Wounded and wobbly Liverpool prove their talent and heart

A wounded Liverpool battled to a 1-0 win against Ajax.

The Reds kept a clean sheet here without their rock (Virgil van Dijk) in central defense. Fabinho was called upon by the gaffer to cover for the injured dutchman, and with Joel Matip not available, Jurgen Klopp was a little thin on the ground here and was forced to call up Rhys Williams for the tie.

Williams saw some second period action; but it was the exemplary performance from Fabinho that gave the Reds the strong calming effect in the back line. Joe Gomez put in a solid shift as well, as his defensive lapses in form have raised questions of late.

Jurgen Klopp played a hard-nosed full-speed ahead attacking football in the first 45; and an own goal off a Sadio Mane cross was all that was necessary tonight for the Reds to claim all three points here.

Early in the second half Klopp subbed off Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mo Salah and played a more measured and defensive front, protecting a tenuous one goal margin.

After the season ending injury to van Dijk, arguably the best defender in the world, Liverpool had a whole lot of question marks going into this tie.

To come up with this kind of performance from this squad says a lot for the team, their confidence in each other, their faith in Klopp, and themselves. To bounce back from adversity and their intestinal fortitude to persevere when called upon to do so spoke volumes.

This will give them a huge boost of confidence going forward, as they will host Sheffield United at Anfield on the weekend.

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Now they know, without a doubt, that Fabinho can play next to Gomez and get the job done. Make no mistake, this was not a perfect defensive effort – Fabinho had to clear a ball off the goal line to insure the win at one point in the second half. But under the circumstances Klopp will be pleased with his squad’s efforts.

Fabinho gets the nod for man of the match for me and he should get the game ball. James Milner and Andy Robertson had solid efforts, while Trent Alexander-Arnold had a better defensive game than in his last few outings.

Curtis Jones got his first start in a Champions League tie and was subbed off for Jordan Henderson at the half. He played well, but his youth betrayed him at times with errant or wayward passes into the channels. He will learn and improve.

Gini Wijnaldum looked dangerous in the first half, with some excellent linking passes to Mane, Salah and Firmino and popped up as a goal threat in the second half.

It was a tough slog for the Reds, but they got the job done under extremely challenging circumstances.

This Liverpool are a determined lot; and they are in the process of proving doubters in error once again. They might be a wounded side at the moment, but they will never quit and they will not go down without a fight.

That’s the true mark of champions; finding a way to win ugly and keeping a clean sheet in a tie that a lot of folks had them losing.

This win sends a strong message to their domestic league competition, while Jurgen Klopp and the Reds answered some questions today, and quieted some of the grumblings coming from the media and the phalanx of doubters.

Given time to work on their form with Fabinho in center back these Reds wIll only get stronger, with Allison set to return along with Thiago and Joel Matip by month’s end.

Wounded and wobbly at times, aye, but by no means are they down and out. These Reds are loaded with both talent and heart; and their character is without bloody question.