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Liverpool have successfully sealed qualification for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League after dispatching Austrian champions RB Salzburg on their own turf. The Reds needed to avoid defeat at the hands of Salzburg on a ground where Jesse Marsch's men have lost just one game in the last 73, and did so in spectacular fashion after a cagey first half.
Naby Keita opened the scoring for the away side after a blazing run from Sadio Mane forced Salzburg keeper Cican Stanković to come off his line, after which Mane expertly lofted the ball into the box. The cross was met by Keita's head and was dispatched past a helpless defence.
Just moments later, Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah nicked the ball on the edge of the Salzburg penalty box and dragged both the keeper and the defender wide, before finding the back of the net from a near-impossible angle. The former Chelsea man had a sub-par game by his standards but made it up by scoring an absolutely astonishing goal to all but seal the game.
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Salzburg were inventive and caused Alisson Becker a fair amount of trouble, but it was nothing that the Brazilian couldn't deal with. Their final ball was a let-down on the day and star forward Erling Håland had an off day as he spurned a number of half-decent chances, with his touch and final ball both leaving more to be desired.
As Liverpool have successfully sealed their berth in the knockout stages, we take a look at 3 reasons that lead to a crucial win for the defending champions.
1. A composed midfield performance
Having lost midfield lynchpin Fabinho to injury just under a fortnight ago, Jurgen Klopp had a problem on his hands as the Brazilian has been colossal for the Reds since his arrival. However, they have made relatively light work of Fabinho's absence as a number of key midfield figures have stepped up their performances in recent weeks.
Naby Keita, returning to the Red Bull Arena for the first time since his move last summer from RB Salzburg to Liverpool, had a phenomenal outing in keeping with his rich vein of form. The dynamic midfielder won a staggering 8 duels in the middle of the park, completing 4 dribbles out of 4 attempted and helped out defensively as well, winning 2 out of 3 tackles attempted.
His goal aside, the Guinean international ran the show in the middle third alongside the ever-reliable Gini Wijnaldum and skipper Jordan Henderson. The Dutchman had a quiet night but was mopping up loose balls at both ends of the pitch. The Englishman, on the other hand, did a fabulous job deputising for the injured Fabinho and constantly broke up play playing as the #6.
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2. An inexperienced RB Salzburg crack under pressure
The home side began the game in great fashion after flooding Liverpool's half in numbers. Despite not creating too many clear-cut chances, their intensity was admirable and caused a number of problems to the Liverpool backline.
However, as Liverpool grew into the game and assumed control, Salzburg fizzled out and failed to regain the vigour and intensity they displayed in the earlier portions of the game.
The interplay between Hwang Hee-chan, Takumi Minamino and star man Erling Braut Håland was often off-colour and the final ball was poor on more than one occasion. The trio was excellent in the reverse fixture and helped them put 3 past Liverpool at Anfield, albeit in a losing cause.
Håland was uncharacteristically below-par on the night. Having already racked up 28 goals and 7 assists across all competitions this season, the Norwegian spearheaded the Austrian champions' attack but failed to score or create anything noteworthy for Salzburg. He registered a mere 23 touches on the pitch before being hooked off before the final 15 minutes of the game.
Furthermore, the fact that it was a defensive error that lead to Mohamed Salah's unbelievable strike from an extremely acute angle would leave the Salzburg faithful with a sour taste. The Egyptian smelt blood after the opener from Naby Keita and was buzzing around the Austrians' defence and smartly intercepted the pass to the horror of the intended target Stankovic.
It has been a learning experience for a young RB Salzburg side under the tutelage of American tactician Jesse Marsch. But, on a night where nothing but a victory was acceptable for a shot at qualification, they failed to deliver the good and ultimately cracked under pressure.
To be fair to the Austrians, it was a tough ask despite their form to get the better of the defending European champions.
3. Colossal performance from the Reds' defence
Identical to their sublime defensive heroics against SSC Napoli at Anfield in last season's group stage, Liverpool's defensive wall was a colossal roadblock for RB Salzburg to go past. The Reds' defence, led by Ballon d'Or 2019 runner-up Virgil van Dijk expertly marshalled the Austrians' effervescent attack at all times with a number of key interventions and blocks. The former Southampton man continues to cement himself as the best centre-half in world football and did his reputation no harm with another rock-solid display at the heart of the European champions.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was outstanding on the night as well as the Brazilian pulled out a number of impressive saves to keep the home side at bay. The former Roma man had 7 saves, 1 claim and 2 clearances on the night, including an impressive double save in the first half.
Full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were their usual industrial and innovative selves and particularly stepped up their games in the second half. The Englishman came close to scoring late in the game from a free-kick right outside the penalty box. They provided Liverpool with the trademark width and delivered dangerous crosses into the box and gradually moved up the pitch as Liverpool grew in confidence.
With the exception of Dejan Lovren who also has a Champions League final to his name, it was the same defence that overcame Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 UCL Final at the Wanda Metropolitano last season. And, against RB Salzburg on the night, their near-spotless show at the back helped Liverpool claim top spot in the group.
