Liverpool worked hard for their sixth Champions League game of the season, needing one Mohamed Salah’s penalty to beat Girona on tuesday
The Reds did enough to win the game, but they certainly didn’t dominate Girona, who went toe-to-toe with Arne Slot’s side and could easily have become the second team to score against Liverpool in Europe this year
That leaky defense, however, provided a spot for the returning Alisson, who looked animated in the Liverpool goal.
How the game developed
Joe Gomez had Liverpool’s first chance of the afternoon just four minutes later. He rose higher from a corner and directed a header towards Paulo Gazzaniga, who reacted well to tip the effort over the bar.
Gazzaniga needed to keep away a strong shot from Darwin Núñez soon after, before Girona should perhaps have opened the scoring. Daley Blind found himself alone in the penalty area and received a tap-in, only to miss the ball completely, and moments later Bryan Gil was sent charging through on goal but lost his footing as he he faced one against one with the returning Alisson.
Those moments gave Girona life and the hosts enjoyed several bright moments down the left, with Miguel Gutiérrez and Arnaut Danjuma causing all sorts of problems for Gomez.
After an open 20 minutes that brought plenty of half chances for both teams, Núñez was again frustrated by Gazzaniga from close range, before Yaser Asprilla’s shot from outside the box required an acrobatic save from Alisson
Liverpool finished the first half with 61% possession, but by no means controlling proceedings, with Girona leading when it came to shots on goal (4) and expected goals (0.8).
Girona did not slow down after the restart and Danjuma rejected two good chances in four minutes. He fired straight at Alisson for the first and then, after some good footwork to beat Gomez, cut his effort wide.
On the hour, Liverpool got the break they needed when a VAR check saw them awarded a penalty. Luis Diaz was teed up by Donny van de Beek and up went Salah to score his 50th Champions League goal.
Girona’s composure faded after the goal, but the La Liga side still offered plenty of threats on the counter, although Liverpool controlled the final stages to claim a sixth straight La Liga win champions
After a long injury layoff, Alisson returned to the Liverpool starting lineup at the expense of Caoimhin Kelleher, who dropped to the bench.
The Brazil international was probably expecting a quiet night, but he definitely had to be at his best here, with Liverpool’s porous defense forcing him into the action time and time again. Danjuma and Asprilla got the best of Alisson in a spirited match.
While questions must be asked about Liverpool’s backline, there will be no worries about Alisson rusting out.
The question of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s best position was raised once again here. He lined up on the team sheet as a right back but started the game in an inverted midfield role which caused all sorts of problems for his team.
Joe Gómez was isolated in defense as Girona clearly targeted the box as a weakness, doubling and spraying the ball that way at every turn. In attack, Alexander-Arnold’s presence contributed to a crowded midfield and, coupled with Mohamed Salah’s freedom to roam, left Liverpool stranded on the right.
Slot turned things around in the first half as Girona threatened to run away with proceedings, ordering Alexander-Arnold to stay wider and wider. A wise move by the boss, who will now fear that other rivals have discovered their own plan to combat Alexander-Arnold.
Look, this wasn’t a bad performance from Liverpool. They are a good team that probably he deserved to win it, but the fact that it’s even a debate is cause for concern.
Girona are a La Liga side that have lost four of their first five Champions League games this season, and yet they have come up against what most would describe as the best in Europe at the moment.
Had they not benefited from a handful of wasted shots, unlucky slips and VAR decisions, Liverpool could easily have lost here. Slot must find out what went wrong before returning to Premier League action against Fulham at the weekend.
