Liverpool 2-0 Union Saint-Gilloise (Gravenberch 44′, Jota 90+2)
By Pete Hall | There is no need to replay this one, Jurgen. No shrinking violet of a VAR operative was ever going to ruin this most routine of victories.
A win over Belgian Pro League leaders Union Saint-Gilloise won’t live long enough in the memory to help deflect attention away from the Liverpool manager’s objectively outrageous attempts to get his side’s weekend defeat at Tottenham replayed.
However, a drama-free evening was just what the doctor ordered after a week of unrelenting media scrutiny, with Liverpool able to make it two Europa League wins from two at a canter, leaving plenty of energy left to continue the war against VAR and the PGMOL.
Klopp kept his cool in his pre-match programme notes but could not resist eluding to the weekend injustice in the capital.
On paper, Union had the potential to add to the Red angst. The European novices headed to Merseyside unbeaten in their previous six matches on the continent, winning four of them en route to last season’s Europa League quarter-finals.
In reality, however, the gulf between these two sides was always going to be a bridge too far for the plucky Belgians, especially given the strong team fielded by Klopp.
Mohamed Salah, on his 150th appearance for Liverpool at Anfield, should have opened the scoring after breaking through a meek Union backline just three minutes in, only for visiting goalkeeper Anthony Moris to make a smart block.
Darwin Nunez, another surprise starter, then had the ball in the net but was denied by the linesman’s flag.
Nunez somehow contrived to miss from eight yards on the end of a sumptuous Liverpool move, with the only surprise being that it took the hosts until one minute before half time to break the deadlock, Ryan Gravenberch getting off the mark for his new club after Moris had fumbled Trent Alexander-Arnold’s strike.
It has been an impressive start to life in England for Gravenberch. The former Bayern Munich midfielder’s simplest of finishes means he is the first player to either score or assist a goal in each of his first three starts for Liverpool in all competitions since Milan Baros in September 2002.
The fervent travelling support continued to enjoy their evening, bellowing from the bottom tier of the newly refurbished Anfield Road stand as if part of a Spartan Army preparing themselves to face the might of the Persians.
On the pitch, their team gave the home backline some worrying moments after the break, with Alisson called into action on several occasions, if only to make routine interventions.
Had Liverpool needed to up the tempo and put the game beyond their opponents they could have done. Alexis Mac Allister was introduced at the interval to join his brother, Union’s Kevin, on the pitch, but he didn’t need to get out of second gear to dictate the tempo.
Further chances came and went for Liverpool, Moris denying Diogo Jota twice with flying saves, Saturday’s central actor Luis Diaz hit a post, before Jota finally put the game to bed with a fine finish in stoppage time, ensuring Europa League glory very much remains in Klopp and his team’s sights this season.
Europa League results
- SC Freiburg 1-2 West Ham United
- Marseille 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
- Aris Limassol 2-1 Rangers
- Liverpool 2-0 Union Saint-Gilloise
Conference League results
- Aston Villa 1-0 Zrinjski Mostar
- Aberdeen 1-1 HJK Helsinki
West Ham march on
SC Freiburg 1-2 West Ham (Sallai 49′ | Paqueta 8′, Aguerd 66′)
By Daniel Storey
One of the more remarkable runs in West Ham’s history goes on. They are now 17 games unbeaten in European competition, and have won 16 of them. They took maximum points in the group stage last year and, on this evidence, they may just repeat the feat. Freiburg had lost at home only to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Juventus since the start of last season. Add West Ham to the list. They cannot get enough of their Thursday night lights.
You suspect that David Moyes would quite like SC Freiburg in any other circumstances. They are a club emphatically committed to long-termism, with the same sporting director for 11 years and the same head coach for even longer. Christian Streich has survived relegation and several bottom-half finishes. But he knows this club more than anyone else and that has to count for something when you’re dead set on overachievement.
There were no West Ham supporters in Freiburg im Breisgau, a hangover of the ill behaviour at the Europa Conference League final. But they were offered comradeship in their absence by a home support that filled the Europa-Park Stadion’s standing areas a full 90 minutes before kick-off.
“Football without fans is nothing – against collective stadium bans,” read the banner at the front of one stand. A few thousand shouldn’t miss out on a European trip for the crimes of a few idiots. It’s a persuasive point.
Those absent missed confidence and competence in equal portions, bar a frantic 15 minutes after half-time. In the first half they scored a goal, had another ruled out for offside and hit the post.
They were a threat on the break and a threat in possession, when a back four became a three and the full-backs became wing-backs. That allows Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus to get close to Jarrod Bowen. In the second they scored from a corner, because Moyes plus James Ward-Prowse make that an inevitability.
Bowen has been recalled to the senior England squad and Kudus has boundless potential, but Paqueta is the star. West Ham’s No. 10 may well be operating on borrowed time given serious big club interest and the investigation into his yellow cards, but he intends to make it count while he’s here and available. There are time when he is simply unplayable.
Paqueta is so worth watching because there is a dose of everything that makes us smile. He is more artist than streetfighter, but there’s plenty enough nous to be a Moyes player and the Brazilian’s physicality occasionally catches you off guard – his leap for the first goal was supreme. One crossfield pass found Paqueta taking the ball in midair with his feet in rabona position. He is the gentle reminder that this is supposed to be fun that we all need from time to time.
But then fun is all West Ham ever seem to have in Europe these days. This is their third straight season of European football, a fantastic journey of awakening and joy. They know no ceiling while the brilliant Paqueta continues to raise the roof.
McGinn’s royal approval
Aston Villa 1 HSK Zrinjski Mostar 0 (McGinn 90+4′)
By Tim Nash
John McGinn ultimately ensured Aston Villa received royal approval for this leg of their European adventure to end a less than regal occasion for much of the night against Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar.
