Liverpool 0-1 Inter (2-1 on aggregate) (Martinez 61′)
What a peculiar night at Anfield. One that certainly wasn’t uneventful. An unexpected first defeat at home this season, a perfect woodwork hat-trick — left post, right post and crossbar — for Liverpool, a double dismissal for Inter Milan. And, after it all, as the Liverpool players looked to one another in some confusion at how they had not scored, progression, nonetheless, to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
They had gone 22 games unbeaten – and won the last seven – at Anfield until Serie A’s second-placed side arrived with a sharpness and confidence that perhaps took Jurgen Klopp’s players — and certainly the spectators — by surprise.
Yet it is times such as these when the necessity of Virgil Van Dijk becomes clear. The vast Dutchman has developed such an aura about him that it seems to implant uncertainty and self-doubt into even the quickest of forwards. Take the incident in the 34th minute, for example. Inter had a dangerous break on and a nicely-weighted ball was thread between Liverpool’s centre-backs for Lautaro Martinez to run through on goal.
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But, equally, Van Dijk is not actually superhuman. And there was nothing he could do to prevent Martinez scoring the first of the night and pulling a goal back in the tie with a quite wonderful strike in the 61st minute. Joel Matip was guilty of a poor attempted pass/clearance down the right that Inter intercepted and when the ball quickly made its way to the Argentinian he took one look at goal then sent the ball into the far right of it.
A moment of panic for Liverpool, who had led 2-0 in the tie after that great result in Milan. Surely not a Champions League knockout collapse in their own home?
But then followed a moment of madness for Inter. Alexis Sanchez was sent off for a second yellow card, two minutes after they established their lead, and there was a straight red card, to boot, for manager Simeone Inzaghi’s assistant, who protested somewhat overzealously at referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz about the decision.
Quite the night for Sanchez, the former Arsenal and, more importantly in this context, Manchester United forward who knew he was back in Merseyside when an off-the-ball shove on Matip was greeted by a wall of flying fingers from the nearest bank of Liverpool supporters.
Yet even though this was not vintage Liverpool, though the result created an unwanted crack in an impressive home record on which trophy hauls can be built, still they created enough chances to win, and several they should have scored.
A little into the second half Thiago flicked a delightful ball into the run of Curtis Jones from the edge of Inter’s penalty area. Samir Handanovic leapt out and punched the ball away, but straight to Mohamed Salah with only defenders in his way. Reacting quickly — perhaps the only thing that can explain what happened next — the Egyptian side-footed onto the right post.
And when they could really have done with a goal to settle the tie — one goal behind on the night, but a player up — a breakaway fell to Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose shot rebounded off the left post.
There had been a surreal moment in 25th minute when Liverpool’s substitutes warming up on the touchline near to the Kop started gesturing for some assistance for somebody in the stand, soon joined by the Liverpool fans in that entire corner of the stadium, while the ball was in play. It took a moment to work out what was happening before several Liverpool medics sprinted to provide assistance to a supporter.
Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest during Euro 2020 has increased awareness of the need for rapid treatment during medical emergencies and it is becoming increasingly common for pauses to interrupt play while supporters in the stands get professional help — a welcome addition to the game.
A short rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” could be heard and the two teams huddled around either manager before play was resumed three minutes later.
And it was as though Klopp’s few minutes of tactical wisdom had an immediate effect on his players. Not two minutes after the restart Matip crashed the ball onto the crossbar with a header before, seconds later, Van Dijk glanced a header that deflected millimetres wide of a post.
Arguably the best chance of the evening, however, fell to substitute Luiz Diaz in second-half stoppage time. With Inter flagging, he had time to control the ball, six yards out, and his shot was destined for the bottom right corner, until Arturo Vidal appeared from nowhere to divert it agonisingly over.
Luis Diaz looked bewildered. Liverpool’s players looked at one another, unsure how the ball had not found its way over the line at any point in this game.
Player ratings
Liverpool (4-3-3)
- Alisson 7
- Trent Alexander-Arnold 7
- Joel Matip 6
- Virgil Van Dijk 7
- Andy Robertson 6
- Fabinho 7
- Thiago Alcantara 6
- Curtis Jones 5
- Mo Salah 6
- Sadio Mane 6
- Diogo Jota 5
Subs:
- Jordan Henderson 6
- Naby Keita 6
- Luis Diaz 6
Inter (3-5-2)
- Samir Handanovic 6
- Milan Skriniar 7
- Stefan De Vrij 7
- Alessandro Bastoni 6
- Denzel Dumfries 6
- Arturo Vidal 8
- Marcelo Brozovic 7
- Hakan Calhanoglu 7
- Ivan Perisic 6
- Lautaro Martinez 7
- Alexis Sanchez 5
Subs:
- Matias Vecino 6
- Joaquin Correa 6
- Danilo D’Ambrosio 5
- Matteo Darmian 6
Van Dijk has given Liverpool their aura back
By Oliver Young-Myles
It was to Inter’s credit that despite appearing to be all but out of a Champions League tie in which they began the second leg two goals down they made things uncomfortable for Liverpool at Anfield. Alexis Sanchez’s eagerness to prove himself ultimately proved to be his undoing; Arturo Vidal, trademark Mohican dyed peroxide blonde, charged about with his usual chaotic purpose; Milan Skriniar, the Slovakian skyscraper looked hungrily at any ball hoisted skyward.
But as was the case in Milan, industry and endeavour failed to yield many clear-cut openings. As soon as there was a hint of the back door creaking opened, it was conscientiously closed again. That was most apparent in the 35th minute. For a split-second, it looked as though the spiky-haired Lautaro Martinez would have a clear run on Alisson’s goal after Marcelo Brozovic had manouvered his way out of a tight spot in midfield.
Brozovic lifted his head, spotted Martinez’s outstretched arm pointing into the space and rolled a pass into it for him to charge onto. Initially, Martinez accepted the invitation enhtusiastically, bounding after it like a puppy chasing a tennis ball. That’s until a giant red blur zoomed into focus. Across strolled Virgil Van Dijk and bang, the chance was gone.
The Dutchman’s presence alone seemingly rendered Martinez incapable of moving his feet. A powerful, explosive international calibre striker had been reduced to an unsteady toddler learning how to take their first steps. You could hardly blame Martinez for thinking “actually, I don’t really fancy this.”
Oddly enough, Martinez’s wariness of Van Dijk flipped from negative to positive in the second half. With that moment seemingly still fresh in the memory, Martinez opted against having a run at Van Dijk again and simply decided to spank an unstoppable finish into the top corner from 25-yards out instead. It was some finish, marking his first in the Champions League, and as alternative strategies go, a pretty effective one.
Inter played well, but only a moment of individual brilliance ensured victory. That’s the only way Liverpool can be ruffled. Van Dijk’s aura has transformed their defence. And not for the first time.
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