Liverpool secured their second win of pre-season after beating Leicester City 4-0 earlier today
Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca conceded his side were punished by “one of the best teams in transition” after losing 4-0 to Liverpool on Sunday.
Goals from Darwin Nunez, Bobby Clark, Diogo Jota and Ben Doak saw the Reds score four goals for the fourth game in succession, dating back to the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season, as Jurgen Klopp’s side maintained their unbeaten pre-season run.
Leicester began the game the brighter of the two teams and came close on two occasions early on through Wilfred Ndidi, who was first brilliantly denied by Caoimhin Kelleher before later being thwarted by Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool soon discovered their rhythm, however, scoring three goals in the space of eight minutes before the interval before adding a fourth during the second half. Reflecting on this loss, the Leicester boss was left in no doubt his side paid the price for allowing the Reds to impose themselves in dangerous positions.
“I think the team started very, very well in the first half an hour. We were playing good football from the back, creating chances, finding solutions and finding the space,” said the recently-appointed manager of the Foxes.
“Then they are one of the best teams in terms of transition,” added Maresca on Liverpool. “We concede from that transition but, for me, today was important. The result is always important, for sure, of course, but it was important to take a look at the players, to see how they take on the idea, and they were good.
We created two or three chances against this team. It’s enough sometimes to score without making that many chances. It was very good, but then we concede a goal. When you do that against this sort of player, this team, it’s always dangerous.”
On the bright start made by his team and the encouragement that can be taken from this, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester City continued: “I think it was quite clear. Not only in the first half an hour, but also in the second half, the team always tried to find solutions, to play and it even surprised me because I was sure that the players and the team are getting better, but I didn’t expect to see the way we played in the first half an hour. It was very good.
“I’ve said to the players, now we have a rest, one or two days with family after 10 days away and then we start the week on Tuesday, focused already on our first Championship game.”
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