On Tuesday, Liverpool ultimately secured a 2-1 home win in the Champions League against a reduced-to-ten Lille side, extending their flawless record in Europe’s premier club competition to seven wins in a row this season.
Lille started Tuesday with the bitter aftertaste of a distant memory defeat, buoyed by a 21-game unbeaten streak stretching back to mid-September.
The French visitors had every reason to be confident and were further encouraged by a strong start as they silenced both Liverpool’s feared front line and the Anfield crowd. It took a magical moment in the 34th minute for Merseyside to finally break through.
Jonathan David, Lille’s always sought-after striker, lost the ball deep in Liverpool’s half. Curtis Jones went for the loose ball and pushed it through the scattered white jerseys, ripping Lille open and beating Mohamed Salah for a one-on-one Lucas Chevalier. There would only ever be one winner in this duel.
It looked as if the outcome of the entire game was also a foregone conclusion. Liverpool barely got out of second gear but didn’t seem to need to, plodding through the second half with the swagger of a team sitting at the top of the Champions League table. A second yellow card for Lille right-back Aissa Mandi after an hour might have ended the duel for many at Anfield.
Some Liverpool players seemed to agree and Arne Slot’s side were surprised by a low cutback from Gabriel Gudmundsson. Hakon Haraldsson’s attempt was blocked but David was there to score Lille’s equalizer just three minutes after being reduced to ten men.
It didn’t take long for the Reds to recover from the shock of conceding in the Champions League for only the second time this season. Harvey Elliott, one of two substitutes Slot brought on at half-time when Liverpool were in control, volleyed a half-cleared corner into a crowded penalty area in the 67th minute and found the bottom corner with a slight deflection.
Despite some threats from Lille in the closing stages, Liverpool were able to pick up the three points that will ensure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, regardless of other results across the continent.
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Reviews |
|---|---|
GK: Alisson | 6.3/10 |
RB: Conor Bradley | 7.0/10 |
CB: Jarell Quansah | 7.2/10 |
CB: Virgil van Dijk | 6.7/10 |
LB: Kostas Tsimikas | 7.7/10 |
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai | 6.5/10 |
CM: Ryan Gravenberch | 6.8/10 |
CM: Curtis Jones | 7.3/10 |
RW: Mohamed Salah | 7.9/10 |
ST: Darwin Nunez | 8.0/10 |
LW: Luis Diaz | 7.7/10 |
SUB: Alexis Mac Allister (46′ for Gravenberch) | 6.6/10 |
SUB: Harvey Elliott (46′ for Jones) | 7.4/10 |
SUB: Wataru Endo (63′ for Szoboszlai) | 6.2/10 |
SUB: Federico Chiesa (75th for Diaz) | 6.2/10 |
SUB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (86′ for Bradley) | N/A |
Substitutes not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (TW), Vitezslav Jaros (TW), Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate, Tyler Morton, Cody Gakpo, Jayden Danns
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Lucas Chevalier | 7.5/10 |
RB: Aissa Mandi | 5.2/10 |
CB: Bafode diakite | 5.9/10 |
CB: Alexsandro Ribeiro | 6.6/10 |
LB: Gabriel Gudmundsson | 6.3/10 |
CM: Ngal Ayel Mukau | 5.8/10 |
CM: Benjamin André | 5.9/10 |
AM: Hakon Haraldsson | 6.1/10 |
RW: Mitchel Bakker | 6.0/10 |
ST: Jonathan David | 7.2/10 |
LW: Remy Cabella | 6.8/10 |
SUB: Thomas Meunier (63′ for Bakker) | 6.7/10 |
SUB: Ottomane Sahraoui (63′ for Cabella) | 6.6/10 |
SUB: Ismaily (74th minute for Gudmundsson) | 6.1/10 |
SUB: Ayyoub Bouaddi (74th for Mukau) | 6.2/10 |
Substitutes not used: Marc-Aurele Caillard (TW), Vito Mannone (TW), Isaac Cossier, Angel Gomes, Ethan Mbappe, Mohamed Bayo