James Milner’s late penalty helped Liverpool edge out Leicester City.

Sadio Mane broke the deadlock in the first half to score his 50th Premier League goal for the Reds after latching onto Milner’s ball over the Foxes’ defence.

The visitors struck back and poised Brendan Rodgers to snatch a point on his Anfield return when James Maddison squeezed a shot through Adrian’s legs.

But a foul on Mane in injury time by Marc Albrighton saw referee Craig Kavanagh point to the spot and Milner comfortably beat Kasper Schmeichel from 12 yards.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Milner’s still the comeback kid

 

Age has done little to dilute James Milner’s influence on this Liverpool side.

When all else fails, the midfielder is called upon to deliver and invariably does.

Jurgen Klopp clearly knows a good thing when he sees it and has turned to Milner twice in as many games to stem the tide after it turned against the Reds.

Both the 33-year-old’s diligence and calmness were required to halt Red Bull Salzburg’s second-half fightback in Wednesday’s Champions League thriller.

Leicester City’s visit demanded a similarly cool head from Milner as they ramped up the pressure, not least with James Maddison’s second-half equaliser.

His contribution was further underlined by a vision which set the wheels in motion for Sadio Mane’s opener before comfortably dispatching a late penalty.

Ironically Milner was among Brendan Rodgers’ final signings at Anfield and drafted in for the wealth of experience his lengthy career had already accrued.

Under Klopp, the Yorkshireman continues to enjoy an extended lease of life.

No revenge on Rodgers’ return

 

‘We come not to play’ became a long-lost marketing slogan under which Liverpool laboured for large parts of Rodgers’ three-year tenure as manager.

On a first return to his former stomping ground, the Leicester boss stayed true to that mantra with his current employers producing a dogged performance.

The Northern Irishman’s only prior meeting with Klopp came when a sub-par Borussia Dortmund were trounced 4-0 in a pre-season friendly at Anfield.

But both managers had little time for pleasantries in this encounter as was reflected in the frenzied nature of the final stages and even beyond that.

Ayoze Perez’s attempt to spark a mass brawl at the final whitle as tempers flared between both sides proved that Rodgers’ side were in no mood for nostalgia.

His Anfield homecoming almost delivered revenge but was denied by a Liverpool team that continues to find a way of winning under the man who replaced him.

Trent comes of age in style

 

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s last birthday was spent kicking his heels.

Klopp elected to leave the full-back on the substitutes’ bench against Manchester City a year ago in the belief that well wishes may become a distraction to him.

Ahead of his 21st birthday on Monday, however, Alexander-Arnold is continuing to come of age as evidenced by his all-encompassing display against the Foxes.

He was Liverpool’s key attacking threat in the opening stages; causing the visitors all manner of problems with searching balls and surging runs into the box.

Had a number of chances for the hosts been converted, Alexander-Arnold’s deliveries would have conceivably earned him the Man of the Match award.

If 21 is supposed to be the year where one comes of age, the West Derby-born defender has already reached that milestone with two days to spare.

Time to say ‘adios’ to Adrian

 

No one will be relishing the upcoming international break any more than Klopp.

Its aftermath is set to coincide with Alisson’s long-awaited return from injury. After Adrian’s latest error-strewn appearance, it simply cannot come soon enough.

Virtually all of the Spaniard’s 11 outings in all competitions have contained an asterisk. This one was no different as he conceded a 12th goal in total.

Maddison’s shot for the equaliser squirmed through Adrian’s legs to deny him a third clean sheet while also serving a denouement for his time in the spotlight.

The 32-year-old’s time on Merseyside has been a whirlwind as he was thrust into a debut just four days after signing due to Alisson’s freak injury against Norwich.

Even in absentia, the Brazilian goalkeeper’s stock remains high due to the amount of points his supreme confidence with shot-stopping has earned.

Unfortunately for Adrian, he was never going to be able to fill such big shoes.