Liverpool maintained their perfect record in the Champions League this season by beating RB Leipzig 1-0 at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Reds found themselves in front at half-time when Darwin Núñez opened his European account for the season and the striker was regretful not to be awarded a penalty just before half-time.
Both teams had chances to score after the break, but Liverpool’s defense held firm to secure a hard-earned, hard-fought victory in East Germany.
How the game developed
Leipzig were the brighter side in the early stages and were the first to shoot on target. Amadou Haidara forced Caoimhin Kelleher into a quick save with a powerful shot from outside the area and the Irish keeper’s poor clearance almost proved costly when Benjamin Sekso curled a shot wide of the post in the 19th minute.
Despite a sloppy start to the proceedings, Liverpool snuck into the lead just before the half hour mark. A lofted cross from Kostas Tsimikas found the head of Mohamed Salah, who deflected an effort past Nunez at the far post. A much-needed poaching goal from the out-of-form forward.
Nunez could have doubled his tally just five minutes after opening the scoring, but Peter Gulacsi made an instinctive save to deny the Uruguayan’s header from close range. The Hungarian made a similar save to deny Virgil van Dijk from a corner soon after as Liverpool began to purr.
The visitors should have been awarded a penalty before the break when the increasingly influential Nunez was brought down by a late challenge from Willi Orban inside the box. However, after a brief VAR review, the on-field referee’s decision not to penalize was upheld.
A catalog of errors from Leipzig almost gave Liverpool a two-goal lead just three minutes after the restart. Núñez latched on to a loose pass and his tame cross found its way to the feet of Cody Gakpo, but the Dutchman’s shot was saved by Gulacsi’s outstretched header from close range.
Alexis Mac Allister came close to putting the day between the teams clear, but the midfielder’s long-range shot clipped the top of the crossbar, and Leipzig almost equalized moments later. Kelleher produced two good saves in quick succession, the first denying Sesko from close range and the second preventing Xavi Simons’ deflected effort from going through.
Lois Openda, who had already had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half, was left equally frustrated when she scored what she believed was an equalizer in the final ten minutes. However, the Belgian was once again one step ahead of Liverpool’s well-placed defensive line.
Gakpo came close to getting the result in the dying minutes, but Gulacsi denied the Netherlands international with a stunning save. However, it mattered little as the Reds held on for an important win ahead of Sunday’s clash with Arsenal.
GK: Peter Gulacsi – 7/10 – The former Liverpool goalkeeper produced some impressive reaction saves to keep Leipzig in the game.
RB: Lutsharel Geertruida – 5/10 – Geertruida, one of Arne Slot’s former Feyenoord boys, struggled to cope with compatriot Gakpo.
CB: Willi Orban – 5/10 – A clumsy challenge inside his own penalty area should have been punished and he struggled to control Núñez’s relentless pace and energy.
CB: Lukeba Castle – 6/10 – Booked early goals but was undoubtedly the most comfortable of Leipzig’s centre-backs.
LB: Benjamin Henrichs – 6/10 – He offered some attacking threat on the overlap and kept Salah relatively quiet for the most part.
RM: Antonio Nusa – 5/10 – He should have done more to test Liverpool’s weakest link in Tsimikas and was wasteful when he had the chance to put the ball in the penalty area.
CM: Arthur Vermeeren – 6/10 – The youngster looked composed in possession, but Leipzig’s midfield was often swamped by a flurry of red shirts.
CM: Amadou Haidara – 6/10 – He had a few decent efforts in the Liverpool goal from distance and produced a passable midfield display.
LM: Xavi Simons – 5/10 – He struggled to influence the game in the final third and didn’t look entirely comfortable when operating near the touchline. He needed more freedom to drift centrally and unsettle Liverpool’s midfield.
ST: Benjamin Sesko – 5/10 – Like Simons, it wasn’t Sesko’s most influential performance. He lived off very little service and was unable to threaten Liverpool’s central pair.
ST: Lois Openda – 5/10 – He produced an impressive end to the goalless game, but his strike was rightly ruled out for offside. He scored another offside goal at the end, much to his frustration.
Substitutes
SUB: Christoph Baumgartner (74′ for Sesko) – 6/10
SUB: Kevin Kampl (74′ for Vermeeren) – 6/10
SUB: El Chadaille Bitshiabu (74′ by Geertruida) – 6/10
SUB: Yussuf Poulsen (77′ for SIMons) – 6/10
SUB: Eljif Elmas (86′ for Haidara) – N/A
Subs not used: Maarten Vandevoordt (GK), Viggo Gebel, Andre Silva.
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Marco Rose – 5/10 – A frustrating afternoon for his side, who started well but struggled to maintain any sort of dominance or pressure on Liverpool’s goal.
GK: Kevin Kelleher – 8/10 – With a shaky moment when he came off his line, Kelleher was fantastic again. Two vital saves kept Liverpool ahead after the break.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10 – The passing radar was skewed as he finished with 74% accuracy, but he was strong enough defensively to stifle Simons.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 7/10 – He dealt with Openda’s pace and Sesko’s physicality very well, rarely making a mistake against one of the most formidable attacking units in the Bundesliga. A sloppy moment in possession almost proved costly.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 8/10 – Another compelling display that will strengthen his position in contract negotiations. Leipzig’s forwards could not get a single spring out of the Dutch skipper.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 7/10 – He produced the cross that eventually led to the first goal and made some testing runs down the left flank. It also sounds defensive.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch – 8/10 – Another eye-catching performance from Gravenberch in the midfield role. Sticking into the tackles, he protected the back four effectively and made some powerful bursts forward from deep.
DM: Alexis MacAllister – 7/10 – He was harshly booked for diving early in the match and took a powerful shot to the groin just to rub salt in the wounds. Not as impressive as Gravenberch, but another good display from the Argentine.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 6/10 – He will have been frustrated because Núñez made a header on goal and also his first substitution. Rested at the weekend without having had too much joy in the Leipzig half.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 6/10 – Will would have been keen to impress on his return to Leipzig and showed some of his quality. However, he never threatened to cut down the home defense.
LW: Cody Gakpo – 7/10 – Similar to his performance against Milan in Liverpool’s first European game, with the Dutchman a constant thorn in Leipzig’s side down the left.
ST: Darwin Nunez – 8/10 – He barely touched the ball in the first 25 minutes but burst into life after his goal. He covered an absurd amount of ground out of possession and was a handful for Leipzig’s rearguard throughout.
Substitutes
SUB: Luis Díaz (63′ for Salah) – 7/10
SUB: Curtis Jones (75′ for Núñez) – 6/10
SUB: Joe Gomez (75′ for Alexander-Arnold) – 7/10
SUB: Andy Robertson (75′ for Tsimikas) – 6/10
Subs not used: Harvey Davies (GK), Vitezslav Jaros (GK), Jarell Quansah, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo, Tyler Morton.
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Arne Slot – 7/10 – Another mature display from his side, who have now won all but one game since taking over. He dictated the pace after a slow start and they were worthy winners.
