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Liverpool won their second Champions League game on the trot by beating Genk 4-1 at the Luminus Arena on Wednesday night. The Reds opened the scoring in the second minute through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 57th minute.
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in the 77th and 87th minutes respectively to put the game to bed, with Genk reducing the arrears through substitute Stephen Odey late on.
The win helped Liverpool consolidate the second spot in Group E with six points from three outings, just one behind leaders Napoli, who edged out RB Salzburg 3-2 last night.
Jurgen Klopp’s men, who headed into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League last weekend, put in a professional display at Belgium to move another step closer to booking their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
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So, without further ado, here are the five talking points from the game:
#1 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back among the goals
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain marked his first Champions League appearance of the season in style by scoring a superb brace. The former Arsenal man, who managed just two substitute appearances for Liverpool last season due to an ACL injury, broke the deadlock early on as his low-driven shot from just outside the box found the back of the net.
It was Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first goal of the season, with the Englishman thus far making 10 appearances in all competitions for the reigning European champions in the current campaign. He doubled Liverpool’s lead with another effort from outside the box in the 57th minute. The goals are certain to boost the 26-year-old’s confidence, and he will definitely be looking to cement his place in Liverpool’s starting XI.
The midfielder, who was in fine form before picking up the nasty injury in the 2017-18 season, put in a great display against Genk at the Luminus Arena before being substituted in the 74th minute.
It will be surprising if Jurgen Klopp doesn’t reward Oxlade-Chamberlain with another start in Liverpool’s upcoming vital Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
#2 Liverpool’s makeshift defense looked shaky
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip missed Liverpool’s trip to Belgium with illness and injury respectively, with Jurgen Klopp deploying James Milner as the right-back, while Dejan Lovren partnered Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds’ defense.
The Merseyside giants looked extremely shaky at the back and could have easily conceded four goals in the first half itself, if not for poor finishing and some good luck. Mbwana Samatta thought he scored Genk’s equalizer when his header found the back of the net, but it was ruled out by VAR.
Liverpool did look more solid at the back after the break but still failed to keep a clean sheet as Stephen Odey netted the Belgian outfit’s only goal of the game in the 88th minute.
The Reds ended the match with three of their first-choice back-four missing as Andy Robertson had to be substituted after picking up a knock, with Joe Gomez replacing him in the 63rd minute.
The likes of Lovren and Gomez need to step up their game whenever called upon if Liverpool wants to repeat the heroics of last season.
#3 It was a game of two halves
After Liverpool took the lead as early as the second minute, it seemed as if the Premier League leaders were ready to run riot in Belgium. However, Genk had other ideas as they took control of the game and remained in charge of the proceedings for the majority of the first half.
The hosts were desperately unlucky not to have scored before the break as they came close to restoring parity on numerous occasions at the Luminus Arena.
The likes of Mbwana Samatta, Paul Onuachu, and Junya Ito were a constant threat to Liverpool’s backline, who struggled to keep Genk’s attackers in check. Ultimately, some poor finishing, a fine stop from Alisson Becker and a disallowed goal helped Liverpool to head into the half-time break without conceding.
Jurgen Klopp’s team regained control of the game in the second half and turned on the screws in style by scoring three more times and taking the game away from Genk. Although the Belgian club did pull one goal back late on, it was too little too late by then.
#4 James Milner is Mr. Versatile
It is not easy to find a more versatile player than James Milner in world football at the moment. The Englishman, who is primarily a midfielder, started the game as a right-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The former Manchester City man will turn 34 in January next year, but he has proven that he is one of the fittest players around who can play at the highest level for at least two more years. He goes about doing his job silently without any fuss and Jurgen Klopp should consider himself lucky to have a player of Milner’s caliber at his disposal.
Milner ended the game as a left-back after an injury to Andy Robertson forced the Scottish international to be replaced with Joe Gomez in the second half. Besides providing solidity to Liverpool’s defense, the 33-year-old also made his mark on the opposing half by his tenacious runs down both flanks.
Milner, whose present contract with Liverpool is set to expire at the end of the season, delivers whenever called upon and the Reds would be wise to offer him a new contract which will keep him at Anfield for the next couple of years.
#5 Liverpool finally manage to win a Champions League group stage away game
Even though Liverpool managed to reach the Champions League final in the previous two seasons, their away form in the group stages has been abysmal. The Reds won just one of their three away group stage fixtures in the 2017/18 campaign - a 7-0 rout of Maribor.
Jurgen Klopp’s team lost all three of their Champions League group stage away games en route to their European triumph last season, tasting defeats against Napoli, Crvena Zvezda, and Paris Saint-Germain.
A familiar story unfolded this season as the Merseyside outfit began their defence of the European crown with a 2-0 loss away at Napoli. However, the 4-1 win over Genk stemmed the rot as Liverpool finally won their first Champions League group game on the road in over two years, courtesy of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s brace and goals apiece from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s only remaining away fixture in the Champions League group stage this season is against Austrian club RB Salzburg, who lost 3-2 to Napoli in the group’s other game on Wednesday night.
