Foxes Face Liverpool under The Festive Lights

Since returning to the top flight in 2014-15, Leicester have hosted Liverpool eight times at the King Power Stadium. And, despite the Anfield giants being at the peak of their powers for much of that time, the Foxes haven’t been cowed by the presence of the six-time European champions.

Indeed, we’ve gone toe-to-toe with the Reds at Filbert Way over the past seven-and-a-half seasons to produce a run of thrilling encounters in which the honours have been evenly shared – eight home games against Liverpool since 2014 have produced four wins apiece, with both teams scoring 14 goals to produce matches averaging 3.5 goals per game.

Here, we take a closer look at those four dazzling Leicester successes;

February 2, 2016. Leicester 2-0 Liverpool

In a season that would become legendary for Leicester City Football Club, this clash with Liverpool was arguably the point at which Foxes fans started to believe that the fairytale ending might just come true.

Leicester sat top of the league after 23 games but few outside of the club were ready to take their title challenge seriously. Indeed, the discussion before this match was whether the Foxes could maintain their momentum to cling on for a top-four finish.

And while Liverpool were not the force they are now and had appointed Jurgen Klopp only a few months beforehand, Klopp’s Reds had already won 4-1 at Manchester City and 3-1 at Chelsea during the 2015-16 campaign. The visit of the Merseysiders – which would be followed by a trip to Manchester City just five days later – represented a serious test of Leicester’s ambition.

Claudio Ranieri’s men did not shrink from the task, producing a dominant display that featured a Riyad Mahrez masterclass and two goals from Jamie Vardy, including an outrageous 25-yard half-volley. Leicester’s three-point lead at the summit was maintained and Ranieri’s men went on to thrash Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad the following weekend.

Suddenly, the football world took notice and any remaining non-believers in the King Power Stadium were converted – the title charge was well and truly on. Leicester would go on to win eight and lose only one of their remaining 13 games to stun the sport with their 5000-1 Premier League triumph.

February 27, 2017. Leicester 3-1 Liverpool

The season following our league title success was understandably tricky. The hangover from all the celebrations lingered and the excitement of a maiden voyage into the Champions League diverted attention, leaving the league campaign to feel something of a slog. In fact, as we welcomed the Reds back to Filbert Way, Leicester were just one place and one point above the relegation places.

But the return of Klopp’s men to the King Power Stadium proved a turning point. Vardy again scored a brace against the Reds but this time he left the stunning half-volley to Danny Drinkwater, who blasted home the goal of the game.

The victory was the first of a run of six successive wins that saw Leicester rise rapidly back into mid-table in the Premier League and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League after overturning a first-leg defeat to Sevilla.

September 19, 2017. Leicester 2-0 Liverpool

Many of the big guns from both clubs got a rest in this EFL Cup third-round clash but fans’ favourite Shinji Okazaki, who had played an important but often under-celebrated role in the Premier League winning campaign, came off the bench in the 53rd minute to provide the match-winning quality.

Leicester had been under immense pressure from a Liverpool team featuring the likes of Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, Andy Robertson and Georginio Wijnaldum but Okazaki brought his trademark pace and urgency to proceedings upon his arrival in the second half and, within 12 minutes of coming on, the Japan international had broken the deadlock.

Islam Slimani added the second on 78 minutes to send the Foxes into the fourth round, where they would beat Leeds 3-1 before bowing out on penalties to Manchester City in the quarter-finals.

November 22, 2020. Leicester 3-1 Liverpool

Leicester had endured a tough run of results against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds prior to last season’s home meeting with Liverpool, taking just one point from seven meetings. And with the Premier League champions dominating the opening hour of play and taking the lead through Mohamed Salah on 67 minutes, Leicester supporters might have feared the worst.

But the Foxes bounced back in astonishing style. First James Maddison levelled the scores direct from a free-kick and then Vardy again punished the Reds, putting Leicester ahead when he took advantage of a defensive mix-up to slot into an empty net. Harvey Barnes completed the comeback, scoring the third Leicester goal in seven minutes to claim a long-overdue three points.