Leicester 0 Liverpool 3: White-hot Reds win 7th in a row to keep pressure on top 4 as Leicester edge towards relegation

OF all the players expected to keep Liverpool’s Champions League alive, while shoving Leicester deeper into trouble, Curtis Jones was not one of them.

Mo Salah, with seven goals in as many games, was the obvious candidate. Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, the other members of Klopp’s revamped three musketeers, were also under pressure to drag their team a little closer to the top four.

Curtis Jones scored a brilliant first-half double

Trent Alexander-Arnold fired in a brilliant free-kick to wrap up the three points

Leicester are facing the drop with two games to go

Liverpool had a comfortable evening at the King Power

But certainly not Jones, who had scored four goals in his previous 60 Premier League appearances.

Yet in a massively-important evening for both ends of the table, Jones increased his goals tally by 50 per cent with two brilliantly-taken goals in the space of three minutes.

It not only illustrated the determination of the Reds to somehow nick a Champions League place. It also proved that second-from-bottom Leicester, still two points adrift of safety, cannot even deal with a central midfielder known for not scoring many goals.

Trent Alexander-Arnold thumped a brilliant free-kick for the third but the match had been long over.

And so Liverpool can keep dreaming. They need Newcastle or Manchester United to slip up but with seven wins from seven, Jurgen Klopp’s team are refusing to go away.

As for Leicester, the nightmare continues. This was a good result if you were a fan of Leeds, Everton, Nottingham Forest and even West Ham.

But this was a terrible, albeit predictable result for the 2016 Premier League champions. It was a must-not-lose game yet they fell to pieces the moment Jones scored the first.

Leicester still have a trip to Newcastle and then the final home game against West Ham but sadly, this feels like the end of the road.

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The Reds dominated from start to finish

Maybe, Leicester might do Liverpool a favour at St James’ Park next Monday.

But realistically, looking at this rudderless team devoid of confidence, with players such as James Maddison failing to make a difference, there is no chance of an away win. You would not want any of this Leicester team in the trenches with you.

For so often this season, under Brendan Rodgers and then in a brief, encouraging spell under new boss Dean Smith, Leicester were trying to persuade us they were too good to go down.

But now, the team is where they deserve to be. Yet not since a 2-0 win over West Ham on November 12 have they kept a clean sheet in the Premier League. That is a run of 21 games and obviously, is nowhere near good enough.

Their defensive frailties were exposed in those three sorry minutes in the first half just when they were doing well in keeping Jurgen Klopp’s team at bay.

Jonny Evans had returned to the side following a long-term hamstring injury to make his first start since November. His only appearance during that time was eight minutes as a sub in the 3-1 home loss to Chelsea in March.

Yet with the scores goalless. Evans embarked on a bizarre, kamikaze dribble along the six-yard box and prodded the ball to safety before being tackled.

Liverpool had plenty of possession and did not manage a shot on target until their two goals inside that key spell.

The first goal came courtesy of a good old punt forward from keeper Alisson which was misjudged horrifically by defender Wout Faes.

Mo Salah’s cross was met with a clever first-time finish at the far post from Jones who should have been marked by Boubakary Soumare but he only sensed danger about five seconds after the ball ended up in the net.

Sensing weakness, Liverpool kicked Leicester again when they were down.

Cody Gakpo pass was met with an exquisite first-time ball by Salah to the feet of Jones. He took one touch, swivelled, and then smashed a right-footed shot across Iversen into the bottom left corner.

Both goals were checked by VAR but Jones got his rewards for two moments of class.

Leicester were a bit better in the second half and Harvey Barnes forced a flying save from Alisson. Yet at no stage were Liverpool in any danger and a third goal was inevitable.

Leicester were annoyed that a free-kick had been given against Evans but from the set-piece, Salah teed the ball up for Alexander-Arnold to hammer a shot beyond the outstretched arm of Iversen. Immediately, there were cries of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ from the home end.

So, maybe, like two years ago, when Alisson turned into a striker and headed a winner at West Brom, Liverpool can turn Europa League football into a Champions League place.

The Reds face Aston Villa on Saturday before going to relegated Southampton on the final day.

And at the very least, Liverpool are making life extremely uncomfortable for the two teams directly above them.

They are finishing the season with a real fight. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Leicester.

Here is how all the action from the King Power unfolded…