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Liverpool hosted Red Bull Salzburg in a Champions League Group E clash that saw the Reds pocket three points after a rollercoaster of a game.
With Jurgen Klopp still waiting for his star goalkeeper Allison Becker to rejoin the squad, Adrian continued in goal for Liverpool. The strong back-four of Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Trent Alexander-Arnold were quite stumped by a Red Bull attack that saw the Reds concede three goals.
Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho, and Jordan Henderson took charge of the Reds' midfield, leaving the attacking trio of former Salzburg man Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino - celebrating his 28th birthday today - and Mohamed Salah to lead the proceedings upfront.
The scoring opened quite early in the game, with Sadio Mane putting Liverpool ahead after nine minutes of play. A surging run into the final third, coupled with a perfect one-two pass with Firmino was all the Senegalese attacker needed to place the ball around Cican Stankovic and into the net.
25 minutes into the game, a beautiful piece of attacking play from Liverpool's marauding wingbacks brought the second goal in. Andrew Robertson began the play, sending it to the midfielders and then dashing right into the centre of the box to receive a cross from Alexander-Arnold. All Robertson needed was a touch on the ball, and that proved too much for Stankovic, who found the ball in the back of the net.
Liverpool made it 3-0 in the 36th minute, thanks to Salah's quick reflexes. A cross from Sadio Mane to Firmino found Stankovic, who parried it out for Salah to put it beyond the goalie's reach.
Only three minutes later, Hwang Hee-chan scored what, unbeknownst to Liverpool, was the start of a shocking Red Bull comeback. Liverpool held possession poorly, allowing Salzburg to start a quick attack near the Reds' final third. Hwang picked up the pass, dashed into the box, faked a shot that deceived van Dijk, and powered a shot past Adrian into the right corner of the goal.
Just over 10 minutes into the second half, a quick freekick by Salzburg took the Liverpool defence by surprise and ended with a goal by Takumi Minamino. A very unmarked Hwang on the left-wing sent in a brilliant cross to Minamino, and the winger powered a bouncing shot past Adrian into the left corner of the net.
Four minutes after their second goal, Salzburg evened the game, much to the shock of the crowd at Anfield. The man of the moment was Erling Haland, who had only just come in as a substitute. Minamino sighted his unmarked teammate running into the six-yard box and sent a perfect cross for Haland to simply tap in.
The ecstatic Red Bull crowds were calmed down eventually, thanks to Salah's finish that saved Liverpool's neck and handed his club all three points. A poor clearance from the Salzburg defence allowed Firmino to head down a through-pass to an on-rushing Salah. The Egyptian powered the ball into the back of the net, effectively ending Salzburg's comeback celebrations.
Without further ado, let's take a look at three players who impressed and two who were poor during the game.
#5 Takumi Minamino had an outstanding game
The Japanese winger had a beautiful day on the field, many thanks to Liverpool's unsuspecting defence. While the Liverpool attack might have been a major threat, Takumi Minamino ensured that his presence at Anfield was thoroughly noticed.
He capped his excellent performance with an assist and a goal, aiding Salzburg's unexpected comeback in more ways than one. He took three shots at goal, putting two on target, and scoring one. He also had three key passes, as many as Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino each.
#4 Virgil van Dijk did not have a good game
Arguably the best defender in the world currently, Virgil van Dijk did not stand up to expectations in this game. The cut back by Hwang Hee-Chan just before Salzburg's first goal left the towering defender in the grass, unable to do anything.
He also had poor defensive stats, apart from the five aerial challenges he won. He made no tackles, managed only one interception, and managed only one clearance. With Salzburg having nearly as many chances as Liverpool during the game, it is clear that the Reds' defensive efforts were not up to par.
His center-half colleague Joe Gomez won six tackles and four interceptions, much better than Virgil van Dijk's display.
#3 Roberto Firmino impressed for Liverpool
Liverpool's No.9 man celebrated his birthday in great fashion, helping his team with two assists. His one-two passing that found Sadio Mane just onside led to the first goal, and while Liverpool was in dire straits, Roberto Firmino's flick-on header to Salah ensured three points for the Reds.
While he took only two shots at goal - with one on target - it was his creative side that was on display throughout the game and made a mark with two key passes that ultimately led to two great goals.
#2 Adrian concedes three goals for Liverpool
While the attacking end of Liverpool ended up saving the team from an embarrassing draw caused by sloppy defending, it certainly is not easy to ignore the three goals the Reds conceded against a lower quality team.
The first goal may not have been Adrian's fault entirely, but he was wrong-footed and unable to stop a far-right shot from Hwang. The second goal also had Adrian wrong-footed again, and he was a tad too far from the ball's destination. The third goal had Adrian frozen in one place as a cross right in front of him found Haland, who scored without any fuss.
#1 Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool take all three points
The diminutive Egyptian maestro put two goals past Stankovic in a display that thrilled both fans and pundits alike.
His first goal was a rebound from Firmino's header that Stankovic had saved. The ball bounced out and Mohamed Salah veered direction swiftly to reach the ball before an oncoming defender and take a one-time shot into the goal.
His second goal came at a very important moment for Liverpool. A quick surge from Salah took him through the middle of two defenders to pounce on a Firmino flick-on and wallop the ball past Stankovic.
Salah certainly made the Salzburg defence rue his presence, as he constantly dribbled past opposing players and caused havoc in the final third.
