Liverpool have missed the chance to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table having been held to a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City on Wednesday.
The Reds looked to be on course for a 10th successive home win across all competitions when Sadio Mane gave them the lead after only three minutes, but Harry Maguire’s equaliser on the stroke of half time saw Jurgen Klopp’s side dropped points against a team from outside the established top six for the first time all season.
The leaders still extend their lead at the top of the table to five points after seeing Manchester City fall to a shock defeat at the hands of Newcastle United on Tuesday night, but it is still a missed opportunity for the hosts to have taken the title race by the scruff of the neck.
Liverpool saw Man City break the deadlock after only 24 seconds before their costly defeat on Tuesday night, and the Reds made a similarly quick start by taking the lead inside three minutes.
Sadio Mane collected the ball inside the box before jinking into a shooting position and placing a pinpoint finish past Kasper Schmeichel into the bottom far corner.
The Reds may have been wary of how Man City failed to build on such an early advantage at St James’ Park, but that initially didn’t look like being a problem for Liverpool as they came flying out of the blocks, with Roberto Firmino drawing a smart low save from Schmeichel moments later.
Mane then glanced an unmarked header wide from the resulting corner, before Xherdan Shaqiri could not get anything on a dangerous low cross into the box having darted in front of his man.
Leicester did begin to grow into the game after avoiding any further damage during Liverpool’s early flurry, though, and the Foxes should have levelled things up after 25 minutes when a mistake from Alisson Becker led to a golden chance for James Maddison, who could only cushion his header wide of the far post.
It was a warning shot for the hosts, though, and the chances dried up in a nip-and-tuck first half until Leicester stunned Anfield with an equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
Leicester came even closer to a second goal moments later as again Maguire to left unmarked from a free kick, this time turning the ball back into the middle where only a stunning point-blank save from Alisson prevented Firmino from turning the ball into his own net.
It was a close escape for an underpar Liverpool side, but they should have had a penalty five minutes later when Naby Keita was brought down by Ricardo Pereira after a quick one-two with Firmino, only for referee Martin Atkinson to wave the claims away.
Liverpool responded with a chance of their own as Firmino almost provided a moment of magic inside the area, ducking into shooting space before drawing a good low stop from Schmeichel 16 minutes from time.