It hinged on one of the softest penalty decisions you’ll ever see, but Liverpool secured a massive League Stage win that propelled them into the top 8 of Europe’s premier competition.
It was a classic European away for the Reds in a number of ways. The Italian giants — runners up in last season’s Champions League — created just 0.44 expected goals, but showcased the defensive quality that the best Serie A sides and Italian national teams are known for. They didn’t shy away from gamesmanship either, going to ground easily and breaking up play to keep Liverpool from establishing rhythm.
The cagey affair could have easily finished 0-0, with only a handful of noteworthy chances over 90 minutes and change. Here’s how those minutes played out.
First half
The game’s first replay-worthy moment didn’t come in the form of a chance, but a tackle. I love a get-the-ball-and-the-man challenge — think Conor Bradley vs. Kylian Mbappe last season at Anfield — but Lautaro Martinez’s excessive slide into Andy Robertson at the 13’ mark wasn’t one of those. While Martinez didn’t make contact with his studs, he was nowhere near the ball and sent the Scot flying. Dangerous, but deemed only a yellow.
Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch then stung the palms of Inter GK Yann Sommer with shots from distance. Hugo Ekitike’s right-sided run ended with a close-range strike that was saved.
The Reds thought they’d taken the lead on 32’ via Ibou Konate, who nodded home from a corner. The replay, however, showed Ekitike had headed the ball off his own arm before Konate scored. After a hilariously long review, the ref chalked the goal off for handball. Probably the right decision, but more hard lines for Liverpool and Konate, who can't catch a break.
Inter went close themselves through a classy free kick from Nicolo Barella, which curled just wide of the top corner, then a Martinez header in first-half stoppage time. After getting a few steps on van Dijk, the Argentinian probably should have scored, but he didn’t find the far corner. Alisson Becker did well to push away the effort.
Second half
Very little happened during the first 20 after the intermission. At 68', Florian Wirtz replaced Alexander Isak, who once again struggled to impact the game, and Bradley replaced Joe Gomez. The Reds were able to up the tempo from there in search of a winner.
At the 80’ mark, Bradley combined with Ekitike and found himself 1v1 with Sommer, but with little goal to aim at. His side-footed shot was beaten away.
Then, on 83’, the highly rated Alessandro Bastoni made the sort of needless decision we’ve seen our center backs make all season, pulling Wirtz’s shirt in the box. The little German accepted the invitation to go to ground, the ref stopped play soon after to check the monitor, and we were awarded a penalty. It was ultra-soft — honestly, I would have been irate if one of our players was penalized in the same situation — but in an era where everything is caught on video and analyzed, Bastoni should have known better.
With Mo Salah absent (more on that later), Liverpool’s player of the season, Dom Szoboszlai, took responsibility from the spot and slammed home the game winner on 88’. No nerves, no fancy run up, just a few steps and a whipped shot high into the left corner.
The Reds could have buckled with eight minutes still to play, especially after what just played out at Leeds, but they saw the game out smartly — producing some combinations that moved the whole team into Inter’s half, rather than sitting and clearing the ball away while waiting for full time.
Takeaways
Bravo, backline.
It may have only been only our sixth clean sheet of the season, but it was well-deserved. I’ve been as critical of Konate as any fan — he played a big part in this win. Gomez and Robertson settled into starting roles well. Bradley was excellent when he came on. Van Dijk was as vocal as I’ve seen him since the international break.
Ekitike looks like our most dangerous 9. Isak looks lost.
With the recent Mo Salah debacle, Cody Gakpo sidelined due to injury, and Federico Chiesa’s fitness up in the air, our two natural center forwards are going to share the field in the near-term. If you had to pick just one right now, though, it’d be Ekitike. He drops deep to link play, he combines well around the box, and he drifts wide to go on explosive runs. More often than not, he makes things happen, whereas Isak looks like he needs others to provide him with service. Hopefully it’s something more time and some January reinforcements can help resolve.
Salah stayed home and guess what. We won.
To put it mildly, I’m not a fan of how Mo Salah dealt with three games (I’ll say it again — three games) on the bench. He hasn’t impacted games positively this season. Barring injuries or a lack of alternative options, a player’s likelihood to impact games positively is all Arne Slot should have to consider when selecting his team.
It’s all good if you don’t defend when you serve as a constant attacking outlet and a goal/assist machine. Mo was that machine last season. This season he's sputtering. No one has a right to play when they aren't performing — even a club legend.
Having Mo out of the team gave Slot the chance to put Mac Allister, Jones, Szoboszlai, and Gravenberch on the field together. We looked as solid defensively as we have in a long time, which may have been down to the extra midfielder and the steadiness of the back four as much as Salah's omission.
Either way, to build on this performance, we have to maintain the same level of defensive concentration and execution moving forward.