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Liverpool joined Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16 thanks to their 1-0 win over Ajax at Anfield, while Pep Guardiola’s drew at Porto. Find out who improved their reputation for the Premier League club as we collect the successes and errors of the Champions League …
Young people impress Klopp
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team is being tested to the limit at the moment, but the performances of three youngsters in a 1-0 win over Ajax on Tuesday night have delighted the manager.
Neco Williams assisted Curtis Jones to take advantage of Ajax goalkeeper Victor Onana’s mistake and neatly shot at the far post for the only goal of the game. At the other end of the field, young goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was an impeccable substitute for the injured Alisson.
It felt like an important performance for Williams given the fact that he was substituted at halftime against Brighton on Saturday. The subsequent hamstring injury to James Milner, whom Klopp had preferred to switch to right back rather than allowing the young Welshman to continue, means he will now be the one to fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold. He responded with style.
Thanks to Kelleher’s efforts, Williams was also able to celebrate his role in a clean sheet. It would have been easy for Klopp to turn to the much more experienced Adrian, but his faith in the 22-year-old Irishman was emphatically justified. Kelleher made a complete stoppage in the first half, but it was his save to avoid Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s header from point-blank range that secured the victory that ensures Liverpool have qualified as the Group D winner with a game to spare.
That will ease the pressure on Denmark next week and allow Klopp to refocus on the team’s Premier League campaign. Liverpool can now do so with the conviction that despite all the injury problems, they are dealing with a slightly deeper side than many had thought.
Adam Bate
But those injuries keep coming …
Still, while Klopp may have been buoyed by the victory and feeling more confident in the MPs ‘abilities, this was one night we found out that Liverpool could be without Alisson for the Wolves’ visit at the weekend.
The Brazilian goalkeeper has been a huge figure in Liverpool’s success from the moment he arrived and if Klopp is left without his starting goalkeeper on Sunday, he will need his team to improve their competition record without him so far this season: That 7-2 to the defeat of Aston Villa and 2-2 to Everton.
Andy Robertson suffered an injury scare against Ajax
At least Andrew Robertson continues to fight. The left-back went down with a heavy blow during the first half against Ajax and it looked like Liverpool would be playing the rest of the game without their four first-choice defenders and goalkeeper.
That Robertson not only continued but shone through the second half is testament to his appetite for the fight. Liverpool will need it, and that spirit, if they want to carry on through this difficult period.
Adam Bate
Liverpool fixtures
Saturday, December 5: Wolves (h)
Wed Dec 9: Midtjylland (a)
Sunday, December 13: Fulham (a) – live on Sky Sports
Wed Dec 16: Tottenham (at home)
Saturday December 19: Crystal Palace (a)
Sunday, December 27: West Brom (h) – live on Sky Sports
Man City defense, which leads the table, shines
Gabriel Jesús had a late goal disallowed for offside, but Man City qualified as Group C champions with a point against Porto
Since Vincent Kompany left Manchester City 18 months ago, it can rarely be said that Pep Guardiola’s team was defensively solid, or at least consistently. However, Man City’s bottom line transformation is finally paying off, especially in Europe.
Manchester City have kept four clean sheets in a row in the Champions League for the first time, as many as they managed in the group stage in their last two seasons combined – a truly incredible turnaround.
City restricted Porto to just two shots, 31.9 percent possession, and the hosts had no corner kicks, although it was clear that the hosts had prepared to defend themselves against a City team that often sees the majority of the game. ball. Ruben Dias continues to impress at the rear after his arrival in summer with Eric Garcia and Oleksander Zinchenko also had a chance to claim.
But if you look briefly at the bench, you had the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, and Nathan Ake waiting behind the scenes. They were joined by John Stones, who is to be commended for his recent shapeshifting.
Moving on will be more worrying. It is the first time they have drawn without goals in the group stage of the Champions League, but they made 18 shots. Credit for that must also go to man of the match Agustín Marchesin, but Guardiola’s teams have never been shy about scoring.
In the end, Man City needed a point to make sure they finished as group leaders, and that’s exactly what they did. With that work done for now, they must now bring more of that defensive solidity to the Premier League, especially against local rivals Manchester United on Saturday 12 December, live on Sky Sports.
Charlotte Marsh
Saturday, December 12 5:00 pm
Start 5:30 pm
Man City fixtures
Saturday, December 5: Fulham (h)
Wed Dec 9: Marseille (h)
Saturday 12 of December: Man Utd (a) – live on Sky Sports
Tuesday, December 15: West Brom (h)
Saturday December 19: Southampton (a)
Tuesday, December 22: Arsenal (a) – live on Sky Sports
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