Liverpool 2-0 FC Midtjylland: 5 talking points as Reds win marred by Fabinho injury

Liverpool edged out Danish minnows FC Midtjylland on Tuesday to maintain their 100 percent Champions League start, but did some hard work on procedures at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp opted to make several changes to his favorite lineup, before being forced to make two more at halftime when Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were replaced.

After a disappointing and tepid performance in the first half, Diogo Jota managed to put Liverpool ahead with a single touch for the 10,000th goal in club history following good work from Xherdan Shaqiri and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Roberto Firmino then missed a glorious opportunity to finish things off, taking a side step from just a few yards, which almost cost Liverpool as Anders Dreyer’s chip on Alisson opened inches at the other end in the final minutes. .

But Mohamed Salah sealed the victory in injury time after committing a foul in the penalty area when he was clean before covering the subsequent penalty.

Here are the talking points.

1. Liverpool’s defensive crisis worsens

With Virgil van Dijk already ruled out for what appears to be the season, and Joel Matip also out of the game, Klopp was already naked for fit and available defenders.

And just half an hour later it went from two senior options to one, as Fabinho limped off after stopping abruptly before immediately pointing to the bench.

Young Rhys Williams stepped in for his fourth first-team appearance, but he’s far from an ideal solution going forward.

Matip may be fit for Saturday’s clash with West Ham, but the 29-year-old has only completed 90 minutes just once in the last year, leaving Liverpool facing a worrying defensive crisis.

2. Forward rotation three does not work

After his bid to replace all three members of his potent attacking force against Ajax paid off, Klopp opted to leave Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah on the bench this time.

Unfortunately, you did not get the same desired results.

Liverpool struggled to mount a serious threat in the first half with Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and Diogo Jota leading the line.

In fact, at halftime they had failed to register a single shot on goal, the first time Liverpool had failed to do so at Anfield in all competitions in 51 games (last time against Man City in October 2018) .

While Jota finally broke the deadlock, Klopp had seen enough of his trio, turning to Salah and Mane to replace the disappointing Minamino and Origi after an hour.

3. Henderson is not an injury problem

They’re dropping like flies at Anfield, and Jurgen Klopp must be wondering who’s next.

After Fabinho became the last casualty in just half an hour, Reds captain Jordan Henderson was replaced at halftime.

Fortunately for Liverpool, Henderson’s replacement was planned in advance.

The midfielder was hit hard in the first half, but Klopp said after the game: “We had to make the switch at half time with Jordan Henderson. He said I’m fine, but right now you have to be responsible and the plan before. of the game was to give him about 45 minutes to be okay for [Saturday’s match vs] West Ham.

“It was a difficult game to play. But winning 2-0 is completely fine, so that’s it, let’s move on.”

4. Sure like Alisson

A good goalkeeper is worth his weight in gold. Alisson is probably worth twice as much. At least to Liverpool.

The Brazilian exudes calm, and his presence behind the Liverpool defense reassures the rest of his teammates.

It was until their No. 1 that Liverpool were not far behind after just two minutes as Alisson made a solid one-on-one save to deny Anders Dreyer.

That turned out to be his greatest contribution, until he was about to provide an assist to Salah with a sublime long pass over the top that escaped the Egyptian.

However, Alisson’s work was not done there, as in the final minutes he did enough to close the angle on Dreyer, whose shot could only hit the side net before Salah completed the points.

Liverpool looks much stronger with him back.

5. Shaq back in the frame?

Just a few weeks ago, Xherdan Shaqiri seemed ready to leave Liverpool after struggling to make a mark in the past two seasons.

The Swiss midfielder only made 10 total appearances last season as injuries hampered his campaign.

But Shaqiri has reverted to Klopp’s plans and followed up his cameo against Ajax with another spirited performance.

His reverse pass to Alexander-Arnold to help set up the goal was excellent and overall it was a pack of energy looking to make things happen.

Perhaps there is still hope for him at Anfield.