Liverpool saw their Premier League title hopes suffer a major setback with defeat at Leicester City.
The Reds failed to score for the first time since April as they ended 2021 with a dismal 1-0 reverse against the injury-hit Foxes.
The result means Jurgen Klopp’s side are in danger of losing touch with Manchester City at the top of the table already with only half of the season gone.
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But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at the King Power Stadium.
Liverpool bickering
Fair to say there was a bit of discontent among the Liverpool camp as they slipped to a dreadful loss with a poor, poor performance.
Signs weren't great before the match when Jordan Henderson took umbrage at Kostas Tsimikas for not crossing into the correct area during the warm-up.
Once the action got underway, Henderson was then the subject of ire from Joel Matip after delivering a poor pass to his team-mate.
And, in injury time, it was Roberto Firmino who was in the firing line after getting in the way of Matip as the central defender attempted to score with a header from a corner. One of those nights, alas.
Klopp sends Maddison message
Jurgen Klopp certainly had no complaints with the final outcome at the King Power Stadium.
And the Reds boss was even gracious enough to offer a few words to a couple of Leicester players.
When James Maddison was forced off through injury during the second half, Klopp was waiting on the touchline to offer a high five as the player departed the pitch.
Then, after the final whistle, Klopp was spotted offering an embrace to Foxes midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who was absolutely delighted with the attention.
Not this time, Ali
There wasn't a lot for Alisson Becker to do during the match, save pick the ball out of the net when beaten by Ademola Lookman for the only goal of the game.
Indeed, the post-match statistics revealed the goalkeeper touched the ball just three times with his hands.
Meanwhile, Leicester were partaking in as much timewasting as possible to ensure their hard-earned three points.
Not least when, in the final quarter, the forever 34-year-old Jamie Vardy seemed to have damaged his hamstring but, having given the home side a breather as he received treatment, he was able to sprint around for the remainder of the match. Lazarusesque.
Leicester fans let themselves down again
If Leicester earned praise for the performance of their players, it wasn't such a good night for a number of their supporters.
As at Anfield last week, the night air was filled with mindless and occasionally distasteful songs from a fanbase that is swiftly acquiring an unwanted reputation for their small-minded approach.
And, from a purely pedantic point of view, they lacked consistency with chants of "We support our local team" being aimed towards the away end just moments after suggesting the travelling army needed to be "fed" because they were Scousers.
Well, which one is it? Are they from Liverpool or not? Make your minds up, people!
