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Different faces, same old depressing problems.

Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle as Jurgen Klopp was left with that sinking feeling once again at the King Power Stadium.

“I’m sick of this,” declared a fuming Klopp as he reflected on yet another self-inflicted setback. Join the club.

It was all so depressingly familiar as glaring mistakes were punished. Just like against Sevilla and Burnley, Liverpool only had themselves to blame.

A much changed Reds line up should have been out of sight after comprehensively outplaying Leicester City during a one-sided opening 45 minutes.

But they squandered some gilt-edged chances and then fell apart during a pitiful second-half display.

Substitute Shinji Okazaki and Islam Slimani did the damage but they were given a helping hand by Liverpool's inability to do even the basics right defensively.

The first, predictably, came from a corner which was half cleared and then lofted back into the box. The second was a beauty from Slimani but the Reds' backline opened up like the Red Sea after dozing off from a throw-in.

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That's 16 goals conceded in nine games in all competitions so far this season and that's unacceptable.

Klopp is adamant it's about lapses in concentration rather than a lack of quality but the evidence increasingly suggests otherwise.

Liverpool failed to address their most obvious weakness in the transfer window and it's costing them dear. Klopp's faith in the personnel he opted to stick by this summer simply isn't being repaid with performances on the field.

There's a soft centre and it's being exposed time and time again. Opponents know they only have to hang in there like Leicester did in the first half because at some stage a gift or two will be presented to them at the other end.

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The Reds' post-international break blip is in danger of becoming something much more serious.

Klopp has to earn his corn by quickly repairing battered belief and instilling greater organisation.

The Carabao Cup was never going to define this season and an early exit has to be put in context. But the reality is that a club which hasn't won a trophy since 2012 just saw it's best hope of ending that drought go up in smoke.

Simon Mignolet, Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, Emre Can, Mohamed Salah, Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino were all given the night off as Liverpool embarked on the first of two trips to the King Power Stadium in the space of five days.

The opening 45 minutes were reminiscent of last Saturday's clash with Burnley as Klopp's side dominated and enjoyed moments of great promise but composure in the final third was sadly lacking.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked destined to score when he latched on to Andy Robertson's low cross but Ben Chilwell produced a fine block to deny him. From the resulting corner, Dominic Solanke turned and flashed a shot narrowly wide.

Philippe Coutinho started on the left of the front three but he repeatedly drifted inside and was afforded time and space as he pulled the strings.

Rusty against Sevilla and Burnley, Coutinho was much more polished here. The little Brazilian's quick feet and box of tricks bamboozled Vicente Iborra and Wilfred Ndidi before his strike was parried away by Ben Hamer.

Strong and powerful, Solanke provided a decent focal point in attack on his first start for the Reds but his finishing was wayward.

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It proved to be a full debut to forget for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who struggled to grasp his chance after being positioned on the right of Klopp's front three. His decision-making was poor and he contributed very little.

The past few weeks have been a learning curve for the £35million deadline day signing with time spent on the training ground adjusting to what's expected of him at his new club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain felt he had gone stale at Arsenal and needed a move to realise his full potential. He has done nothing to silence the doubters so far but has to be given time to settle in before judgments are made.

Leicester made seven changes themselves with Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel, Harry Maguire and Kelechi Iheanacho all rested. Craig Shakespeare went with a combative front two of Leonardo Ulloa and Islam Slimani but they didn't get a sniff before the interval.

Joe Gomez could hold his head high after being moved to centre-back to partner Ragnar Klavan. The England Under-21s skipper refused to be bullied as he won his aerial battles and dealt with the danger around him.

Jon Flanagan, who was handed his first Liverpool outing since May 2016, had his hands full with Demarai Gray flying at him.

Midway through the first half Solanke stretched to meet Robertson's inviting centre but turned it over the bar. The chances kept on coming with Robertson firing past the post before Oxlade-Chamberlain shot tamely at Hamer.

Coutinho unlocked the door once again with a delightful flick for Solanke, who lifted it over the advancing keeper but missed the target.

Frustration reigned. Liverpool had enjoyed 76% of the ball and mustered 13 shots but they went in level.

The second half was a different story. With Coutinho making way for Ben Woodburn, Liverpool lost the catalyst for their first-half creativity and it showed.

It was a tale of two substitutions as Leicester benefited from the introduction of Okazaki and the hosts finally started to show some ambition.

Gray turned away from Klavan and sent a left-footer flashing just past the post.

Danny Ward, who was back in a Liverpool shirt for the first time in 16 months, had been a spectator for most of the night, but midway through the second half he was beaten.

Once again it was a horribly soft goal to concede. Marko Grujic only cleared a corner as far as Ben Chilwell, who helped it back into the box.

Wes Morgan headed back across goal and Iborra nodded down to Ozazaki, whose low drive deflected off Robertson and flew beyond Ward.

The travelling Kop did their best to inspire a response and briefly hope remained as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Woodburn went close.

Danny Ings made his eagerly-awaited first-team comeback 11 months after suffering a serious knee injury, but there was no dream return for the striker.

(Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.)

With 11 minutes to go Liverpool's misery was complete.

Okazaki wriggled away from Robertson from a throw and Klavan didn't cover himself in glory either as Slimani raced through and slammed a left-footer into the top corner.

Game over. The eight-times winners had lost three successive League Cup games for the first time in their history.

Three trips to the King Power for Klopp during his Anfield reign and three chastening defeats. He won't be relishing Saturday's return.

The manager needs to take action. Those same old depressing problems have to be addressed.

MATCH FACTS

Leicester City : Hamer, Amartey, Dragović, Morgan (c), Chilwell, Albrighton, Iborra, Ndidi (Choudhury 84), Gray, Slimani, Ulloa (Okazaki 53)

Not used : Benalouane, Iheanacho, Jakupovic, Mahrez, Musa.

Liverpool : Ward, Flanagan, Gomez, Klavan, Robertson, Henderson, Grujic, Wijnaldum (Ings 73), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coutinho (Woodburn 45), Solanke.

Not used : Karius, Milner, Moreno, Markovic, Alexander-Arnold

Referee : Stuart Attwell.

Attendance : 31,609

Goals : Okazaki 65, Slimani 78.

Bookings : Iborra, Grujic, Klavan.

Man of the match : Philippe Coutinho. Excellent in the first half. Liverpool fell apart without him.