With less epic than sixteen years ago in Istanbul, but with similar doses of madness, Liverpool came back from the match against Milan to start with a triumph in this Champions League (3-2).
The ‘Reds’, who went from 1-0 to 1-2, after Tomori’s own goal and a penalty missed by Mohamed Slaha, in a crazy 180 seconds before the break, caged all three points in the second half, when Salah and Henderson did justice at Anfield.
The big game on Wednesday night started very uneven, with the push of an audience that returned to listen to the music of the ‘Champions’ at Anfield a year and a half later, since Atlético de Madrid eliminated them two editions ago.
Liverpool, much more team than Milan, swept the Italians for half an hour. He handcuffed them by showing insulting superiority for what was once a classic of European football. Trent Alexander-Arnold made the first wound. A wall down the right wing with Salah culminating in a cross that bounced off Tomori and passed over Maignan.
A landslide was looming and Liverpool sighted the second when Bennacer brushed a shot from Robertson with his hand. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and Salah was stamped. Too much power and too little positioning for the Egyptian, who fired too focused and caught up with Maignan. Nor could Robertson in the plate to reject.
Milan escaped alive, doing practically nothing until the last three minutes of the first half. In just 180 seconds Liverpool spoiled their entire advantage. First Rebic, who took advantage of a failure in the brand of Joe Gomez, who threw the offside late, to beat Alisson under, and later again the Croatian, beating Alexander-Arnold’s back, and giving him the pass from death to Alexis Saelemaekers. The Belgian was shot by Robertson at the goal line, but left the ball soft for Brahim to push.
Without knowing how, Liverpool had gotten into trouble. The luck for them is that they were able to reflect during the break and go out to eat those of Pipo Inzaghi. The expected siege was just as the thousands of Anfield souls expected. It could not be otherwise.
Salah, Jota, Origi, Keita. They all tried unsuccessfully until the Belgian striker, starting in place of Mané, threw a filtered pass over the Italian defense line so that Salah was left alone against the goalkeeper and defined in an acrobatic way.
Anfield was leaning towards Maignan’s goal, it was a matter of time before the third came and Jota forced it, with a corner shot that led to the 3-2 play. Alexander-Arnold corner kick, clearance by the milanistas at the near post and on the front, into early bounce, Henderson hooked it to the net.
Although Milan tried in the last minutes, in which Maldini’s son Daniel had time to make his debut, Liverpool tied the points at home and now leads Group B, above Atlético de Madrid and Porto.
– Data sheet:
3 – Liverpool: Alisson; Robertson, Gomez, Matip, Alexander-Arnold; Henderson (Milner, m.84), Fabinho, Keita (Thiago, m.71); Jota (Jones, m.71), Origi (Mané, m.63) and Salah (Oxlade-Chamberlain, m.84).
2 – Milan: Maignan; Hernández, Tomori, Kjaer, Calabria; Bennacer (Tonali, m.71), Kessie, Brahim; Leao (Giroud, m.62), Saelemaekers (Florenzi, m.62) and Rebic (Maldini, m.83).
Goals: 1-0. Tomori (pp), m.9, 1-1. Rebic, m. 42, 1-2. Brahim, m. 44, 2-2. Salah, m.49 and 3-2. Henderson, m.69.
Refereeo: Szymon Marciniak (POL) admonished Milner (m.93) by the locals and Bennacer (m.13) and Brahim (m.61) by the visitors.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the first day of Group B of the Champions League played at the Anfield stadium. EFE (HN)