Liverpool

Rant of the day: Leicester draw was a one-off for Liverpool and the real pressure is still on Man City

Sadio Mane of Liverpool scores

The tension was palpable at Anfield once Harry Maguire scored the equaliser at the end of the first half. Liverpool were leading the game 1-0 before the Englishman scored, and the Foxes even had chances of scoring another goal or two.

The Reds ended the game with a point, and actually extended their lead over Manchester City, however, there could have been more.

A seven-point gap would have put an awful lot of pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men. However, we are still in a great position after 24 Premier League games.

The Reds have lost just once this season, and this draw against Leicester was the first time we dropped points against one of the teams outside the top six.

Further, Liverpool had several defensive problems and hadn’t played in 10 days. Virgil van Dijk didn’t train as much as the Reds would have liked, James Milner was suspended, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez were injured, and we played Jordan Henderson as the right-back.

This was a Leicester side that had beaten City and Chelsea this season, so a draw isn’t the worst result in the world.

City are going to feel the pressure for sure

City have dropped points against Wolves, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Chelsea this season. Pep Guardiola’s men aren’t in the same form as last season, and the pressure seems to be building up.

The latest team to get the better of them was Newcastle United, and there is no doubt that there will be more twists and turns in the coming weeks.

The next three fixtures for City are Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea, and all three clubs are capable of picking up points against the Cityzens.

Jurgen Klopp in training

Our next two fixtures are against West Ham and Bournemouth before the Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.

City also have to play three cup games after the Chelsea game, and their team will certainly be stretched in the coming months.

There were a few groans and moans when things weren’t going our way against Leicester, however, the Reds have been exceptional at home barring this one game.

Liverpool players celebrate a win

The only other time we failed to win was against City in a 0-0 draw and frankly, had someone offered Jurgen Klopp this position in the table in February, he would have laughed it off.

City have struggled against the lesser sides this season, and they have cracked under the pressure of chasing the Reds. Klopp’s side can now lose and draw a game and still be tied with City on points. However, that should not be the mentality of the side.

Klopp knows there is a long way to go, and there will be more problems for us as we face the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham before the end of the season.

Read more: Bayern Munich enter race for Liverpool target with £106m release clause

However, there is grit and determination in this side that we haven’t seen in years. It is to be seen whether this leads to a first Premier League title, but a five-point lead over the Cityzens with a packed fixture for them is a huge bonus for us.

Drew Griffin

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