Jones and a stunning Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick in the second half ensured Liverpool claimed a 3-0 victory at the King Power Stadium for their seventh Premier League win in a row.
Liverpool's late-season resurgence has seen them surge up the table but they will need a helping hand from the two clubs above them if they are to steal a place in next season's Champions League. Newcastle and United are level on 66 points with three games left to play, while Liverpool are on 65 but only have two matches remaining.
Newcastle's remaining fixtures are at home against high-flying Brighton and struggling Leicester before concluding their campaign with a trip to Chelsea. United travel to Bournemouth for their next game and end the season with two home games against Chelsea and Fulham. Liverpool's last two games are at home against in-form Aston Villa and away to relegated Southampton.
"Six, seven weeks ago, I didn't believe it can happen," Klopp said of Liverpool's top-four chances. "What we lacked that time was obviously consistency and there was only one chance for us to get in these situations – winning pretty much all the football games, and that's what we had to do, it's crazy. But that's the situation we were in. That's good.
"All the rest is not in our own hands but we know we have to win all the games until the end of the season to have a chance. I said it now a couple of times, yes probably Newcastle and United are not watching us, are confident – that's all fine.
"But we were in similar situations and you wish anyway that the opponent was just losing and you have that kind of pressure off your shoulder. Our job is to keep the pressure. But again, it's not likely. But if not, then this is already better than we could have expected six, seven weeks ago."
Leicester v Liverpool player ratings
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LEICESTER CITY RATINGS: Daniel Iversen – 5. Could’ve, and should’ve, been more decisive and assertive, despite making some decent saves. Reuters -
Ricardo Pereira – 4. Got stuck in and showed good composure before eventually being dragged out of position at every turn. Getty -
Wout Faes – 5. Great covering and masterful interceptions were forgotten when he mistimed the flight of the ball for the opening goal. Reuters -
Jonny Evans – 5. The veteran’s no-nonsense approach, as well as his timing, worked well in the first 45 minutes - but he did struggle as the game went on. Reuters -
Timothy Castagne – 3. Couldn’t pass to save his life, constantly fell short of the mark down the flank and was at fault for the opener. Getty -
Youri Tielemans – 4. Tidied things up well initially only to fall into a pattern of lazy, lethargic play both on and off the ball. Getty -
Wilfred Ndidi – 5. His complacency kicked in once things started going south, undoing the nice distribution and determination he had in the first half. EPA -
Boubakary Soumare – 4. Was slow to track back for the first two goals, lost his man far too easily and was frequently caught in possession. AFP -
James Maddison – 6. Started the game strong with real intent and good passing, but faded down the stretch with his end product. Reuters -
Jamie Vardy – 4. After an early effort, Leicester’s talisman went missing for the rest of the evening - and that’s an understatement. EPA -
Harvey Barnes – 5. Showed good urgency initially but poor decision-making, even with a decent effort on target in the second half. Reuters -
SUBS: Patson Daka (Ndidi, 61’) – 5. Tried to make things happen with a few runs here and there but ultimately came up short. PA -
Tete (Barnes, 61) – 5. Looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, which isn’t what you want from an ‘impact’ sub. Getty; Luke Thomas (Pereira, 67’) – N/A. Looked solid enough but couldn’t make any kind of reasonable difference during his cameo; Harry Souttar (Evans, 89’) – N/A. Served as a warm body to throw on for the last few minutes and very little else. -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 7. Neutered Leicester's threat in behind with his aggressive positioning and played a role in the opener with a long-distance pass over the top. Made one really smart save from Harvey Barnes in the second half. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7. Constantly involved in Liverpool's build-up and grabbed his customary goal contribution by hammering a world-class free-kick into the top corner. Has been increasingly influential in terms of penning teams in like a genuine midfielder in recent weeks and showed that again here. Reuters -
Ibrahima Konate - 6. A virtual spectator for the majority of the 90 minutes but won every battle with Jamie Vardy on the rare occasions the Englishman got to run at him. PA -
Virgil van Dijk - 6. Like his centre-back partner, he had it remarkably easy from a defensive perspective all evening. Still found plenty of opportunities to showcase his marvellous passing range though as Liverpool dominated, though. EPA -
