Ruud van Nistelrooy saw Leicester City’s 3-1 defeat by Liverpool as a missed opportunity for the Premier League strugglers, despite the Reds’ status as title favourites.
Leicester dropped into the Premier League’s relegation zone ahead of Boxing Day thanks to Wolves’ two wins in two games under Vitor Pereira, beating Manchester United.
The Foxes threatened a major Anfield upset as Jordan Ayew scored a sixth-minute opener, only for goals from Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah to hand the hosts the three points.
Leicester now have the joint-worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 10 goals in three straight defeats to Newcastle United (0-4), Wolves (0-3) and Liverpool (1-3).
Van Nistelrooy’s side attempted four shots in the opening 10 minutes but failed to manage a single effort for the rest of the match, and despite their status as huge underdogs, he was frustrated at failing to hold on.
“It’s up to us to develop and create gameplans for each opponent,” Van Nistelrooy told Amazon Prime Video.
“The gameplan was there, the players knew what to do and executed it, but today was the maximum possible.
“Anfield is not a place where we usually pick up points, but we need to pick up points for our development.”
Leicester are now a point behind 17th-placed Wolves, who clash with Manchester City and Aston Villa, and van Nistelrooy says they need to strengthen in the January transfer window.
“It’s a great prospect to see. It’s a tool to see as a club,” said the former Manchester United striker. “It’s a good option.”
Liverpool are now seven points clear of their nearest rivals Chelsea at the top, although Arsenal could reduce their advantage to six points when they face Ipswich Town on Friday.
Van Nistelrooy believes the Reds – now given a huge 88.2% chance of title success by the Opta supercomputer – have a great chance of being champions this season.
“You never know in the Premier League and a lot has happened before, but looking at this team and how stable they are and the depth of their squad, they have a great chance,” Van Nistelrooy said.
