The 4th Official
·21 October 2020
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Yahoo sportsThe 4th Official
·21 October 2020
Liverpool locked horns with AFC Ajax at the Johan Cruijff ArenA hoping to kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign by earning all three points on the road. The Reds made a dominant start to the game while the home team looked to threaten on the counter. Nicolás Tagliafico scored an unfortunate own goal in the 35th minute after some terrific build-up play from Sadio Mane whose cross saw the ball hit the Argentine and go into an empty net. The Merseyside giants went into the half-time break 1-0 to the good.
Both teams fought tooth and nail in the second 45 minutes but couldn’t add to the goal tally as the contest finished 1-0 in favour of Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest against Ajax.
The Spanish keeper made a couple of errors in the first half, which went unpunished. He had a comfortable game in the second 45 minutes and did well to come out of his lines to collect some flighted crosses.
The English full-back kept a good defensive shape at the back but struggled to create anything of note from the right flank.
The Brazilian was a class above everyone else on the field. He came to his team’s rescue quite a few times and even had an excellent goal-line clearance to show for his efforts.
Gomez marshalled the backline well and produced a commanding display at the heart of the Liverpool defence. He will be happy to keep a clean sheet tonight.
The Scottish full-back showed great energy to get forward throughout the 90 minutes and hardly gave away anything in defence.
The occasion got the better of the youngster as he struggled to influence the game in the first half and was subbed at half-time.
The Dutch midfield ace retained possession well in midfield and showed great hunger to make some driving runs towards the latter stages of the contest.
The English veteran used his experience well to control the proceedings in midfield. However, he got whacked a couple of times in the final quarter of the match, much to the dismay of Klopp.
The Egyptian winger made a few promising runs but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. He got replaced in the second half.
Firmino had a few bright moments during his time on the field but was far from convincing once again.
The Senegalese international was Liverpool’s best hope for a goal in the first half. He didn’t disappoint and played his part in the lead-up to Tagliafico’s own goal in the 35th minute.
The Liverpool captain showed great leadership to see out the three points in the second half.
The Portuguese attacker put in a bright cameo after coming on in the second half. However, he was guilty of missing a glorious chance to kill the game off.
The Japanese international worked hard but never looked like he had a goal in him.
Shaqiri struggled to get himself involved in the final third.
The youngster hardly had any time to make an impact.