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Zlatan Ibrahimovic in talks to rejoin AC Milan
By Simon Stone
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 53 goals during his time in the United States
Former Sweden and Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in talks to return to AC Milan.
It is understood there are other clubs interested in the 38-year-old, a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the Major League Soccer season.
However, confidence is growing in Italy that the striker will rejoin Milan, where he spent two seasons from 2010, scoring 42 goals in 61 league outings.
Milan are without a major trophy since their 18th Italian title in 2011.
Ibrahimovic statue has nose cut off by vandals
The seven-time European champions are enduring a miserable season, sitting 11th in Serie A, with 21 points from 17 games.
They sacked coach Marco Giampaolo in October but results have not improved under his replacement Stefano Pioli and they lost their last match 5-0 at Atlanta on 22 December, their biggest defeat for 21 years.

Nathan Redmond prodded Southampton into a 2-0 lead in the second half
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard called on his players to show "personality" after they were condemned to consecutive home defeats for the first time since 2011 by an impressive Southampton.
Lampard's side fell behind to Michael Obafemi's superbly taken strike at Stamford Bridge and had fewer shots than in any game since he took charge during the summer.
The introduction of Mason Mount for defender Kurt Zouma at the break injected some energy but only a vital Fikayo Tomori intervention denied the away side a second.
And with 20 minutes remaining, a fine team move saw the ball break for Nathan Redmond and his simple finish from 10 yards wrapped up six points for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side from festive away games at Aston Villa and the Blues.
It means Chelsea have now lost five of their last seven league games and three times in a calendar month for the first time since 2015.
"We control a lot of the ball but we do not do enough with the ball around the box," Lampard told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I think it's been the story for us for a while, not just in recent times. We need to get better because we need a better home record.
"What we need to do, the players on the pitch, whoever they are need to make goals and score goals. It's the hardest thing to do in football. It's a challenge for all of us."
Relive Southampton's win at Chelsea
All the action and reaction from Boxing Day's games
Abject Chelsea fail to get going
Chelsea not answering questions at home - Frank Lampard
Hasenhuttl was suitably impressed and raced on to the pitch with his fists clenched on the final whistle after a result which moved his side up to 14th in the Premier League - three points above the drop zone.
Southampton - on 21 points - are six better off than they were at the same halfway stage last season. Lampard's Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League but eight points worse off than they were under Maurizio Sarri after 19 games last term.
Despite coming off Sunday's win at Tottenham, Chelsea found no sort of rhythm and when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg found Obafemi, he was allowed time and space to progress, shift the ball on to his left foot and fire high into the net from the edge of the box.
Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta flicked a corner into the six-yard box - forcing the impressive Alex McCarthy to help the ball away from danger - but it took the home side until the stroke of half-time to find the target with a tame effort from 30 yards.
Mount came off the bench and quickly gave Tammy Abraham the chance to fizz a shot into the side-netting but Chelsea were collectively poor and both Tomori and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga make key second-half interventions to keep the score at 1-0.
Lampard's side ran over 5km less than the visitors overall and generally lacked creativity and energy. The January transfer window - where they can again sign players after serving a ban - looks key to giving them the chance to inject something fresh and change their recent fortunes.
"We have found now that when teams make it difficult for us and do not give us space, we are finding it tough and so it clearly needs to improve," added Lampard.
"We need to tough it out and get over it quickly. Personality is a huge thing in football - you cannot let that beat you."
Brave Ralph and a brave display
Arsenal and Liverpool were the last sides to record back-to-back wins at Chelsea in 2011 and Southampton deserved to follow Bournemouth in leaving Stamford Bridge with all three points in December.
Hassenhuttl made the brave call to leave Danny Ings on the bench, despite his 11 goals leaving him second to only Jamie Vardy in the top-scorer charts this season.
Obafemi - who had not netted in over a year - and Che Adams - who is yet to score for Saints - worked relentlessly up front for the away side, while James Ward-Prowse was the only player on the pitch to run over 12km in a tireless display.
The midfielder contributed nine tackles - three more than anyone on the pitch - while the Southampton back four repeatedly seemed well positioned, with Jack Stephens and right-back Cedric Soares constantly turning crosses away.
