Liverpool comeback to beat Leicester and move seven points clear

Liverpool came back after conceding early to beat Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield on Thursday and open a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Struggling Leicester took a shock sixth minute lead through Jordan Ayew but lived a charmed life until Cody Gakpo equalised on the stroke of halftime.

Liverpool then put Leicester under siege straight from the break and took just four minutes into the second half to go ahead through Curtis Jones before Mohamed Salah made sure of the points with a superb 82nd-minute finish.

The victory extended their unbeaten league run to 13 games and advanced Liverpool to 42 points at the top of the standings.

They also have a game in hand over second-placed Chelsea, who are on 35, as well as third-placed Nottingham Forest on 34.

On a misty night in Liverpool, Leicester silenced the Anfield crowd with their early goal, as Stephy Mavididi's run down the left culminated in a square cross into the penalty area that found Ayew, who used his strength to see off the challenge of Andy Robertson and then turn to slot home.

DESERVED EQUALISER

Robertson came close to atoning when his header hit the upright in the 25th minute and a curling left-footed shot from Salah struck the crossbar in the 45th minute.

Seconds later Gakpo cut in from the left and struck a superb curling effort beyond Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk for a deserved equaliser.

"It sounds weird, but I think we had a really good start," said Liverpool manager Arne Slot.

"But then one moment where we underestimated the situation led to a goal. You have to work really hard to come back in the game, and it really helped to score the equaliser just before half-time."

Jones' goal came after Liverpool moved the ball around in tight spaces before Alexis Mac Allister's square pass was steered in by the Englishman.

There was a lengthy VAR check before the goal was confirmed and a similarly long wait for a check when Gakpo found the net again in the 67th minute. That was eventually ruled offside.

Salah's strike was another classy finish as he marked his 100th home Premier League goal with a characteristic cut inside off the right flank, followed by an expertly placed finish across the face of the goal.

"We cannot deny we are in a good place. But one of the strengths of our team is we approach each game as a new one, and that keeps us hungry and working very hard," added Gakpo.

Leicester dropped into the relegation zone before kickoff after Wolverhampton Wanderers went above them earlier on Boxing Day after their 2-0 home win over Manchester United.

Leicester remained on 14 points after a third successive league loss, two points above second from bottom Ipswich Town.

Liverpool are away at West Ham United next on Sunday while Leicester host champions Manchester City the same day.