Barnes Hails ‘Clinical’ City Reaction
- Harvey Barnes says Leicester City were clinical going forward during their 3-1 Premier League win over Liverpool
- The Foxes came from behind to beat the current Premier League champions at King Power Stadium
- Barnes capped off a fine result for City following efforts from James Maddison and Jamie Vardy
After a goalless first half in which both sides mustered up goalscoring opportunities, Mo Salah put Liverpool ahead with 23 minutes of normal time remaining, however that only inspired City, who hit back in emphatic fashion.
First, James Maddison’s free-kick levelled matters as it evaded everyone before beating Alisson, whose mistake shortly after allowed Jamie Vardy to collect the loose ball before running it into the net for 2-1.
Then, Barnes – brilliant against fellow England international Trent Alexander-Arnold all game – rounded off the scoring with a neat finish beyond Alisson for his 12th goal of the 2020/21 campaign across all competitions.
“It was obviously a great result for us,” he told LCFC TV. “I think first half, they had a lot of the ball, but we had some big chances in the game.
“We weren't clinical in the first half and we knew going into second half, if we get those chances, we need to take them.
“We were disappointed to go behind in the game, but I think we reacted really well and then it was a bit of a crazy 10 minutes where we got the goals. I think that's credit to us, I think we were clinical.
“One of them was a bit of a mistake on their behalf, but we put the game to bed. 3-1, it's a scoreline where you cannot sit back but you know you've got a bit of a gap. I think we were really happy with that.”
While Liverpool had suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats heading into the match, the Foxes had to be alert to their quality, but knew if they could capitalise on their goalscoring opportunities, they would claim three points, says Barnes.
“I think looking at them, you know that they're a great side,” he said. “You look at their recent form and a few of their results, we knew that if we turned up, we'd have a great chance against them. We've been really good against the big teams this year.
“So, we didn't come into the game not believing in ourselves. We knew that if we turned up, we'd definitely get a result. I think it showed today.
“As soon as we got our first goal, we had the belief to go and get the second and the third and kill the game off.
“So, I think we're obviously really pleased, but it's not a massive, massive shock to us. We know that we're more than capable of that with the quality that we've got in our squad.”
When asked about his form, Barnes was modest in his reply, attributing his 2020/21 success to the encouragement and belief shown by those around him.
“We play such attacking football,” he continued. “Every game, we create lots of chances. I feel like this year, I've been a big part of that.
“Every time we get the ball, I want to be as positive as I can and create as many chances for myself and for the team.
“So, I think it's just going out there with the belief that you can score goals, set goals up and it's upon us attackers in the team to win games.
“Of course, we have to keep the ball out the other net, but for us going forward, we need to be positive and we need to take chances.
“I think for me, I've got the backing of the manager and the players in the side. You're going to make mistakes, but at times it does come off. A lot of times, it leads to goals or chances, so I've been really pleased with that.”