Liverpool (4-0) Red Star Belgrade: 5 Talking Points, UEFA Champions League 2018-19

#4 Red Star lose steam after an intense opening spell

Red Star faded away after a bright start to the game

Red Star looked to get things back on track against Liverpool after being battered 1-6 by Paris Saint-Germain in the previous matchday. The visitors displayed some intent in the opening 15 minutes as they looked to attack Liverpool with their own version of the counter press.

The Serbian Champions lined up with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Jovicic and Krsticic anchoring the midfield and Richmond Boakye leading the front line.

Jovicic and Kristicic were successful in recycling possession by congesting the midfield. With this, they not only stifled Liverpool in the early exchanges but also fed the ball faster to the likes of Ebecilio and Srnic, who looked to cause Liverpool trouble with their pace.

Their plan worked till Liverpool took the lead in the 20th minute after Xherdan Shaqiri's perfect through ball found an overlapping Andy Robertson who assisted Roberto Firmino. In attempts to get into the game, Red Star grew more and more desperate with resulted in the visitors conceding cheap fouls and getting booked needlessly.

Liverpool took advantage of Red Star's desperation and shifted through the gears to cause more damage, ultimately leading to the Serbians conceding four on the night.

Had the visitors slowed down the game's pace on certain occasions, Liverpool would have faced a more difficult task to break Red Star down.