Liverpool built on their 1-0 home win over Stoke City on Tuesday night, defeating Leicester City 1-3 at the King Power Stadium as captain Steven Gerrard returned to the starting line-up and shone.
The Reds were under pressure from the off as Nigel Pearson's side gave their all, and they found themselves ahead after 21 minutes. After gritty defending, Martin Skrtel cleared off the line but didn't clear far enough. Leonardo Ulloa picked up the ball inside the box, turned towards goal and sent a shot towards the bottom corner. It crashed off the post and fortunately for Leicester, rebounded back off of Simon Mignolet in goal to put the hosts' 1-0 up. That came just minutes after the Belgian had practically gifted the opening chance to midfielder Esteban Cambiasso, who ended a wait of 503 minutes for a Foxes' league goal on Saturday afternoon. But the experienced 34-year-old's composed effort went wide of an open goal from 30-yards, wasting a golden opportunity until Mignolet, inadvertently gave Pearson's men the lead.
Adam Lallana struck an equaliser just minutes later however, striking an effort through his laces at the near post to beat Kasper Schmeichel after Rickie Lambert had knocked down Lucas' high ball into his path. The home side continued to press, but it was Liverpool who took the lead early into the second-half. The impressive Steven Gerrard, who was benched in the previous game, took advantage of Wes Morgan's poor clearance. He raced onto the loose ball from 18-yards and stroked a lovely effort into the bottom corner to give his side the lead. The captain was instrumental, and could have had a penalty when brought down one-on-one with Schmeichel - which the keeper may have been lucky to get away with, but eventually it was the vice-captain who had the final say in the game. After Sterling broke down and cut inside and forced Schmeichel into parrying his low effort. The 19-year-old smartly backheeled it from the by-line to Jordan Henderson who stroked it into the top corner from eight yards out. A fantastic finish to round off an important result for the Reds as they look to mount a charge up the table in the pivotal Christmas season. Here are five things we learned from Tuesday evening's 1-3 win at Leicester:
1. Rodgers was right to rest Gerrard.
First and foremost, Barclays' Man of the Match Steven Gerrard put in a truly stellar performance. Countless times he's re-written scripts, changed games in an instant, grabbed games by the scruff of the neck single-handedly. Whilst those memorable performances have dried up of recent, his showing at the King Power Stadium demonstrated that his break against Stoke City last weekend did him the world of good. Gerrard look refreshed and rejuvenated in an advanced role and with extra fitness, in comparison to the dogged and dejected performances he has contributed in a defensive role more recently. He ran the middle of the park, making bursting runs forward and putting in a true captain's display. It is for performances like this Gerrard has earned a reputation, and performances like this that will ensure Liverpool supporters wish he stays. Much of the credit though, must go to his manager. It was a brave and bold decision to drop his skipper, but the right one. He came under criticism for doing so, but his subsequent performance showed that Gerrard will have more impact when used sparingly in the right games and in the right times and places. The 34-year-old doesn't have the physicality or positional awareness to competently sit in front of the back four like Lucas Leiva does, even if he thrived in the role last year. Now, this year requires another re-shuffle and after his Leicester cameo - the Northern Irishman must now know that resting him for the bigger games is the plan going forward. His match-winning display suggested that resting him at home to Sunderland would be wise with a crucial Champions League home tie against Basel on the horizon. Gerrard is known for the big moments, that define seasons and cup glories, and unleashing a fully fit Liverpool captain on the Swiss side in an advance d role could likely be the difference between qualification into the Last 16 or the Europa League, maybe even worse 4th place in the group. Gerrard claimed his first goal from open play since January on Tuesday and was at the heart of everything creatively. He's far from past it, but he must be managed effectively if he his to continue impacting the side in a similar vein of form.