Andy Robertson - 6. Is still adapting to a new role that is often more left-sided centre-back than flying left winger but looked comfortable enough throughout this game. Reuters -
Jordan Henderson - 6. Linked up well with Salah on the right-hand side in the attacking phase and pressed with typical gusto to ensure any gaps weren't exploited whenever Liverpool lost it. EPA -
Fabinho - 7. One of a number of players who have been reinvigorated by Liverpool's recent change of system. Swept up loose balls and kept the visitors on the front foot, partly thanks to not having to cover the acres of space he was being asked to early in the season. EPA -
Curtis Jones - 9. Kicked off the scoring with a carbon copy of his recent strike against Tottenham and then showed what confidence can do for a player by brilliantly lashing in the second. The young Scouser never seems to lose the ball and is carving out a big role for himself next season, even with a midfield rebuild coming this summer. Getty -
Mohamed Salah - 8. He may be renowned primarily for his goalscoring exploits but the Egyptian is also an elite-level creator, as proven by the fact that he laid on all three goals here. Of course, the high standards he sets mean he won't be able to forget that late missed one-on-one, even if it was meaningless. EPA -
Cody Gakpo - 6. One of his quieter games in recent memory but still managed plenty of classy touches in tight areas and those trademark drives from deep positions. Getty -
Luis Diaz - 5. It's still early days for the Colombian as he looks to get back to his pre-injury best and that showed in a somewhat ragged performance here. Another important run-out under the belt, either way. Getty -
SUBS: Diogo Jota (Luis Diaz, 74') – 6. Ensured Liverpool's attacking threat sustained until the end of the game with a lively cameo. EPA -
James Milner (Jordan Henderson, 74') – 6. Was thrown on to help Liverpool see out the game with ease and did just that. The Reds will do well to find someone as adept at fulfilling that role when the Yorkshireman departs this summer. PA; Fabio Carvalho (Curtis Jones, 84') – NR. A welcome late outing for the 20-year-old, whose opportunities have been limited of late; Harvey Elliott (Mohamed Salah, 88') – NR. Thrown on late in the day as Liverpool saw the win out.
After a "really good" team performance, Klopp was particularly pleased for Jones following the midfielder's two-goal contribution. The 22-year-old has endured some injury setbacks over the past two seasons, but Klopp believes Jones has benefitted from his time away from the team.
"He improved a lot, so I think a lot of things came together. You should not forget he is still a young boy and one or two years ago he played super games for us as well," Klopp said.
"Then he had a difficult spell with injuries – strange injuries, a finger in the eye and stuff like this. It took him out for a real while, but this year was especially bad. He could watch a lot of football, he could understand the game better. I think where he improved the most is counter-pressing, it's exceptional, and speed of play. He doesn't keep the ball that long anymore – he is much quicker in decision-making.
Leicester v Liverpool - match gallery
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Liverpool's Curtis Jones celebrates after scoring their second goal against Leicester City in the Premier League clash at the King Power Stadium on Monday, May 15, 2023. PA -
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold scores their third goal Reuters -
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool celebrates after scoring their third goal. Getty -
Liverpool's Curtis Jones scores the second goal. PA -
Curtis Jones scores Liverpool's opener past Daniel Iversen of Leicester. Getty -
Curtis Jones of Liverpool celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal. Getty -
Liverpool's Curtis Jones scores their first goal. PA -
Curtis Jones of Liverpool scores their second goal. Getty -
Leicester players after Liverpool's Curtis Jones scored their first goal. Reuters -
Leicester City manager Dean Smith reacts. Getty -
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on the touchline. Reuters -
Leicester City fans during the match. Reuters
"He is a good finisher, we saw now a couple of times, both goals were absolutely exceptional. I am not sure they were real chances. First with the left foot, a similar goal to the last goal he scored [against Tottenham]. The second one is a super finish."
While Liverpool are flying, the defeat leaves Leicester in serious danger of relegation. The Foxes sit 19th in the table and two points from safety with two games to go.
“It was a very tough night,” Leicester manager Dean Smith said. “The best team won. They’re a very good team with talented footballers. But on top of that, they are top athletes as well. I thought we matched them for 30 minutes until that first goal.
“We haven’t got long to go; we’ve got two games and we know we have to go and win them. We play again Monday and we’ll have a better idea after the weekend games of what we need to do, but we have to get lifted."