When composure was needed, the away side found plenty and their second goal saw them run the clock down with a lengthy spell of possession that ended with Redmond netting his second league goal of the season.
The fact the ball was turned into his path by a Chelsea player may hide the large number of passes in the build-up, but Saints could then ease home as they ended a run of 13 league games without a clean sheet.
Hassenhuttl will also get the chance to strengthen in January but he looks to have harnessed a superb spirit, a feat that looked unlikely after a 9-0 home defeat by Leicester just 10 games ago. His side have now lost just twice in seven league outings.
"In the first two or three months we played like a relegation team and now we are playing like a Premier League team," said Hassenhuttl afterwards.
Man of the match - James Ward-Prowse
Shots falling for Blues - key stats
Chelsea have lost seven Premier Leagu games this season - only one fewer tha they lost in the entirety of the 2018/19 season under Maurizio Sarri (8).
Chelsea have lost three Premier League games during December 2019, their mo in a calendar month since October 201 (also three defeats).
Southampton have won four of their las six Premier League matches (L2), one more than in their previous 20 games ( D6 L11).
Southampton won an away Premier League match against a team starting t day in the top four of the division for th first time since May 2016, a 2-1 win at Spurs.
Chelsea had just 10 shots against Southampton, their fewest in a Premier League game under Frank Lampard and fewest since April against Liverpool (six
'Maybe our best game' - reaction
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard:
"Teams are making it difficult here. We are not making enough chances, we were at the beginning of the season. I think we have enough to be better than we were today. It needs to be a quick learning process now."
Massive performance from every Saints player - Ralph Hasenhuttl
Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhuttl: "I think we saw the passion from every player on the pitch today. It was maybe the best game of the season. With fixtures coming, we needed to rest players but everyone played a fantastic game."
What's next?
Southampton now have back-to-back home games against Crystal Palace on Saturday and Tottenham on New Year's Day. Chelsea face a trip to Arsenal on 29 December and then go to Brighton on 1 January.
Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text
Line-ups
Chelsea
1 Arrizabalaga
2 Rüdiger
15 Zouma Mount 45'
29 Tomori
28 Azpilicueta
7 Kanté
5 Jorginho
33 Emerson
20 Hudson-Odoi Pulisic 67'
10 Willian Pedro 84'
9 Abraham
Substitutes
4 Christensen
8 Barkley
11 Pedro
13 Caballero
19 Mount
22 Pulisic
23 Batshuayi
Southampton
1 McCarthy
2 Cédric Soares
5 Stephens
35 Bednarek
21 Bertrand
17 Armstrong Romeu 86'
16 Ward-Prowse
23 Højbjerg
22 Redmond
20 Obafemi Ings 69'
10 Adams Boufal 80'
Substitutes
3 Yoshida
4 Vestergaard
9 Ings
14 Romeu
19 Boufal
28 Gunn
38 Danso
Jonathan Moss
40,651
Match Stats
Chelsea Southampton
Possession
67%
33%
Shots
10
5
Shots on Target
3
3
Corners
8
1
Fouls
10
9
Live Text
Show more updates
Scores, Results & Fixtures
THURSDAY 26TH DECEMBER 2019
View all Premier League scores
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Premier League
THU 26 DEC 2019 PREMIER LEAGUE
0
2
FT
HT 0 - 1 Obafemi (31 '
Redmond (7 Chelsea
Southampton
Media playback is not supported on this device
Media playback is not supported on this device
Match ends, Chelsea 0, Southampton 2.
Full Time
Second Half ends, Chelsea 0, Southampton 2. 90'+5'
Booking
Sofiane Boufal (Southampton) is shown the yellow card. 90'+4'
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Alex McCarthy. 90'+1'
Attempt saved. Mason Mount (Chelsea) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is saved in the top centre of the goal. 90'+1'
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing. 90'
Foul by Oriol Romeu (Southampton). 90'
Mason Mount (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 89'
Foul by James Ward-Prowse (Southampton). 89'
Attempt missed. Mason Mount (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Emerson. 88'
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. Oriol Romeu replaces Stuart Armstrong. 86'
Foul by Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea). 85'
Danny Ings (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing. 85'
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Pedro replaces Willian. 84'
Attempt missed. César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Emerson with a cross following a corner. 83'
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Cédric Soares. 82'
Jorginho (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 81'
Foul by Sofiane Boufal (Southampton). 81'
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. Sofiane Boufal replaces Che Adams. 80'
Offside, Chelsea. Mason Mount tries a through ball, but Tammy Abraham is caught offside. 77'
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Alex McCarthy. 76'
Attempt saved. Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Mason Mount. 76'
Goal!
