Short Summary:
Inter Milan 0-2 Liverpool FC
Played at San Siro Stadium Milan Italy
Goals scored for Liverpool were; Roberto Firmino assisted by Andy Robertson and Mo Salah assisted by Virgil van Dijk.
Review of Match:
Inter Milan and Liverpool meet for the first time in the Champions League knockout stages since the 2008/2009 season and a lot had changed for both clubs since those games. The game started at a quick pace and both teams were trying to settle into the game and also figure out the systems that both teams were operating with on the night with Inter using their 3-5-2 system and Liverpool going with their normal system of an 4-3-3. I was surprised that Klopp went with Harvey Elliott for such an important game for Liverpool but once again the manager’s trust in this young player is worth it as he has another great game and is continuing to make an impact even at this stage of his young career. There was not a lot of real chances in the first half but both sides have two half-chances with Sadio Mane had the best chance for Liverpool in the first half. Inter Milan also had one half-chance and one shot that could have easily go in if wasn’t for the crossbar stopping Hakan Calhanoglu for scoring for Inter.
A real blow for Liverpool was the injury to Diogo Jota in the first half so at half time Firmino came on for him and once again the manager decision to still have believe and trust in Firmino pay off for Liverpool in the second half as Inter were piling on the pressure for a good portion of the second half and should have probably gone ahead in the tie but due to the defending of the Liverpool defense plus the excellent saves for the Liverpool GK Alisson Becker. Eventually, Klopp made an triple substitutes when he brought Luis Diaz, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita on for Mane, Elliott and Fabinho and these changes would provable the push that Liverpool needing to get ahead in this tight game and on the 75th minute Liverpool went ahead in the game as an corner from Robertson came in and Firmino got ahead of the man who was marking him and glaze an great header into the far corner and there wasn’t anything that the Inter GK Samir Handanovic could do about it. It was a much-needed goal as the flow of the game went back to Liverpool easing the pressure on the defense that have done a brilliant job of keeping inter out. Liverpool found a second goal before the end of the game when an freekick was send into the inter box and Van Dijk got an great touch on the ball to bring it down to Salah and Salah then does what he best at is which is going past defenders and shooting inside the 18-yard box to make it 2-0 to Liverpool on the night. It was a great victory for the reds of Liverpool and hopefully we will finish the job when inter come to Anfield on 8th March. My man of the match was a tie between Alisson and Ibrahima Konate
Summary of the teams’ line-ups:
Inter Milan: Handanovic, Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni, Denzel Dumfries, Arturo Vidal, Marcelo Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic, Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez.
Bench: Alex Cordaz, Ionut Andrel Radu, Roberto Gagilardini, Alexis Sanchez, Andrea Ranocchia, Federico Dimarco, Danilo D’Ambrosio, Matteo Darmian, Mattia Sangalli, Franco Carboni, Felipe Calcedo.
Subs Used: Sanchez for Martinez, Darmian for Dumfries, Gagilardini for Vidal, Ranocchia for De Vrij, Dimarco for Bastoni.
Manager: Simone Inzaghi
Liverpool: Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson, Fabinho, Elliott, Thiago Alcantara, Jota, Mane, Salah.
Bench: Caoimhin Kelleher, James Milner, Naby Keita, Firmino, Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Diaz, Divock Origi, Joel Matip.
Subs Used: Firmino for Jota, Diaz for Mane, Henderson for Fabinho, Keita for Elliott, Milner for Thiago
Manager: Jurgen Klopp.
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