I for one enjoyed it. Everything had gotten a bit too easy recently, it was almost a bit drab. It was nice to see Liverpool decide that Wednesday night was the time to party like it was 2013/14. The Reds welcomed Red Bull Salzburg to Anfield for Jürgen Klopp’s first European home game since breaking Barcelona hearts back in may. The match finished 4-3 and the Liverpool defence highlighted the importance of a settled back line.
Sadio Mane opened the scoring in the game after 9 minutes before Andy Robertson and Mo Salah added to the tally. Salzburg responded in brave fashion, recovering the game to 3-3 before Salah popped up again to restore Liverpool’s lead. The Reds’ defending was shambolic on occasion and this has to be attributed to a shuffling of the back line.
Joel Matip was injured and unavailable for the game, meaning Joe Gomez was asked to return to the starting XI. The Englishman hasn’t played regularly for the Reds since his leg break last winter. Gomez turned in a Jekyll and Hyde performance, producing some brash moments whilst also showcasing his supreme quality at times.
Virgil van Dijk was turned inside out by Hwang Hee-Chan for the visitor’s first goal. This is a goal we wouldn’t have conceded with Alisson between the sticks. This is not because the shot was saveable, it is because with Virgil having the loss of Matip in his head as well as a backup keeper in goal, he was less composed then usual. One of Van Dijk’s strengths is knowing when to trust the keeper, he could have forced the striker into a difficult near post effort but instead he lunged in and opened up the goal for the attacker.
The Liverpool defence showed yesterday that a settled unit is key to a strong side. This was definitely a blip.
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