Jota and Diaz sparkle as Liverpool refuse to let title race end abruptly

LIVERPOOL 2-0 LEICESTER CITY: The Reds maintained an admittedly distant pressure on leaders Manchester City, with an impressive, sometimes dogged, sometimes delightful victory over Leicester

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Liverpool v Leicester City: Match in pics

The neutrals can breathe easily again for a few more days at least… Liverpool are not giving up their title hopes without a fearsome scrap.

They maintained an admittedly distant pressure on leaders Manchester City, with an impressive, sometimes dogged, sometimes delightful victory over Leicester that showed they still have a real interest in the fight.

And in doing so, they may just have unearthed yet another star in the making from the conveyor belt of talent that has fed into Anfield during Jurgen Klopp’s reign, with a pulsating Premier League debut from £37m man Luis Diaz.

He was unlucky to cap his first full appearance with a goal in front of the Kop, denied only by Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel’s wonderful saves.

Instead, Liverpool had another huge talent, Diogo Jota, to thank for the victory, with two more goals to take his tally to 17 in a fine season.

They will wonder though, how Mo Salah didn’t make life more comfortable at the end, as the second half substitute showed incredible class to destroy the visiting defence, but was denied by Schmeichel, and then the angle of the post and bar.

It mattered not, as Diaz and Jota inspired the Reds to victory all the same. Klopp is usually not so eager to throw new signings into his starting XI, as Andy Robertson and Fabinho can testify – both taking a full six months after their arrival to become regulars.

Yet the sheer number of minutes played by Salah and Sadio Mane at the Africa Cup of Nations seemed to force his hand, with Mane given an extra few days off following his victory, and Salah arriving from the bench. And he will be glad.

The Colombian didn’t need long to announce himself, and show why the Reds boss has been so keen to get the winger into his team. There is his pace for a start – stretching full back James Justin, and pinning him back.

His movement too, caused new problems for a Leicester defence which had looked far too comfortable against their more familiar front line, in inflicting a title hopes damaging defeat of Liverpool at Christmas.

Diaz so very nearly created a chance for himself within the first minute, when he burst into the box and turned smartly onto a Curtis Jones ball that Amartey did well to block.

Soon after, he put Marc Albrighton on his backside with a piece of skill that had the Kop drooling, and wondering if their manager had pulled off another of his coups.

The signs look good, with the former Porto player integral to most of his side’s attracting threat in the first half, as the visitors sat with a deep defensive block, and a vague idea to play on the break.

Perhaps the best move of the half – and the game – came with some swift, delightful interchanges and his clever, unselfish pass to Alexander-Arnold, whose whipped cross so nearly found Andy Robertson.

Yet the goal which calmed Anfield nerves came from a rather more agricultural route, with Virgil van Dijk losing his marker Ndidi to head Alexander-Arnold’s corner goalwards, and Jota sharply converting the rebound as Schmeichel saved.

The second half was all Liverpool, with Salah’s class to the fore, especially when he deliciously dummied Amartey, and Diaz showing energy and desire. Jota got a second late on, with a pass from Joel Matip of all people.

It was enough to sustain the title race for a while longer, and for that, those outside east Manchester will be glad.