Liverpool v NK Maribor: Reds make it ten against the Slovenians

After both fixtures facing the Group E bottom team, Liverpool run away with all six points and a sizzling hot 10 goal tally. Tonight’s kick off against Maribor saw the Reds strut to a 3-0 win at Anfield.

After succumbing to a lot of criticism from fans, Jurgen Klopp announced a starting XI that Kopites couldn’t say no to. Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Tottenham was the breaking point for fans. A miserable 4-1 defeat at Wembley and two major errors from Dejan Lovren had the LFC fanbase in turmoil.

But tonight’s tweaks made for a great game of football. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got the start we’ve been eagerly waiting for and Ragnar Klavan replaced the woeful Croatian centre-back.

3-0 is always an interesting scoreline. A breezy victory with the potential of four, five, six and onwards. From the first whistle, Liverpool dominated the game.

Maribor’s side played a heavily defensive 90 minutes – obviously trying to avoid a demolition repeat. The Reds had plenty of opportunities but with their naturally wasteful nature and Maribor’s unmoving defence, the first half trickled out to a 0-0 draw.

Wijnaldum saw an early exit from the pitch after a twisted ankle in the 17th minute. His status isn’t too worrying for now, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed either way.

Mohamed Sarah opened up the scoreline in the 49th minute after the cross floated in from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Tonight’s goal marks Salah’s tenth of his debut season – what a buy.

Liverpool could’ve made it 2-0 after a foul on Roberto Firmino in the box following his nutmegging of Rajcevic. James Milner stepped up to the spot but failed to convert his shot into a goal. Bad penalty or a good save?

The penalty miss didn’t hold the Red Men back for long though. Milner redeemed himself after a superb back heel in towards Emre Can who blasted the ball straight into the back of the net.

Loris Karius stepped up to the mark and kept the Maribor shots at bay. Although there weren’t many, he stopped any of them posing too much danger. A good game from the German.

More from Rush The Kop

After some extremely poor displays, Liverpool have raised spirits once more. Their 3-0 win sees them remain top of Group E and boast a more than impressive 10 goal total across both Maribor fixtures.

The Reds’ clean sheet is an extremely important factor to take away from the game. Defence has been a Code Black area for far too long, so to keep our goal untouched is a good sign. Even if it is ‘only Maribor’.

Confidence boosts all round though, after Daniel Sturridge’s shot drilled right into the Kop. His first Champions League goal in seven years! Congratulations, Studge.

The inconsistent striker gave Liverpool their third of the evening right on the cusp of full time. Let’s hope this is a rebirth of the 2013/14 season Sturridge.

Knock out stages

Liverpool are sitting pretty at the top of the Group E table with 8 points and zero losses. The only team in the group not to lose a fixture. Maribor are definitely out of the Champions League with only one point to their name.

With Sevilla and Spartak Moscow holding 7 and 5 points however, everything could change in the next two matches. Or could it?

The Reds seem to be on a streak of brilliance – or luck – in the UCL. Whichever it is, it seems to be working, though. The five times European winners haven’t tasted any Champions League glory for 12 years. Is it pure hunger driving Liverpool forward?

Next: https://rushthekop.com/2017/10/09/liverpool-ranking-every-klopp-buy-far/

If Klopp’s side continue as they’ve begun, they’ll sail through to the final sixteen of the Champions. From there it’s the be all and end all and I’ve got every confidence we can take them all on. I’m more than ready for it, are you, Reds?!

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