2. Mignolet too susceptible to basic mistakes.
It's been a case of one step forward, two steps back for goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The Belgian was superb against Stoke City on the weekend. Just days after an unconvincing display away at Ludogorets Razgrad, his fumble allowing Dani Abalo to score three minutes in, he was on hand to make a number of essential stops against the Potters. The best of the lot was his stunning one-handed save to tip Bojan's ferocious volley over the bar in the dying minutes. But, when it rains - it pours, and that was the case for Liverpool's number one on Tuesday night. He almost gifted Esteban Cambiasso the opening goal with a terribly misplaced pass from the back, only to see the midfielder somehow put it wide of an empty net from range. Leicester grew in confidence from there on in and Leonardo Ulloa's strike crashed off the post and unwittingly came off of Mignolet, lying on the floor, and into the goal for it to go down as an own goal. Stoke had been billed as a platform for Mignolet to go and add more consistent performances and though the own goal was hardly all his fault - he is rapidly losing support. He seems to have made too many basics errors in the last few weeks and it has to change if Liverpool are to continue their improved defensive outings.
3. Liverpool finally finding their style again.
All season Liverpool have looked drained of the attacking, fluid style-of-play that formed the basis of their success last season. On the counter-attack, the broke with pace and purpose, the defender not knowing what to expect next from either Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling or Coutinho. This season, the same attacking breaks have petered out. Merely becoming ponderous passing across the midfield and the defence as they look, and fail, to penetrate the opposition defense. Those precise cutting passes that carved defences to pieces, gone. Those bursting mazy runs through defenders, gone. Just about all the creativity and invention in the final third (a 0-3 win at Spurs aside), gone. Though at the KP, there were signs that the swagger and confidence was slowly returning. After a sublime third goal, involving Sterling's clever backheel into his compatriot Henderson's path, the Reds pulled out all the stops. In a difficult game away to relegation candidates, it was always going to be about acquiring the points, but at a particular moment late on - Rodgers' side combined a passing play with up to four backheels, in a similar show of flair and exuberance that fans were used to seeing all season long in 2013-14. In addition, the counter-attacks (even if it was against 10 men) were almost back. Though the final pass was just lacking where last season it was inch-perfect. The final ball, often enough, was not good enough, but the promise was that the players haven't forgotten how to produce the performances of last season. Sure, it was a result that needed grinding out but there were certainly signs that the Reds' exciting style has far from eluded them. As the points return, so does the confidence, and with it - so does Brendan Rodgers' thrilling, attacking-minded mindset - something Reds around the world will be relishing the sight of seeing again.
4. English contingent still the heart.
The last seven Liverpool goals scored in all competitions have all come via English players (Rickie Lambert, Glen Johnson, Adam Lallana, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson) To continue, five of Liverpool's 11 assisted goals in the Premier League and Champions League this season have been created and scored by the combination of Raheem Sterling & Jordan Henderson. The club's two joint-top goalscorers this season, on a measly three, come from Sterling and Gerrard - who scored his first open play goal since a stunning strike away at Manchester City in February 2013. Why all these stats, you ask? Well they prove that no matter how dismal things have been this season, Brendan Rodgers' Englishmen in the squad are still at the very core, and they've been producing, even if some what sporadically. Henderson and Gerrard have good games and bad games, as Sterling who had a recent blip in form recently, but Rodgers is maintaining faith and rightly so. Rickie Lambert has filled in up-front recently and done a magnificent job. After being labelled as a fourth choice striker after joining, he has proved he is capable of all that and more with a handful in goals and assists, as well as working extremely hard and busting a gut until the full-time whistle, even at 32 years of age. In an age where teams are criticised for a lack of home-grown players, the Reds are still maintaining their position as the current pioneers.
5. Points over performances.
It wasn't always wonderful football at the King Power, as it hasn't all season. "Poetry in Motion" still echoed around from the away contingent, and though it was still shy of the mesmerising 90 minutes week-in, week-out in the previous campaign, it's the points that matter at the moment. Rodgers has reverted to the basics, setting out a side to grind out a win with experienced heads of Lucas Leiva and Kolo Toure adding stability defensively. The three points, and how the Reds can build upon them from now, cannot be understated. Leicester was a huge victory for them, in fact it was the first time they have taken successive wins away from newly-promoted sides in five years, so insisting that the Foxes' were bottom of the table is no excuse. The ability to withstand constant pressure and aerial bombardment will have pleased Rodgers, who saw his side contain the hosts' for much of the game, aside from a few nervy instances. Building the momentum to getting back to last season's standard is now underway, after the Reds struggled to get the results earlier on into the season. Until Daniel Sturridge returns, Rodgers' side can never truly return to last season's form and playing style, but until then - it's all about keeping in touch with the lucrative top four positions and if they continue like this, they'll do just that.