Leicester City returned to form on Monday as they defeated Liverpool 3-1 at the King Power Stadium following the midweek sacking of Claudio Ranieri.
The champions' hierarchy moved to dismiss Ranieri after a run of poor results left the club languishing perilously close to the relegation zone, with a drop into the Championship becoming an increasing possibility.
Leicester had won just five games this season prior to their encounter with the Reds, but turned on the style as they emerged as comfortable winners, with Jamie Vardy scoring twice in a display reminiscent of his electric form last term.
Danny Drinkwater also scored an exquisite volley in the victory, with Philippe Coutinho's second-half strike proving little more than a consolation for the visitors.
The question remains, however, as to why Leicester could not play with such verve under Ranieri for the first 25 games of the season.
A home crowd peppered with banners paying tribute to the amiable Italian, who was sacked last Thursday following a run of five consecutive top-flight defeats, had no cause to approach mutiny as their side located an intensity and drive sorely lacking over recent weeks.
Vardy followed his strike in the 2-1 Champions League loss to Sevilla last week with Leicester's first in the Premier League in 2017 and Danny Drinkwater displayed impeccable technique to net a sumptuous long-range second.
It got better in the second half when Vardy headed in a third and, although Philippe Coutinho pulled one back for Liverpool, the Foxes moved out of the bottom three and the famous namesake of Leicester's interim boss Craig Shakespeare could barely have scripted a better initial pitch for him to take the job on a full-time basis.
The day-to-day in such roles provides considerable headaches, as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will attest. A 16-day break from action and a training trip to La Manga seemingly did little for Liverpool's competitive edge as they fell well short of the swashbuckling brilliance that took down Tottenham last time out.
Like Leicester, they have only one Premier League win this calendar year and are in fifth having played a game more than Manchester City and Arsenal in third and fourth, while sixth-placed Manchester United are a point behind with a game in hand.
The Brain Behind this Blog
