The champions found themselves outmatched as Jurgen Klopp's men showed no lack of pace and attacking aggression at Anfield
Home, sweet home.
In a carnival atmosphere, Liverpool cut the ribbon on their towering new £150million main stand which makes the Kop look like a potting shed.
Two-goal Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana made sure the party went with a swing.
In truth, the pre-match parade of Anfield old boys including Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Ian St John and Terry McDermott had more stardust in their bootlaces than Jurgen Klopp's current band of brothers.
But at times there was enough promise in this performance to suggest Manchester may not be the inevitable destination of the title again.
Firmino opened the scoring after 13 minutes, latching on to that well-known left-back James Milner's pass and turning inside to beat Kasper Schmeichel with a cool finish after Daniel Amartey failed to track his run.
And when Mane bagged his second goal of the season just after the half-hour, from Daniel Sturridge's exquisite back-heel, it looked as if Liverpool would decorate their party with a rout.
But Lucas Leiva's ghastly mistake gifted Jamie Vardy a lifeline for the champions, and Liverpool were relieved when Robert Huth's header from sub Luis Hernandez's long throw bounced on top of the bar with Simon Mignolet all at sea.
Liverpool did not regain the initiative until 11 minutes after the break, but it was worth the wait as England midfielder Lallana arrowed his shot sweetly into the top corner.
Even then, Klopp was not able to enjoy the last half-hour as a procession: Mignolet produced a fine stop when Vardy had a clear sight of goal, one-on-one, and the smart money was on Leicester's party host-in-chief to score again.
A minute from time, Schmeichel went walkabout, Mane skipped round him and squared for Firmino to complete the formalities.
1. Klopp's poetry in motion
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
The Kop was in fine voice, notably their refrain about Liverpool being poetry in motion, and Jurgen Klopp's side produced pulses of pressure, garnished with assured passing and polished finishing, that were worthy of a few verses.
In many ways, this was a showcase for the best and worst of Jurgen the German's Anfield revolution, with brisk passages of pass-and-move interfaced with moments of hide-behind-the-sofa awfulness.
The good bits, notably the goals, were top-notch and the quality hinted at a return to top-four orbit. The bad bits were death-wish defending that would have made Charles Bronson blush.
2. Not champions any more
Leicester only lost three games on their wonderful, swaggering road to the title last season, but they have already suffered two defeats in four games.
Whether it was the distraction of their Champions League debut in Bruges next week, or they were simply swept away by the festive atmosphere, the Foxes were awful for half an hour.
If they start every match in such slovenly fashion, the only things manager Claudio Ranieri will hear going dilly-ding, dilly-dong over the next eight months will be alarm bells.
3. The new stand will be nice when it's finished
No arguments, the 18,000-capacity edifice Liverpool have knocked up in the summer is a magnificent structure which rises above Stanley Park like a fortress.
I have been to international venues which were only half-built and unfit for purpose – at one cricket ground in Sri Lanka, a staircase petered out into a 30-foot drop if you didn't pay attention – and, inevitably, there were teething troubles for the new citadel at Anfield.
There was nothing wrong with the atmosphere here before the builders moved in, and there was nothing wrong with the acoustics as Liverpool christened their new-look home.
But £150 million stands don't win football matches – that is normally the prerogative of players and coaches.
4. Leicester can't park the submarine
There is no law against sitting deep and hitting teams on the break. Leicester did it expertly last season and won the title before anyone had woken up to their game plan,
But if you are going to sit deeper than Thunderbird 4 (that's the one Gordon Tracy operates underwater), it helps if you track runners from midfield between the lines.
New signing Daniel Amartey, who has the unenviable task of replacing N'Golo Kante in the Foxes' midfield, paid a heavy price for losing Roberto Firmino's run when Liverpool opened the scoring.
5. The continuing struggle of Daniel Sturridge
Only three years ago, Daniel Sturridge's double act with Luis Suarez was almost an unstoppable force as Liverpool came within a whisker of the title under Brendan Rodgers.
Now he is no longer assured of a place in their starting XI, and although he made the cut here, Sturridge was upstaged by Roberto Firmino and £34 million signing Sadio Mane.
Some of Sturridge's link-up play was exquisite, but other parts of his game – notably his finishing - were off-key.
When everyone is fit, and international breaks do not send vital components in Jurgen Klopp's front line halfway round the world, the England striker may struggle to dislodge Philippe Coutinho in Liverpool's optimum starting XI
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