Match report & talking points from entertaining European clash - sportsnewsfoot

Liverpool made hard work of their sixth Champions League game of the season, needing a Mohamed Salah penalty to sneak past Girona on Tuesday.

The Reds did enough to win the game but certainly did not dominate Girona, who went shot-for-shot with Arne Slot’s side and could have easily become just the second side to score against Liverpool in Europe this year.

That leaky defence did, however, offer a spotlight for the returning Alisson, who looked lively back in the Liverpool goal.

How the game unfolded

Joe Gomez had Liverpool’s first chance of the evening just four minutes in. He rose highest from a corner and powered a header towards Paulo Gazzaniga, who reacted well to tip the effort over the bar.

Gazzaniga needed to push away a fierce strike from Darwin Nunez soon after, before Girona perhaps should have opened the scoring. Daley Blind found himself alone in the penalty area and was presented with a tap-in, only to completely miss the ball, and just moments later, Bryan Gil was sent charging through on goal but lost his footing when one-on-one with the returning Alisson.

Those moments brought Girona to life and the hosts enjoyed several bright moments down the left, with Miguel Gutierrez and Arnaut Danjuma causing all sorts of problems for Gomez.

After an open 20 minutes brought plenty of half-chances for both teams, Nunez was again frustrated by Gazzaniga from close range, before Yaser Asprilla’s strike from outside the area needed an acrobatic stop from Alisson.

Liverpool ended the first half with 61% possession but by no means in control of proceedings, with Girona leading when it came to shots on target (4) and expected goals (0.8).

Girona did not slow down after the restart and Danjuma spurned two good chances inside four minutes. He fired straight at Alisson for the first and then, after some delightful footwork to beat Gomez, completely sliced his effort well wide.

On the hour mark, Liverpool got the break they needed when a VAR check saw them awarded a penalty. Luis Diaz was tripped by Donny van de Beek, and up stepped Salah to net his 50th Champions League goal.

Girona’s composure faded after the goal but the La Liga side still offered plenty of threat on the counter, although Liverpool controlled the closing stages and saw out a sixth successive Champions League victory.

After a lengthy injury lay-off, Alisson returned to the Liverpool starting lineup at the expense of Caoimhin Kelleher, who dropped to the bench.

The Brazil international likely expected a quiet night but definitely had to be at his best here, with Liverpool’s porous defence forcing him into action time and time again. Danjuma and Asprilla both drew the best out of Alisson in a lively affair.

While questions do need to be asked of Liverpool’s back line, there will be no concerns about any rustiness from Alisson.

The question of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s best position was raised once again here. He lined up on the team sheet as a right-back but began the game in an inverted midfield role which caused his side all sorts of problems.

Joe Gomez was left isolated in defence as Girona clearly targeted the area as a weakness, doubling up and spraying the ball over to that side at every given moment. In attack, Alexander-Arnold’s presence contributed to a crowded midfield and, coupled with Mohamed Salah’s freedom to roam, left Liverpool with no outlet on the right side.

Slot changed things in the first half when Girona were threatening to run away with proceedings, ordering Alexander-Arnold to stay deeper and wider. A wise move from the boss, who will now fear other rivals may have figured out their own plan to combat Alexander-Arnold.

Look, this was hardly a bad Liverpool performance. They’re a good team who probably deserved to win this, but the fact that is even a debate is cause for concern.

Girona are a mid-table La Liga side who lost four of their first five games in this season’s Champions League, and yet they went toe-to-toe with the side who most would describe as the best in Europe at this moment.

Had they not benefitted from a handful of scuffed shots, unfortunate slips and VAR decisions, Liverpool could have easily lost here. Slot must figure out what went wrong before they return to Premier League action against Fulham at the weekend.

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