Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to secure Liverpool a 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium that took his team one win from the Premier League title and condemned Leicester City to relegation.
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The right-back made a quick impact on his return from injury to move Liverpool within one win of clinching the title.
Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both hit the woodwork in a chaotic build-up to the winner before Alexander-Arnold’s powerful volley finally beat Mads Hermansen in the 76th minute.
Leicester thought they had ended their scoreless run at home shortly before, but Conor Coady’s close-range header was disallowed for a foul on Alisson by Patson Daka.
Liverpool restored their 13-point lead over Arsenal, who could hand them the title if they lose to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Leicester are 19th with 18 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
35 | +46 | 82 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
35 | +33 | 67 |
How the match unfolded
The Foxes were given a let-off inside the opening three minutes as Salah beat the offside trap, only to see his strike hit the far post, before rolling along the goalline to bounce back out off the opposite post.
Stephy Mavididi then brilliantly held off Conor Bradley with a driving run down the left to pick out Wilfred Ndidi, whose first-time effort smacked the foot of Alisson’s far post. Then Salah forced Hermansen into a sprawling save at the other end straight after.
Ndidi made a timely block in front of the line to keep out Ibrahima Konate’s header, and Hermansen tipped Cody Gakpo’s curler over the bar before the break.
Liverpool upped the pressure in the second half, but it was Leicester who thought they had opened the scoring. Coady headed into an empty net, only for the referee to spot a foul by Daka on Alisson.
And Alexander-Arnold secured the three points just nine minutes later. A corner saw Salah nod it against the post and Jota strike the bar before the right-back rifled a powerful effort in with his weaker left foot.
Down and out
Leicester have endured a torrid season, and their relegation back to the Championship was finally confirmed on Sunday.
They went into this game knowing only a win would prolong their time in the top flight, not an easy ask against the champions-elect, especially having lost their last eight at home without scoring.
Even if they had managed to spring a shock, it might only have bought them a few extra days, as that would have left West Ham United needing only a point to confirm their Premier League status next weekend.
The Foxes did not back down from the challenge, though, with Ndidi coming within inches of ending their barren run with Alisson wrongfooted, only to strike the woodwork.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s second-half changes injected new life, with substitute Daka teeing up Coady for the disallowed goal, while Facundo Buonanotte dragged a hot wide after a quick counter-attack.
They were well-drilled in defence, with Hermansen the standout performer for much of the game. He did get his hands on Alexander-Arnold’s strike, but the power beat him.
Despite sitting through a ninth consecutive home game without a goal, the Leicester faithful stayed in good numbers, though they are still heading back to the second tier with five games to spare, with Wolverhampton Wanderers next up.
Liverpool move within touching distance of title
Arsenal’s win over Ipswich Town earlier on Sunday ensured that Liverpool could not clinch the title at the King Power, but it is now only a matter of time before they get their hands on the Premier League Trophy for a second time.
Having returned to winning ways with a late victory over West Ham last weekend, Liverpool looked set to pick up where they left off with Salah leading the charge with the unluckiest of strikes as he hit both posts.
Salah had scored in all five previous Premier League games this season against the promoted sides, and he was keen to become the only player to score in all six such matches, but he could not find his golden touch, missing several big openings.
In the end, it was one of Arne Slot’s substitutes that had the final say as Alexander-Arnold took just five minutes to get on the scoresheet after returning from an ankle injury.
It looked like Leicester’s goal was living a charmed life when the ball bounced off the woodwork twice in quick succession, but nobody was picking up the England international, who put his laces through the shot to score.
Liverpool could win the title without kicking a ball if Palace do them a favour on Wednesday, but if not, a victory over Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday will get them over the line.
Club reports
Leicester report | Liverpool report
What the managers said
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "We have to use this time to get better.
"The club will continue and it is my job to put the club in the best place possible."
Arne Slot: "Since I've been here I don't think we played a game where we've had so many big chances and didn't score one of them. In the end we needed a set piece to score, which wasn't a big chance, but a great finish from Trent."
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Key facts
Leicester have been relegated from the Premier League for the fifth time (1994/95, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2022/23, and 2024/25), with only Norwich (six) and West Bromwich Albion (five) suffering more relegations in the competition.
Liverpool picked up their 24th win of the Premier League campaign; only recording more through 33 games of a top-flight season on two previous occasions (25 in 2018/19 and 29 in 2019/20).
Leicester have become the first team in top-flight history to go nine consecutive home league matches without scoring. Today was also the first league match at the King Power Stadium in which they’ve failed to land a shot on target since February 2023 (zero v Arsenal).
This was the second time this season that Liverpool have had 10+ shots on target and not conceded any in a Premier League match (v West Ham in December and Leicester today) – they’re the first team to do so more than once in a top-flight campaign since Manchester City in 2019/20 (two).
