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Second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah helped secure a 2-0 win for English champions Liverpool over Danish title-holders Midtjylland in Matchday two of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
A low-key first half saw Midtjylland miss a good chance but create little else, while the Reds were similarly unable to put together any threatening moves of their own. Four yellow cards, three for the away side and one for the hosts, and one shot on target combined, told the story of the half.
The hosts came out in the second half looking more purposeful and broke the deadlock ten minutes later, thanks to a well-worked goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Xherdan Shaqiri played a neat one-two on the edge of the Midtjylland penalty area before the young full-back squared for Diogo Jota to tap the ball in at the far post.
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Despite bringing on their first-choice front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino soon after taking the lead, Liverpool were unable to kill off the game. In fact, it was the Danish side that took the initiative and almost levelled in the 90th minute, but Anders Dreyer’s chipped finish went agonisingly wide of the post.
Barely a minute after the visitors' missed chance, Liverpool went up the other end and won a penalty after Salah was fouled in the box. The Egyptian promptly dusted himself off to slam home a confident spot-kick to seal the win for his side.
The win moves Liverpool top of Group D with two wins out of two, after Atalanta and Ajax played out a 2-2 draw in the group’s other fixture. With Liverpool being far from their best but getting the job done in the end, here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 More defensive worries for Liverpool
Losing Virgil van Dijk to an injury in a hotly-contested Merseyside Derby was a huge blow for Liverpool, as the Dutchman’s immense presence in the heart of the defence has been an integral part of Liverpool's recent success.
Fortunately for the Reds, Van Dijk's centre-back spot has been filled in admirably by Fabinho, who has switched seamlessly from his usual midfield role into central defence.
However, the fact that the Brazilian suffered an injury in the match and had to be taken off for youngster Rhys Williams after just half an hour would have caused Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp much concern.
The Reds boss would be hoping that Fabinho, who did walk off the pitch without any assistance, would be able to shake off the knock, as an injury to another one of his defenders is the last thing he may want to deal with.
#2 Mitdjylland fade away after an encouraging start
Although it is Jurgen Klopp’s sides who have famously been associated with a high-energy playing style and a high press, it was Midtjylland who assumed the offensive from the first whistle against Liverpool.
The visitors’ attacking intent seemed to catch the hosts off guard as they took some time to grow into the game. That allowed Midtjylland to carve out a few decent openings.
In fact, the away side had a glorious chance to take the lead in the first few minutes of the game that they should have done much better with. However, a timely one-on-one interception by Alisson Becker kept the deadlock from being broken.
Buoyed by that chance, Midtjylland kept up their high press throughout but found attacking opportunities hard to come by as Liverpool found their rhythm and gradually grew into the game.
As their goal-scoring opportunities dried up, the Danish side's frustration started to grow, and the away side finished the first half with three bookings for over-zealous tackles.
They had to wait till the 90th minute for their next big chance, one that was unfortunately missed by the same player who fluffed the earlier opportunity just seconds before Liverpool went up the other end to score the second goal of the game.
#3 Klopp gives Liverpool's fringe players a chance to impress
Last week against Ajax, Jurgen Klopp showcased his intentions of preserving his first-choice strike force of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah for the Premier League by taking off the Liverpool trio in one go just at the hour mark.
Against Midtjylland, he drove home the point once again, with neither of Liverpool’s regular front three in the starting lineup. Their places were taken by Diogo Jota, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino, with Xherdan Shaqiri also getting a game in midfield.
While Jota has been featuring regularly in the Premier League since his move from Wolves, Minamino, Origi,and Shaqiri have found game-time quite difficult to come by. As such, this game was an excellent opportunity for them to stake a claim for a more regular role in the playing eleven.
The lack of game-time was fairly evident, especially against a resolute defensive unit, as the Reds failed to create any opportunities of note in the first half. Disappointing showings from Origi and Minamino were brought to an end on the hour mark, with the duo replaced by Mane and Salah respectively.
Shaqiri, who played a crucial role in Liverpool’s opener, provided a timely reminder of the quality he has to offer. But based on his showing against the Danish visitors, it is unlikely that Klopp will be thinking of replacing his frontline attackers anytime soon.
#4 Liverpool take the early advantage in Group D; Midtjylland are rock-bottom
Despite not being at their fluent best in their opener against Ajax or against Midtjylland, Liverpool find themselves top of Group D with two wins out of two.
With Ajax and Atalanta playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the group’s other game, the Reds open up an early two-point lead over the Italian side, who had won their opening game 4-0.
Ajax, who suffered a defeat at the hands of Liverpool last week, registered their first points of the campaign with their draw in Italy to take up third place while Midtjylland were condemned to their second straight loss in the group.
The top two in Group D now face off in an entertaining double header in the next two gameweeks that could be crucial in deciding the final group standings. Ajax and Midtjylland will strive to take advantage of a possible slip-up from either Liverpool or Atalanta.
#5 Liverpool score their 10,000th goal
Before taking the field against Midtjylland, Liverpool were no doubt aware that they were on the verge of creating history as their next goal would be the 10,000th in the club’s proud history.
The honour fell to summer signing Jota, whose tap-in in the 55th minute helped Liverpool reach the magical 10,000 mark.
The landmark strike came just over 128 years after Jock Smith registered the Reds’ first-ever goal back in September 1892.
As a result, Jota secured himself a place in Liverpool’s history books fairly early into his stint with the Reds. He will look to feature in many more memorable moments in the famous red shirt going forward.
