3️⃣ points as Liverpool survive Salzburg scare to make last 16 | OneFootball

Liverpool survived a Champions League scare as they beat Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 on Tuesday evening.

The Austrian outfit took the game to Jürgen Klopp’s side with qualification on the line, but second half goals from Naby Keïta and Mohamed Salah were enough to send the Reds through to the last 16.

A blueprint to follow

With Salzburg knowing that only a win by more than two goals would guarantee them safe passage into the last 16, it was clear just what Jesse Marsch’s gameplan was from the off.

High intensity, high press and high risk football.

It was certainly a gamble from the American coach but it almost paid off within the opening 10 minutes – Salzburg having at least three golden chances to open the scoring, Hee-Chan Hwang with the best of them.

There was an expectation that the levels would drop after that, but the Austrians had clearly had their Red Bull pre-match and kept stretching the visitors all the way to half time – in fact, their six shots in the first half was the most Liverpool have faced from any opponent so far this season.

This gung ho approach did leave the hosts brutally exposed at the back, but perhaps Premier League managers watching from home will have learned something.

The Reds have looked almost unbeatable domestically, but here the nerves clearly got to the Merseyside outfit and a better, more clinical side may have exposed them.

Perhaps the title race isn’t over after all?

Just enough

How many times are Liverpool going to do ‘just enough’ this season?

We seem to have been saying it every weekend in the Premier League but once again, this time in Europe, Jürgen Klopp’s side have won without being at their scintillating best.

The reigning European champions looked shaken in the first half, struggling to react to Salzburg’s rapid attacks and missing a host of gilt-edge chances themselves.

But it was a different story after the break with Keita and Salah putting the game out of reach inside 100 seconds.

There were certainly worrying signs for Liverpool – where on earth was their midfield for 60 minutes?

But as has become tradition this season, the Merseyside outfit got their three points.

What. A. Game

This season’s Champions League group stage hasn’t been a vintage edition, but in any year this game would go down as one of the very best.

Two attacking sides going hell for leather in front of a packed crowd.

There was technical quality, the odd mistake, space to exploit and last-ditch defending.

We had long-range efforts, close quarter saves, a teenage prodigy trying to impress and a few Ballon d’Or nominees turning on the style.

There’s no clever tactical analysis here. This was just a proper game of football.