Goal! Chelsea 0, Southampton 2. Nathan Redmond (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. 73'
Mason Mount (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 71'
Foul by James Ward-Prowse (Southampton). 71'
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. Danny Ings replaces Michael Obafemi. 69'
Willian (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing. 68'
Foul by Nathan Redmond (Southampton). 68'
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Christian Pulisic replaces Callum Hudson-Odoi. 67'
Attempt blocked. Stuart Armstrong (Southampton) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. 66'
Corner, Southampton. Conceded by César Azpilicueta. 65'
Attempt saved. Nathan Redmond (Southampton) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Stuart Armstrong with a through ball. 65'
Offside, Southampton. Ryan Bertrand tries a through ball, but Michael Obafemi is caught offside. 63'
Booking
Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card. 62'
Booking
N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 62'
Foul by N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea). 62'
Che Adams (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 62'
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Jack Stephens. 59'
Booking
Jorginho (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 58'
Foul by Jorginho (Chelsea).

Sergio Aguero: Pep Guardiola still hopes striker will stay at Man City
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport
26 Dec
Sergio Aguero joined Manchester City in 2011
Pep Guardiola says finding a striker to fill "irreplaceable" club record scorer Sergio Aguero's role at Manchester City will be "one of my biggest challenges".
But the City manager has not given up hope that the 31-year-old, who has hit 244 goals for the club, will remain beyond the end of his contract in 2021.
It is anticipated Aguero will return to Argentina whenever he does leave City.
"He can stay but it depends on his physical condition and his desire," said Guardiola.
"Replacing him will be one of my biggest challenges because he is irreplaceable."
The Argentina forward, who has scored 13 times for City this season, arrived from Atletico Madrid for £38m in 2011.
He has been more prolific than anyone else for City and, according to Guardiola, has also scored their most significant goal - the injury-time winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2012 that made the club English champions for the first time since 1968.
"It is the most important moment for this club - more important than when it, hopefully, wins the Champions League," said Guardiola. "It is much better than four titles in one season or whatever. And he was the guy."
'Humble' Aguero
There was a time, three years ago, when Guardiola was willing to let Aguero leave.
Since then, City have benefited from the talents of a striker who has finished the club's top scorer in the past two title-winning campaigns, during which he struck a combined total of 62 goals in all competitions.
And Guardiola feels the South American's overall contribution to the City team is greater.
"I've never seen such a big star be so humble and funny," Guardiola said. "He accepts my decisions when it sometimes doesn't work for him. Big stars don't [usually] do that.
"I've worked with other stars who believed they were bigger than Sergio when they weren't and they were more difficult to handle and to be with. It's not easy to find a guy with his status, his personality and what he's done in his career with his humility. He is a joy to work with."
No replacement for David Silva
Another long-serving City player, Spain midfielder David Silva, is set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
David Beckham's new Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami has been suggested as a likely next stop for the 33-year-old, who will complete a decade as a City player in 2020.
Guardiola feels Silva's decision to quit the club "is taken" but with reinforcements planned in defence - where his side have struggled badly this season - and in wide positions given the expected departure of Leroy Sane, Guardiola has ruled out bringing in a replacement for Silva as well.
"I don't think we're going to do anything in this position," said Guardiola.
"Maybe I will change my mind at the end of the season but I have other priorities. Bernardo [Silva] can play there, Phil [Foden] is there, we have [Ilkay] Gundogan and Kevin [de Bruyne]. I don't think we will do anything in this position."

Premier League: What happened in the English top flight on Boxing Day?
26 Dec
Arteta's Arsenal drew, while Alexander-Arnold shone for Liverpool and Ancelotti enjoyed a first win with Everton
Liverpool dominated second-placed Leicester to move 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League on a day where two managers in new roles enjoyed mixed starts.
