Leicester 2 - Liverpool 0: Reds stunned as Foxes fight back after Coutinho substitution

The Reds are without a win in their last four games after Klopp’s decision to replace Coutinho at the break allowed the Foxes to surge into round four last night.

Shinji Okazaki stepped off the bench to fire Craig Shakespeare’s men ahead before record signing Islam Slimani sealed their victory with a brilliant late strike.

But it had been so different before the interval with Coutinho, who made his second start since his failure to secure a transfer to Barcelona, instrumental in a dominant Reds performance that lacked on to a finishing touch.

“That was the plan before the game,” said Klopp of Coutinho’s absence in the second half.

“He needs match time but it was not the plan to let him play again 60 or 70 or 80.

“Forty-five was the limit. We need to get him fit but we cannot push him through.

“The story of this game is really easy to explain. We were the much better team in the first half, we played really good football but didn’t score.

“That is sometimes a part of football. We have to take this. We were unlucky in one or two moments, not clean enough in other moments.

“But as long as we concede goals as we did again tonight it is quite difficult.

“We should have scored three and if you are 3-0 up it might not happen. But as long as you leave games open you have to defend these situations better.”

Leicester had the chance to spring a counter-attack of their own when Daniel Amartey lifted a pass towards Slimani, but the Algerian’s first touch allowed the ball to run away.

Coutinho then turned on the style with quick footwork that took him past three Leicester defenders but his shot was beaten away by the diving Ben Hamer in the Foxes’ goal.

Hamer then denied the impressive Coutinho again on 17 minutes. 

Demarai Gray finally gave Leicester some respite from defending when he skipped past the floundering Jon Flanagan and burst into the Liverpool half. But his desire to impress saw him dart to the edge of the area and fire a tame shot at goalkeeper Danny Ward when a pass to Slimani was the wiser option.

Liverpool posed the greater threat, however, and Dominic Solanke might have marked his first start with a goal when he arrived at the far post to meet a Robertson cross, only to lift it over the bar.