Liverpool bounced back from defeat at the weekend to beat Milan 3-1 in their first Champions League game under Arne Slot.
A riveting first half saw Liverpool’s centre-backs reign supreme, with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk scoring from close range after Christian Pulisic had given Milan an early lead.
Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool a third in the second half to secure an important victory on matchday one of the new Champions League.
How the game developed
After falling aa Defeat 1-0 at home to Nottingham Forest the weekend, Liverpool they desperately needed a reaction in their Champions League opener. However, they were dealt an early blow in the nose as Milan took the lead after just three minutes.
Poor defensive work down Liverpool’s left allowed Pulisic to sprint unchallenged towards Alisson’s goal and the former Chelsea winger fired a low shot past the Brazilian into the far corner.
After a shaky start to the game, Liverpool began to find their feet in the 15th minute and came close to equalizing through Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian’s quick feet created a shooting opportunity but his powerful right-footed effort hit the underside of the crossbar.
However, Liverpool did not have to wait long for their form. The 23rd minute gave the Reds their way back into the game after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delicate cross was headed home by Konate from just six yards.
The visitors quickly found themselves in the ascendancy when Diogo Jota had a fantastic chance and Salah hit the crossbar for the second time, but Van Dijk’s close-range header ended Liverpool’s deserved one-goal lead. towards rest
Liverpool’s evening could have improved just moments after the restart, but Jota’s effort was well smothered by Mike Maignan, with the Milan The goalkeeper was quickly withdrawn through injury after denying the Portuguese.
Slot’s men eventually grabbed the all-important fourth goal of the game and it was Cody Gakpo’s brilliance that helped Liverpool secure their two-goal cushion. The Dutchman veered past the Milan defense and slipped past Strahinja Pavlovic before setting up Szoboszlai for a simple finish.
Van Dijk came close to a brace when he headed home from another dangerous Liverpool set-piece and Darwin Núñez grabbed two half chances after replacing Jota from the bench. However, Slot’s team had already done the hard work and cut down to three significant points to start their Champions League campaign
GK: Mike Maignan – 5/10 – Arguably he should have commanded his box better with Liverpool’s two strikes in the first half, but he was nursing an injury. He still made some decent saves before being substituted early in the second half.
RB: Davide Calbria – 4/10 – A completely unnecessary challenge gave Liverpool the free-kick from which they equalized and they struggled to cope with Gakpo’s pace and ingenuity throughout.
CB: Strahinja Pavlovic – 4/10 – A man of his size and stature should have been more influential in Liverpool’s set-pieces and Gakpo fooled him too easily for the third visitor.
CB: Fikayo Tomori – 6/10 – He largely kept Jota quiet and made some important interventions when Liverpool broke with speed. He would have expected more support from his teammates along the bottom line.
LB: Theo Hernández – 6/10 – A few trademark frantic bursts down the left flank, but the French defender was pretty anonymous for the most part.
DM: Youssouf Fofana – 5/10 – He booked a cynical foul in the first half and was left walking a tightrope for the rest of the game. He subsequently struggled to command the midfield battle as Liverpool took over.
DM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 5/10 – Sloppy in its distribution and touch, with very little end product when it was in the final third. A disappointing display on the big stage.
RW: Christian Pulisic – 7/10 – He pushed Milan ahead of the early gates with a good run and finish, but struggled to get involved as the game wore on.
AM: Tijjani Reijnders – 6/10 – We found some good pockets of space in the early stages and started a few attacks. However, his influence waned significantly in the second half.
LW: Rafael Leao – 6/10 – There were one or two signature moments from Leao as he overcame challenges, but he was unable to make any telling contributions in a match where Milan were calling for a talisman.
ST: Alvaro Morata – 7/10 – A clever header set Pulisic on his way to the opener and caused Konate problems with his physicality and relentlessness.
Substitutes
SUB: Lorenzo Torriani (51′ for Maignan) – 6/10 – With some poor passing and kicking, he did well on his senior debut in difficult circumstances.
SUB: Tammy Abraham (70′ for Loftus-Cheek) – 6/10
SUB: Emerson Royal (70′ for Calabria) – 6/10
SUB: Noah Okafor (84′ for Morata) – 6/10
SUB: Matteo Gabbia (84′ for Tomori) – 6/10
Subs not used: Lapo Nava (GK), Davide Bartesaghi, Filippo Terracciano, Kevin Zeroli, Yunus Musah, Samuel Chukwueze.
manager
Paulo Fonseca – 5/10 – More questions will be asked of Milan’s new manager after a disjointed display. A good start quickly gave way and Fonseca was unable to help his team fight back against Liverpool.
GK: Alisson – 6/10 – Largely untested and defenseless for Milan’s first strike. He gave the hosts a few chances with a loose pass.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8/10 – The Englishman’s delivery was on point as Liverpool equalized and handled Leao competently down the right. His playmaking skills helped the Reds cut off Milan.
CB: Ibrahima Konata – 7/10 – He should have closed down Pulisic quicker as the American fired Milan in front, but he made amends with a rare goal 20 minutes later. Settled after a nervous start and strong finish.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 8/10 – Anything Konate can do, Van Dijk can do too. The Dutchman struck a similar header shortly before half-time to put the Reds ahead and dominated his duels with Morata and Abraham.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 6/10 – He was nowhere to be seen for Milan’s opener after aimlessly advancing to press, but his pinpoint corner allowed Van Dijk to head Liverpool into the lead. A mixed sample from the left side.
DM: Alexis MacAllister – 8/10 – He made tackles, set the pace and was calm under pressure – exactly what Liverpool needed in a difficult environment. He almost gave an assist in the second half with an impressive ball.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch – 7/10 – Liverpool lost the protection of a natural number six in the early stages, but Gravenberch grew into prominence as the game wore on. Typically graceful in possession and on the turn.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10 – Desperately unlucky to hit the woodwork twice in the first half with a solid effort and will be wondering how he didn’t leave San Siro with a goal to his name. Still, he was a constant threat on the right.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 8/10 – A great display from Szoboszlai, who worked his socks off as Milan shut down and made some smart runs into Milan territory, one of which led to his instinctive goal.
LW: Cody Steel – 8/10 – Having arrived in the lively Luis Diaz’s team, Gakpo proved to be a handful for Calabria with his movement and agility. Brilliant in possession, he created chances for teammates and set up the third with exquisite play.
ST: Diogo Jota – 6/10 – He spurned a glorious chance to put Liverpool ahead shortly after Konate’s header and was not at his usual clinical edge in the final third.
Substitutes
SUB: Darwin Núñez (68′ for Steel) – 5/10
SUB: Luis Diaz (68′ for Jota) – 7/10
SUB: Joe Gomez (79′ for Alexander-Arnold) – 6/10
SUB: Federico Chiesa (90+3′ for Salah) – N/A
SUB: Wataru Endo (90+3′ for Mac Allister) – N/A
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (GK), Vitezslav Jaros (GK), Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones, Tyler Morton.
manager
Arne Slot – 7/10 – After a difficult opening 15 minutes, Liverpool responded in style. Slot’s system helped nullify Milan’s attacking threats and the Reds quickly punished their hosts on the counter-attack. A good night’s work after a hard weekend.