The Anfield side eased to a 4-0 win at the Foxes as two goals from Roberto Firmino, a James Milner penalty and a fine Trent Alexander-Arnold strike also moved the Reds 14 points clear of champions Manchester City in third.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's goal was enough to get Carlo Ancelotti's reign up and running with a win at Goodison Park, as Everton claimed a gritty 1-0 victory over Burnley.
Mikel Arteta's first game in management saw his Arsenal side recover to take a point at Bournemouth after Dan Gosling's first-half goal had put the hosts in front.
But Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's close-range finish ensured a share of the spoils for the Gunners, who are now 11th in the top flight.
Everton 1-0 Burnley
Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal
Leicester 0-4 Liverpool
Manchester United responded to defeat at Watford by hammering Newcastle 4-1 despite falling behind to Matthew Longstaff's strike.
Goals from Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and a double from Anthony Martial moved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side seventh, four points off the Champions League qualification places.
In Thursday's early kick-off Harry Kane and Dele Alli scored as Tottenham recovered from going a goal behind to beat Brighton.
Adam Webster had put Graham Potter's side ahead at the interval but Spurs move up to fifth, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Michael Obafemi's first Premier League goal in over a year set Southampton on their way to a surprise 2-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Nathan Redmond sealed their victory, when he finished off a stunning team goal to help the Saints up to 14th in the table, the highest they have been since September.
Tottenham 2-1 Brighton
Man Utd 4-1 Newcastle
Chelsea 0-2 Southampton
Watford moved off the bottom of the Premier League table with a battling 1-1 draw at in-form Sheffield United.
The Hornets went ahead in the first half through Gerard Deulofeu's breakaway goal, but Oliver Norwood's penalty pegged them back before the break.
Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace condemned West Ham to their third Premier League defeat in four games thanks to Jordan Ayew's 90th-minute winner at Selhurst Park.
West Ham had taken the lead through Robert Snodgrass before Cheikhou Kouyate equalised against his former club, who are now a point above the bottom three.
Conor Hourihane's goal gave Aston Villa three precious points as they halted their four-match losing streak against fellow strugglers Norwich.
The result lifts Villa closer to safety and a point behind 17th-placed West Ham, while the Canaries slip to the foot of the table.
Sheffield United 1-1 Watford
Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham
Aston Villa 1-0 Norwich
Wolves welcome Manchester City to Molineux on Friday (19:45 GMT).

‘Liverpool thrash Leicester to confirm long wait for title is coming to an end’Trent Alexander-Arnold made two assists and scored one in Liverpool's thumping win over Leicester, to go 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table
Liverpool will not say it - there have been too many near misses and false dawns in the 30 years since their last title win to place temptation in fate's path.
The lockdown started moments after Jurgen Klopp's side produced arguably their finest performance of the season to overwhelm their nearest challengers Leicester City to go 13 points clear with a game in hand.
Liverpool's players, perfectly understandably, were right on title message: Nothing taken for granted. Long way to go. Race not over.
If they will not say it, then others will. And it can be said with some certainty after the manner in which the Reds produced a 4-0 win that even then did not do justice to their superiority.
This was the night when it became clear that the Premier League title race is now surely over.
Liverpool crush Leicester to move 13 points clear at top
We don't feel, think or mention title - Klopp
Reaction from the King Power Stadium
What else happened in the Premier League on Thursday?
Liverpool's rivals, including reigning champions Manchester City, will continue to fight the brave fight but every measure, and the sheer relentlessness of Klopp's side, says they are now in a fight for second place.
It would take a collapse of unthinkable proportions from a Liverpool team that have forgotten how to lose league games, and are at the peak of their powers, to throw this away now.
The Queen's famous horse Devon Loch, who inexplicably fell within sight of the winning line in the 1956 Grand National, would be wiped from the history books as the worst finisher if Liverpool made a hash of this.
Liverpool will, correctly, point to the twists and turns that could yet impact on their route to the title - but every indicator suggests this race is run in all but the confirmation.
Klopp, reflecting on that huge advantage, said: "It doesn't sound like anything has been decided to my ears. We are just trying everything we can do to be ready for our next games."
