Liverpool held on for a 3-2 win away to Leicester City on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson scored for the away side while Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki were on target for the hosts.
Simon Mignolet saved a penalty from Vardy in the second half, to deny The Foxes an equaliser and secure three points for Liverpool.
Here, we focus on star man Philippe Coutinho’s performance.
BASIC STATS
Goals – 1
Assists – 1
Shots –5
Shots on target – 2
Pass Accuracy – 84.2%
Touches – 63
Passes – 38
Key passes – 5
Dribbles – 5
Dispossessed – 2
EFFECTIVENESS
The Brazilian showed signs of returning to his best form as he was at the heart of Liverpool’s attacks at the Liberty Stadium.
Playing on the left side of the front three and came to life every time the visitors advanced into the final third. His delivery into the box for the opener was exquisite and he managed to top that then with a sublime free-kick to double Liverpool’s advantage.
He regularly drifted inside and linked up with the likes of Giorgino Wijnaldum and Emre Can.
Philippe Coutinho scores his free-kick
KEY MOMENTS
15 min (ASSIST): Cuts inside from left and whips in a cross into the far post where Salah heads in the opener.
23rd min: Curls in a superb free-kick to make it 2-0.
VERDICT
Coutinho showed just why Liverpool were so desperate to keep him away from Barcelona’s clutches this summer. With Mane suspended, his return has been timely. There’s no doubting his quality and with more performances like this one, he’ll be a fan favourite again in no time.