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Liverpool began their final Champions League campaign with an away win against Ajax in a tight and sometimes nervous affair.
A single own goal was enough to separate the teams with Jurgen Klopp without some key players, including the now absent Virgil van Dijk.
With Joel Matip also ruled out for the trip, Fabinho got ahead of the defense while Adrian also continued in goal in place of the recovered Alisson.
The Reds hadn’t traveled to Amsterdam for a European game in over 40 years and, unfortunately, this time they did so without a cohort of visiting fans to cheer them on.
It was Klopp’s defense that received all the attention before the game, with speculation about how they would perform without his Dutch talisman and also figuring prominently in how newspapers across the country have reacted to the result.
Here’s a rundown of what the national media did with Liverpool’s 1-0 win.
‘Liverpool know what they are missing’
Martin Samuel, The Daily Mail
Four minutes into injury time had elapsed when Nicolas Tagliafico threw a ball into the Liverpool box. Adrian came out to clear it, but his punch fell short against midfielder Jurgen Ekkelenkamp.
For a split second it looked like there might be another late sting for Liverpool, more of the frustration Everton feel; but Ekkelenkamp soared and victory was certain. A good win too. Liverpool haven’t lost to Dutch opponents since 1966, but Ajax are a useful team and they certainly had their moments. An away win and a clean sheet in Liverpool’s first game without the Virgil van Dijk talisman is something you cannot sniff out.
However, that little vignette at the end of the second half told its own story. It’s not just Van Dijk that Liverpool are weaker without him. When Alisson doesn’t start, they are also a different team. His replacement Adrian is similar in many ways to Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana; capable of a good save one minute, a good mess the next.
In the second half, Onana made a good save from Takumi Minamino followed by a chaotic punt almost charged by Diogo Jota. However, Onana is Ajax’s number one. Players don’t have a superior partner to compare him to, and that makes all the difference.
All goalkeepers make mistakes, but some still inspire confidence despite it. Onana does it, for Ajax. His defenders don’t seem very nervous around him. It is different for Liverpool. Perhaps because they know what they are missing. From Ajax’s first attack to the last, there was a feeling that a fleeting misjudgment could change this game.
He did, of course, but not in the way he imagined. The goal that divided these teams was accidental, and nothing less. As unfortunate as Liverpool was last weekend at Goodison Park, so the balance was corrected in their favor in the first half here.
For all the moments of fragility Adrian had shown, it turned out to be a panicked defensive error on the part of Ajax that separated the sides.
‘A timely reminder of the strength of the Liverpool collective’
Andy Hunter, the Guardian
Under normal circumstances, the Liverpool manager would have embraced an away win in a tough spot at the start of a Champions League campaign. Succeeding after wildly turbulent and damaging days, and with the added perks of a clean sheet, a slice of good fortune plus a dominant defensive display from Fabinho, underlined the European pedigree and vast experience available to Klopp even without Virgil van Dijk. for quarterback his bottom line.
Luck played its part in Liverpool’s victory with Ajax defender Nicolás Tagliafico solving the result with a bizarre own goal. Klopp will feel it delayed given the injuries that dominated the build-up and shaped his team’s selection. “The medical department practically did the alignment,” he said. But there was determination and stamina in the visitors’ performance, typified by Fabinho denying Dusan Tadic the equalizer with a spectacular overhead punt on his goal line.
The Brazilian was once again forced into central defense roles with Joël Matip joining Van Dijk on the bench and based on this evidence is likely to remain there. Liverpool started nervously on defense, which was not a surprise given the recent interruption. But Fabinho brought composure and security from the start and produced a series of timely interceptions that thwarted Ajax’s promising moves. One caused Mohammed Kudus to injure his right knee in an awkward landing and the Ghanaian forward had to be replaced by Quincy Promes.
Despite all the disruption in defense and midfield, Liverpool were still able to draw on the formidable talents of their three established forwards. It took a big challenge from Danny Blind to prevent Roberto Firmino from clinging to Mohamed Salah’s rear heel in the penalty area. Sadio Mané was a constant threat from the left and engineered the advance without knowing much about it. The Senegalese international deftly walked away from Perr Schuurs as he received a James Milner throw-in. He then completely grazed his cross shot only for Ajax left-back Tagliafico to direct the ball into his own net without pressure.
‘Impossible to replace irreplaceable’
Jason Burt, The Telegraph
It is impossible to replace the irreplaceable, but Liverpool have surely found the solution for now to the loss of Virgil van Dijk, with Fabinho producing an outstanding performance in center defense as they began their Champions League campaign with a valuable victory over home.
