Brendan Rodgers Praises Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold After Leicester Win

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Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers praised Liverpool after his side were hammered by the Reds on Boxing Day.

In what many expected to be a close encounter, Liverpool romped to a 4-0 success at the King Power Stadium, moving 13 points clear at the summit of the Premier League table.

Leicester enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and sit in second spot ahead of Manchester City's clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. While the Foxes are without a win in three, after Thursday's encounter, Rodgers was full of praise for the division leaders, per Dejan Kalinic of Goal:

"They're going to be very, very hard to stop, there's no doubt. Fantastic team, confidence is high as well.

"They've become winners now and haven't lost many games over an 18-month period, so to lose the games they would need to in the second part of the season...they've got enough players now, enough experience and enough quality to stay focused and get the job done."

Here are the highlights from the clash at the King Power, with a brace from Roberto Firmino, a penalty from James Milner and a late strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold giving Liverpool a comfortable win:

Miguel Delaney of The Independent commented on the relentless nature of Liverpool's title pursuit:

While every player in red performed well on the night, it was Alexander-Arnold who drew the most praise, as he excelled from right-back.

Throughout the game, he raided forward with menace and consistently offered an outlet on the right wing. In dangerous positions, Alexander-Arnold was able to keep his composure too, picking passes, fizzing in teasing crosses and taking his chance.

"His range of passes is phenomenal for a young player," Rodgers said after the game. "Of course, he was a midfield player at Liverpool as a youngster. His quality, his range of pass and experiences that he's gained in these past few years. For Jurgen [Klopp], he's been absolutely amazing."

Squawka Football provided the numbers behind a remarkable display from the 21-year-old:

Former England international Gary Lineker was full of admiration for the Liverpool full-back:

At the halfway point of the Premier League season, it's almost impossible to see Liverpool dropping the amount of points needed to allow any side back into the title race. And even if their standards were to sag, City haven't showed the consistency required to chase down the Reds this term.

All the signs are that 2020 is going to be a memorable year for Liverpool. With one game left this calendar year, it's difficult to see anyone getting close to them domestically or in Europe for a long time.