Klopp delighted after 'very important' win
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers was never going to give up but his message was that of a realist: "They are going to be very hard to stop. They are a fantastic team, confidence is high.
"They have become winners and haven't lost many games in the last 18 months. To lose the games they would have to do, they now have got enough players, experience and quality to get the job done."
And before you even get started on the imperious, swaggering nature of Liverpool's performances, perfectly illustrated by this demolition of the Foxes, a glance at the statistics show that this is a side that are champions-in-waiting.
Liverpool have that 13-point advantage with a game in hand on Leicester. They will still remain 11 points clear with a game in hand if Manchester City are victorious at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday evening.
This means a Liverpool team that have lost one league game in 2019 and are on a 34-game unbeaten league run now probably need to lose four of their last 20 in this campaign. And that is factoring in that their challengers must keep winning all of their games, a tough assignment when both Manchester City and Leicester City have not come within touching distance of Liverpool's consistency this season.
This was the biggest margin of victory in a meeting between teams starting the day in the top two positions since then leaders Manchester City won 6-1 at Manchester United in October 2011 - and the margin here could have been even wider.
Liverpool now have the joint-highest lead any team has had on Boxing Day in Premier League history, on a par with Manchester United's advantage in 1993-94, when they went on to become champions.
Leicester lacked patience - Rodgers
This is all bolstering the seemingly unbreakable confidence of a team that have looked on a mission from day one of the campaign, determined to make up for the disappointment, at least in the Premier League context, of last season.
Liverpool did not lose the title last season. Manchester City won it. There were no questions about the Reds' mental strength. They were simply undone by a superb team that put together 14 successive wins to retain their crown.
And yet Liverpool are on a different level this season, untouchable in pursuit of that elusive title.
The Champions League win set the platform and there has been a sense all season that they will end that long wait to get back on their domestic perch for the first time since 1990.
Leicester did their best to test Liverpool's nerve with a pre-match display of pyrotechnics and noise plucked straight from a Guns 'n Roses concert.
The effect? Nil. Not even a glancing blow.
Liverpool were all over Leicester from the start and the star of the show was Trent Alexander-Arnold, who created two goals for Roberto Firmino - he has now assisted eight in the league and 10 in all competitions this season - and scored himself with a rasping drive.
This was flagged up as Liverpool's biggest test away from home so far and yet they were barely in trouble, hugely in control and sent a chilling message to anyone with ideas of toppling them that it will be an almost impossible task.
This was the night the league leaders confirmed, if there were any doubts, that the long wait for the title will surely end at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Liverpool's win was that of Premier League champions-elect.

Liverpool tightened their grip on the Premier League title race even further as they produced a masterclass to overpower nearest challengers Leicester City at The King Power Stadium to extend their lead to an imposing 13 points.
Jurgen Klopp's side started the match 10 points clear of the Foxes with a game in hand - then produced a performance of such stature and dominance it is almost impossible to see how they will not claim their first title in 30 years.
Liverpool's slender half-time lead, courtesy of Roberto Firmino's header from a magnificent Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, did not reflect their superiority - but they turned this into a powerful statement victory after the break.
Leicester were enjoying their best spell when Caglar Soyuncu handled in the 71st minute, and substitute James Milner scored from the spot with his first touch seconds after coming on.
Liverpool added the flourishes their magnificent display deserved when Alexander-Arnold set up another for Firmino, who scored with a cool finish, before the England defender got his own reward with a thumping right-foot angled finish.
The leaders have now dropped only two points from their first 18 games and, having lost only one league game last season, it would take a collapse of unthinkable proportions from an outstanding team to cast this huge advantage aside.
'Liverpool confirm 30-year wait is coming to an end'
We don't feel, think or mention title - Klopp
Reaction from the King Power Stadium
What else happened in the Premier League on Thursday?
Flawless Liverpool are champions elect
Liverpool have had too many near misses since their last title win in 1990 to get ahead of themselves - but how can anyone see beyond them this time?
They put together a magnificent campaign last season, with their only defeat - by reigning champions Manchester City - proving decisive. But they are in no mood to be denied this time.
