Key events
2 mins: It is very sunny in Leicester, which is good news for Foxes fans.
On the downside, Hermansen’s first touch is an awful clearance. The Leicester keeper is thankfully that the pass straight back into the box finds Diaz offside.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The players are out …
Jeremy Boyce says: “I take Keiran’s [1615] point, but what makes him think he might not be seeing Vardy (a true giant, hero, loyal servant) playing his final days, in the Premier League right here, right now ? Would he be up for a 46 game slog through the Championship one more time ? Just sayin’…”
Kieran McKintosh emails: “Odd coincidence this year that a lot of sides who have previously won the league (City, Man U, Chelsea, Leicester) have had significant wobbles that dent their ambitions. Just saying. It’s a shame. I would have liked to see Jamie Vardy playing the final bit of his career in the top flight.”
Arne Slot: “Arsenal are doing what we expect them to do and hopefully we can do – that is what my focus is on. Leicester might be in a better place now than the last two weeks.
“I saw the first 10 minutes of the Arsenal match. I saw they were 1-0 up and they were playing really good.
“Sometimes when these teams are almost relegation, they play with a bit of freedom. Mostly when players feel freedom, they are dangerous.
“Trent could play for around 20 minutes, depending on the intensity in the game.”
The main man.
I’ve opened the window and all I can now smell is BBQs. What a sacrificing we all making on this glorious Easter Sunday.
Ian Copestake emails: “All this talk of one-sidedness makes it feel like Liverpool are playing Wimbledon again in a certain fina of yore.. It also shows that people follow narratives rather than watch games as playing bottom feeders is exactly the sort of opponent Liverpool struggle against. You’ve been warned.”
I’ve watched enough Leicester this season …
Arsenal have secured all three points, making this King Power matchup less meaningful for Liverpool. Wolves won at Manchester United, meaning anything other than a Leicester win today will send them down to the Championship.
In the other early kick-off, Chelsea won it in injury-time at Fulham to move up to fifth and a Champions League spot.
It is now 4-0 to Arsenal. Put the champagne on ice.
In almost irrelevant news, the actor Stephen Graham is at the King Power Stadium. I suspect the Leeds United side from the Damned United could turn over Leicester today.
Indulge in some Nick Ames before kick-off.
Arsenal are 3-0 up now. Do not get carried away here.
Want a match preview written by me? Probably not but here it is anyway.
Still no Harry Winks in the Leicester squad. Van Nistelrooy does not like chatting about it after reports Winks was originally omitted having fallen out with the Dutchman over a demand to stay at the training ground once a week rather than continue a lengthy commute.
Alexander-Arnold is back in the matchday squad for Liverpool after five weeks out as the days seemingly tick down on his Anfield career.
Starting lineups
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Ricardo, Faes, Coady, Thomas; Ndidi, Soumare; El Khannous, De Cordova, Mavididi; Vardy
Subs: Stolarczyk, Justin, Kristiansen, Okoli, Skipp, Buonanotte, Ayew, Daka
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Gravenbech; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Gakpo
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Nunez, Jones, Elliott, Jota, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah
Preamble
If you are coming here for a Liverpool title confirmation, then Arsenal want a word with you. Instead we will see Leicester get relegated if Liverpool give them the shooing everyone expects.
Obviously, Arne Slot’s side will win the league in the next seven days but Arsenal want to delay the celebrations as long as possible. The Reds have been the best team in the league all season, offering effective and efficient football. Mohamed Salah is their star turn, settling many matches to prove his worth at Anfield, something he will continue to do for a couple more years at least.
We could do some deep analysis on Leicester but they truth is they are utterly dreadful and will most likely be down by the end of the day. Ruud van Nistelrooy completely failed to correct the slide and will have to wonder if it is worth staying on for next season in the Championship.
Let’s hope it is competitive, at least.
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
