Premier League winners and losers: Manchester City are unfair
By Ty Finch
Winner: Leicester vs. Liverpool
There have been a few contenders for game of the year already in the Premier League. Arsenal vs. Leicester, the very first match of the season, is an early favorite. The Chelsea vs. Burnley contest that same weekend is another contender. After the late Saturday game this weekend, there might be a new front-runner.
It’s nice to see the match on national TV live up to all the expectations surrounding it. Both Liverpool and Leicester have distinct systems that were on display Saturday. The match was a back-and-forth affair that hardly had any downtime. Liverpool would win possession high up the pitch, carve out a good chance, and then Leicester would counter to break their high line. It was the kind of game even a casual viewer would find entertaining.
The match also featured the return of Philippe Coutinho’s free-kick magic. Leicester gave away an unnecessary foul away from the Brazilian’s favorite set piece position on the pitch. It was only a matter of time before the ball ended up flying past Kasper Schmeichel. Liverpool supporters and fans of cool soccer stuff in general should be happy with this news. Watching Coutinho is better than not watching him.
Leicester have been involved in two of the best games of the season already. Unfortunately for them, they’ve also been on the wrong side of the scoreline both times. If they can fix a few issues defensively, the Foxes could easily end up in the top half of the league once again. Liverpool need to do the same on their end if they want to challenge for the title.