The Scotland international headed a 95th minute winner to get Villa’s first win in the Europa Conference League in front of their most famous supporter, The Prince of Wales, who watched the Group E tie from a box in the Trinity Road Stand.
But his team’s performance was below par against the team known as “the Nobles”.
Manager Unai Emery described this tie as a “must-win” game but Villa’s players certainly didn’t display that degree of urgency during a lacklustre first 45 minutes. They stepped up the pace in the second half when they were rightly denied a penalty which the referee initially awarded to them.
But they couldn’t prise a resolute defence until McGinn’s header at the death. And if Zrinjski looked organised, perhaps it was little surprise as this was their 16th game across four competitions already this season.
Fourth in their league, they showed the confidence of a team that had won its last four matches.
This explained why the several hundred noisy Bosnian fans travelled in hope and in fine voice to see the first team from their country to play in the Conference League.
Villa looked more likely to break the deadlock in the early stages. Nicolo Zaniolo was their dangerman, twice threatening the opening goal.
The Italian’s volley hit team-mate Ezri Konsa as it looked like it might break the net after Lucas Digne headed down a deep cross.
Then the 24-year-old attacking midfielder on loan from Galatasary saw his angled shot was deflected just wide.
But Zrinjski were always a threat on the break, and Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had to be alert to block Nemanja Bilbija’s left-footed shot after he was teed up by Mario Ticinovic.
Villa, showing five changes from the side that thrashed Brighton 6-1 on Saturday – and with John McGinn playing wide left – failed to build on that bright start.
Zrinjski’s next threat came when wideman Ticinovic cut in from the left and fired a rising effort over the bar. But the Bosnians made their presence felt in other, more uncompromising ways.
Zaniolo produced the most spectacular moment of the first half after his overhead kick was pushed wide by goalkeeper Marko Maric.
Villa spent much of the second half camped inside Zrinjski’s half. Emery’s side were denied a 55th-minute penalty after Swiss referee Urs Schnyder reviewed the pitchside monitor.
The official initially awarded a spot kick for handball against Matej Senic when Ollie Watkins’s header appeared to hit the defender’s face then arm from point blank range following Zaniolo’s cross.
But he changed his mind when he looked again, which looked the correct decision. Either side of the penalty appeal, Diego Carlos twice went close for Villa. First the defender’s header was parried by Maric, who then smothered the Brazilian’s follow-up.
Maric then foiled shots from Zaniolo, Ezri Konsa and Youri Tielemans as Villa turned up the heat. Villa continued to pepper Zrinjski’s box but it looked their efforts were going to come to nothing until McGinn glanced home Matty Cash’s cross in the fifth of six minutes added on.
De Zerbi hails Brighton spirit
Marseille 2-2 Brighton (Mbemba 19′, Veretout 20′ | Gross 54′, Pedro PEN 88′ )
By Rob O’Connor
Roberto De Zerbi praised an “incredible” reaction from Brighton after they recovered from two goals down at the Stade Velodrome to salvage a point against Marseille and keep alive their hopes of progressing in the Europa League.
Substitute Joao Pedro scored an 88th-minute penalty to earn a 2-2 draw that kept Brighton in contention in Group B following their defeat to AEK Athens two weeks ago, the striker slotting home coolly after Tariq Lamptey had been tripped.
A draw had looked an unlikely outcome when Marseille struck twice in the space two first-half minutes, the first a low finish from former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba, then a strike by Jordan Veretout that went through the hands of goalkeeper Jason Steele after Lewis Dunk had given the ball away with a poor mis-kick.
Brighton weathered the Marseille storm, too often giving the ball away cheaply when in possession but surviving to go in only two down at the break, before launching a comeback early in the second period when Pascal Gross slotted home from Kaoru Mitoma’s cutback.
From there on De Zerbi’s team were on top, and it came as just rewards when Pedro was given the chance to level from the spot and salvage their hope of progressing to the knockout rounds.
The manager said he was concerned by the way his injury-hit side have played recently but praised their powers of recovery in the south of France, particularly coming off the back of Saturday’s 6-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
“I want to be honest more than other days, other games,” De Zerbi said. “I think we are not playing well, it’s a very tough period for us in this moment. It’s difficult to show our quality like last season, like a month ago.
“It’s a period where we have to work, but after that in football it’s important the quality of the play and the players, but it’s important playing with heart, passion and the right behaviour.
“I’m really proud of the performance today, of the players. After the defeat 6-1 at Villa Park and the second goal to close the first half at 2-0, this reaction is incredible. For it I am very happy.”
Brighton appeared stage-struck during the first half inside a stadium that rocked with the noise of a vociferous home support.
De Zerbi admitted the atmosphere had been a factor in knocking his players out of their usual rhythm that has seen them win five of their first seven Premier League games this season.
“I know we are not a big team yet,” he said.
“We are a small club. We reached the European competition playing very well, showing the incredible qualities of the players, but it’s possible we suffered too much from the atmosphere. (It was) the first game (away) in Europe for Brighton, the players and the fans.
“I’m not a big coach, I’m not used to playing in this competition. We have to adapt, we have to get used to playing in this competition from this moment.
“We can lose the game but we can’t lose our DNA, our spirit, our bravery and passion. This season will be important to progress, to adapt to playing in different competitions, playing three games every week.
“Today we played not more than 30 per cent of our potential.”
Marseille manager Gennaro Gattuso acknowledged his team lost their way after a dominant opening and gave Brighton the encouragement they needed in order to recover.
“The pressure we applied in the first 65 minutes was (good),” he said. “Then we started to press in a different way, not the best way. We should have paid more attention to them.
“With Brighton, if you don’t press well and do the good things, they will punish you. I think the players gave 65 minutes where they were able to press high but it was still not enough.”
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