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Liverpool welcomed Napoli to Anfield for their UEFA Champions League Group E tie on Wednesday. Both sides were aware that a win could take them to the knockout stages of the tournament. However, depending on other the result of the RB Salzburg and Genk game, even a draw would have been enough to secure qualification for both the teams.
The Premier League side headed into the game sitting at the top of the Group with nine points and were on a run of 22 wins from the last 24 games in all competitions. This season, Jurgen Klopp’s men had been outstanding in all competitions once again, however, on Wednesday, they came face to face with their nemesis. Incidentally, Napoli were the only side who have beaten the Reds this season in normal time.
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As such, Liverpool had revenge on their minds ahead of the game and their opposition’s poor recent form certainly made the Reds the firm favourite to gather all three points. However, despite the fact that the Serie A side were without a win in their last six games in all competitions, Jurgen Klopp was wary of the threat carried by Carlo Ancelotti’s side. The German manager, as such, named a strong team for the game.
Liverpool Starting XI: Alisson; Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner; Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah
Contrary to expectations, it was Napoli who took the lead in the 21st minute through Dries Mertens. Liverpool had the lion’s share of the possession but failed to find an equalizer before the break. In the second half, the home side finally drew level through Dejan Lovren’s header in the 65th minute. Liverpool rallied late for the winner, but the game ended 1-1. Here are three reasons why the Reds failed to secure all three points.
#3 Fabinho's injury
While Liverpool’s brilliant front three and marauding full-backs take most of the credit during games, one of the most vital cogs in Jurgen Klopp’s tactics is Fabinho, who silently keeps this team ticking. The Brazilian doesn’t just provide a shield to the backline, he also initiates attacks with his cross-field balls and dictates play from the deep.
Against Napoli too, Fabinho was just beginning to impact the game when he picked up an ankle injury in the 14th minute, after colliding with Hirving Lozano. He was ultimately replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum in the 18th minute and Liverpool missed the Brazilian badly for the rest of the game.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
#2 Front three fails to have an impact
The Liverpool front line has been on fire this season. Mohamed Salah was rested for the weekend’s game after an injury scare, but the Egyptian returned to the team against Napoli to reinstate Liverpool’s formidable attacking trio, alongside Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Unfortunately, the three of them had a quiet game.
Salah had a couple of great chances to score, but he could not work the Napoli goalkeeper. On a few other occasions, he was either crowded out or his shot was blocked. The Egyptian failed to have an impact in the final third as Liverpool struggled to create chances.
Sadio Mane kept the pressure on the visitors by closing down well in the final third, but apart from a penalty shout in the dying minutes of the first half that was turned down by the referee, the Senegalese international did little to impress.
Roberto Firmino also lacked the spark that usually holds the Liverpool frontline together. The Brazilian did display a few tricks and flicks but had an uncharacteristic off day in the end. He did have a shot cleared off the line in the 55th minute.
Liverpool had to depend on Lovren to get them back into the game and ultimately paid the price for their frontline’s lackluster display.
#3 Defensive masterclass from Napoli
Napoli arrived at Anfield well aware that they had a task at hand. Liverpool had one of the best attacks in Europe, so the away defence was in for an onslaught on Matchday 5. However, despite letting their lead slip in the second half, the Serie A side impressed at the back and managed to deal with almost everything that Liverpool threw in their way.
The Italian club was under tremendous pressure right from the start of the game, but after they had taken the lead, Napoli sat back comfortably and thwarted Liverpool every time they came forward. Kalidou Koulibaly and Kostas Manolas were excellent on the night, managing to keep the Liverpool frontline quiet, intercepting, clearing and defending like their lives depended on it. They were also ably assisted in their endeavour by Nikola Maksimović and Mário Rui, the full-backs.
Koulibaly had just 34 touches on the ball and attempted 19 passes with 74% accuracy. He also completed 1 dribble and won all of his 3 aerial duels. The Senegalese international registered 2 tackles with 50% success rate and also made 8 clearances. Manolas had 36 touches on the ball and registered 14 passes with 79% success rate. He won 2 aerial duels, attempted 2 tackles with 50% accuracy and also recorded 8 clearances.
Also, the whole team worked as a cohesive unit to keep Liverpool in check, and even though Lovren’s goal cost them a win, Carlo Ancelotti will still be pleased to earn a vital point at Anfield.