The winning goal against Ajax was monstrous, but Liverpool will believe they have deserved some luck following the terrible ACL injury that will require surgery and have ruled out their best defender, and probably the best in the world, for months. and possibly the rest. of this season.
Everything had been talked about the absence of Van Dijk and the effect it would have on Liverpool, who will be almost as satisfied with the clean sheet as with the points, although they were lucky enough not to concede against a typically vibrant young Ajax in heavyweight Amsterdam. rain.
Liverpool defended differently without Van Dijk, falling deeper, being more cautious and with Fabinho replacing from midfield as he has done four times before, and to great effect. In fact, this was the fourth time the Brazilian has assumed the role without Liverpool conceding a goal. Can you stay there in the next few months? Probably so, but Jurgen Klopp’s options are still limited and Liverpool will surely be planning a signing in the January transfer window – they know they are one more injury away from a full-blown crisis.
Liverpool, despite Fabinho’s outstanding display, inevitably look more vulnerable without Van Dijk and that will be a constant concern with the grueling schedule ahead. Perhaps with that in mind there was the unusual sight of Klopp, who made the most of UEFA’s five-substitution rule, betting by retiring Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino after an hour in what was a previously planned move to give the attack. trio rest a bit, as does Jordan Henderson, who only entered at halftime. Moving Fabinho creates its own problems in midfield, with Curtis Jones drafted for his Champions League debut and struggling.
The sight of Mane with ice packs placed on one knee could have caused some additional alarm, especially with Liverpool already without goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip all injured, and Klopp’s anxiety was clear in a first half. restless. .
It was softened by the goal that was won in the strangest way and it came shortly after Ajax should have taken the lead.
It was Mane who swung sharply to spin 20-year-old center midfielder Perr Schuurs off a throw-in and create the space to shoot, only to knock out a chunk of grass, missing the ball through the goal.
‘Mission accomplished’
Melissa Reddy, The Independent
Act 1, Scene 1 of Liverpool without Virgil van Dijk was marked by Fabinho’s transformation into an extraordinary center-back in the 1-0 Champions League win against Ajax.
The best Englishmen began their European crusade with the aim of not letting the absence of the best defender in the world and Alisson, one of their main goalkeepers, influence their performance or the comment on the result. Against expectations, Liverpool kept a clean sheet.
Stationed alongside excellent Joe Gomez, Fabinho calmed nerves and knocked out the hosts in a largely messy first half.
The Brazilian international produced a first-rate punt to thwart a certain goal, made another three, along with four tackles, two interceptions and a block, and that was just in the first 45 minutes. By the end of the game, he had won 80% of his duels.
Gomez, meanwhile, produced 11 ball recoveries and 10 tackles, winning 85.7% of his battles. The couple provided a display of steel to build during Van Dijk’s long absence.
Liverpool’s intention to attack their three forwards early was evident from the start. Mane, in particular, had been in one of those moods of him against the world, where his every action is set up to win the game.
Klopp was able to retire the Senegalese international, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in 60 minutes for Diogo Jota, Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino, the trio all encouraged as substitutes.
Jordan Henderson, at halftime and only recently returned from injury, also received more minutes as Klopp tried to match pace with rotation ahead of an intense stage on the schedule.
Under the circumstances, this was a match for Liverpool to get through, manage, win with a minimum of fuss. In that context, it was mission accomplished.
‘A hero Klopp prayed for’
David Maddock, Mirror Online
It was the performance that Jurgen Klopp promised, with the hero he prayed for, to prove there is life after Virgil van Dijk.
Amid all the dire warnings of a European collapse, his replacement Fabinho produced an admirable impression of the absent Dutchman, with a commanding display at the heart of the defense to deny Ajax.
The Brazilian showed some dominance in the air, the same poise on the ball, and even found time to produce a brilliant goal-line clearance that turned the game around and made Klopp smile at the end.
That came down to the clean sheet he prayed for, along with the courage and determination he had guaranteed. As the first step on a long journey without van Dijk, it was encouraging for the German coach.
(Image: Getty)
It allowed the English club to escape Amsterdam with a crucial victory, thanks to the brilliance of Sadio Mane, who places them very well in Group D.
And while it wasn’t a classic European exhibition on a night of pouring rain that clouded any hope for a classic between these two European aristocrats, in the oppressive circumstances, Klopp would certainly settle for that.
Inevitably, unsurprisingly, the forensic focus in this tie was on Liverpool’s defense, and the man took it upon himself to somehow achieve the impossible … replace the best defender in the world.
Fabinho was unfazed. He’s not even a midfielder to tell the truth, he’s only played a handful of games there. but he is versatile and willing. He also showed that he was up to the task, at least against Ajax.
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