UEFA Champions League 2017/18: Liverpool 2-2 Sevilla, 5 talking points
Liverpool took on Sevilla in their Champions League opener in what turned out to be an entertaining game. The hosts started really well but found themselves behind thanks to a goal from Wissam Ben Yedder in the 5th minute. The goal didn’t change the general flow of the game, though, as the hosts continued to dominate.
Liverpool's front three have been pretty good so far this season and they combined well on more than one occasion in the opening 20 minutes. A fluid move saw Jordan Henderson playing Alberto Moreno who found Roberto Firmino for a tap-in in the 21st minute.
It was one-way traffic after the goal as Sevilla simply couldn’t deal with the Liverpool press and were behind in the 37th minute when Mo Salah’s shot was deflected and found the back of the net. The side should have scored a third but Firmino hit the post via a penalty kick to keep the score at 2-1.
The second half saw Liverpool take their foot off the gas and they were duly punished. Sevilla made a few changes that worked well for them as Luis Muriel added more pace to their attack and played a key role in the equaliser.
Here are five talking points from the game...
#5 Liverpool’s defence fails again
It’s become so common that I actually had second thoughts of using this as a talking point. Any Liverpool fan who sees Lovren’s name alongside Matip has his/her heart in his mouth even before the game begins. Lovren, who didn’t feature in the 5-0 hammering at the hands of Man City last weekend, failed to clear a simple cross which led to the opening goal.
While Matip did impress with his forward runs every now and then, he too didn’t have the best of games at the back and looked nervy in the final few minutes. A horribly sliced clearance, in the end, could have ended in more misery on another day for the Cameroonian.
Joe Gomez had a good game against Arsenal but was sent off against Sevilla in the end and was largely ineffective on the right. Only Alberto Moreno had a decent game.
With a lot to work on, Klopp might already be thinking if it was alright to let go of Sakho without signing any alternative.