Klopp delighted after 'very important' win
From the first whistle here, despite the flashlights and pyrotechnics designed to whip up the home support and team, Liverpool were in control. They could have scored twice inside the first minute through Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane.
Leicester, suffering a dip in form, were pressed out of their stride relentlessly in a performance without a flaw from Liverpool.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez were imperious at the back, while full-backs Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson posed a huge attacking threat while being assured at the back.
Liverpool controlled possession and were always a danger in attack. Leicester may have been in this game until the last 20 minutes, but Klopp's men always had extra gears and went through them to produce a victory of champions.
Leicester's brutal reality check
Leicester City have had their season put into perspective by successive defeats against reigning champions Manchester City and now Liverpool.
It will be a bitter disappointment after hopes were raised just a couple of weeks ago that Brendan Rodgers' team could yet mount a title challenge to rival their miraculous victory in 2015-16.
Leicester lacked patience - Rodgers
That will not be happening now. Liverpool emphasised the gulf between the two sides in brutal style here, barely giving the Foxes a chance and subduing the cacophonous pre-match atmosphere within seconds.
While this was a painful night, Rodgers and his players should draw great encouragement from the manner in which they have muscled between the Premier League's two superpowers and put themselves in prime contention for a place in next season's Champions League.
Rodgers looks like he may have to rebuild some confidence, but there has still been much to admire from Leicester City this season - and still plenty to go for in the months ahead.
Man of the match - Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
'An important day for us' - what they said
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to BBC Sport: "I am happy about that. I appreciate it because I do not take it for granted and the boys have to do it every three days. We had big chances at the start of the game, did not score with them but stayed in the game and controlled it.
"It is was difficult for Leicester to get into the game, both teams felt the intensity of the season but we controlled it more and maybe Leicester were not as aggressive, maybe because of us and our positioning. We scored a first goal, super, super, cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino can score from that situation.
"We struggled a bit with their build-up in the second half and we won the balls immediately and then scored the second goal, then the boys were flying. It looked really nice.
"1-0 is not even a result, it was a moment and it could have been difficult when they had set-piece but that is OK, I don't expect a game like this to have a free run because they have so much quality and the season Leicester have had. We were very concentrated and the goals were absolutely nice and an important day for us."
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers to Match of the Day: "We played our last two games against two of arguably the best teams in the history of the Premier League.
"We didn't have enough patience in the first half. We never secured the ball which meant we had to defend for long periods really.
"The players gave everything. It's a great learning game for us. Credit to Liverpool they played well.
"We just didn't have long enough periods with the ball. When you don't against a top team - world champions - it becomes difficult for you.
"We are at the halfway point now. We are 19 games in. It is the bigger picture with these guys. We have come a long way in this period. The players have been brilliant and this is another learning game for them, they see the physicality you need to compete.
"People were trying to put us in a race with Liverpool but we know where we are."
Biggest gap between first and second - the stats
This was the biggest margin of victory i a clash between teams starting the day the top two of the Premier League sinc league leaders Manchester City beat Manchester United 6-1 in October 2011
Liverpool have won five consecutive Boxing Day matches for the first time in their league history, winning those gam by an aggregate scoreline of 15-0.
Leicester have lost a home Premier League game by a four-goal margin for the first time since a 1-6 defeat to Tottenham in May 2017.
Liverpool have won three consecutive away league matches against Leicester for the first time in their top-flight histor
Roberto Firmino's second goal against Leicester was the 500th Liverpool have scored under Jurgen Klopp in all competitions.
Leicester failed to muster a single shot the first half of a Premier League game for only the second time this season, al failing to do so in their first meeting wit Liverpool in October.
Each of Roberto Firmino's last nine goa in all competitions for Liverpool have come away from Anfield.
Leicester have won just two of the 11 Premier League games under Brendan Rodgers in which Jamie Vardy has faile to score.
Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arn has registered 20 assists in the Premier League since start of last season, more than any other player.
James Milner has scored 13 of his 14 penalties for Liverpool in the Premier League, with only Steven Gerrard (32) a Robbie Fowler netting more for the Red (13).
What's next?
Leicester travel to West Ham on Saturday, 28 December (17:30 GMT), while Liverpool host Wolves the following afternoon (16:30).