A surprisingly strong starting 11, including a welcome return for Trent Alexander-Arnold as captain and a home European debut for Quansah, eventually saw Liverpool win 2-0. Jurgen Klopp, though, will be far from happy. A sloppy, laxadasical second-half display, which saw an otherwise poor Diogo Jota seal the game in added time, giving Liverpool maximum points after two games in European footballs secondary competition.
Perhaps the tone for a below-par performance, was set by Mo Salah, who missed a glorious chance to put his side ahead after just five minutes, whilst the miss from Darwin Nunez, a sitter by any definition, was frankly inexplicable. Thankfully, Ryan Gravenbech, sharp and composed throughout, didn’t miss his chance after the USG goalkeeper spilled a shot from Trent as half-time beckoned.
Liverpool dominated possession for 90 minutes, but so often took too many touches. The second-half in particular, following the removal of Salah, lacked pace, intensity, and width. Harvey Elliot, again, provided much of the forward thrust, not matched by others around him and, with a rare error from Alisson, almost gifting a goal to the Belgian outfit. Klopp’s frustration on the sidelines grew.
That frustration was shown, when he brought on both Joe Gomez and Dominic Szoboszlai in the final minutes. Liverpool though, didn’t particularly improve, but Diogo Jota finally ended the contest in the 92nd minute. A break upfield, in which Luis Diaz eventually got the ball to the Portuguese man in the inside left position, saw the ball nestle into the net in front of the Kop.
Ultimately, this game will soon be forgotten and should give Liverpool the platform to top their group with ease. Trent also got some valuable minutes in his legs following injury, whilst a deserved goal for the impressive Gravenbech is another obvious positive. No injury scares also mean that Klopp should have a full squad to select from as Liverpool travel to the south coast on Sunday to face Brighton.
