Dries Mertens (113) is Napoli’s third highest goalscorer behind Maradona (115) and Marek Hamsik (121) Dries Mertens ‘ punishment and a deep Fernando Llorente goal condemned Liverpool to defeat in their Group E Champions League opener against Napoli. belgian advancing Mertens scored from the penalty blemish after Liverpool defender Andy Robertson was judged to have fouled Jose Callejon.
Former Tottenham fore Llorente then capitalised on a error from Virgil van Dijk in stoppage-time to roll the ball past Liverpool custodian Adrian. Jurgen Klopp ‘s side are the foremost winners of the contest to lose the open game of the following campaign since AC Milan in 1994. referee Felix Brych ‘s decision to award a penalty for Napoli ‘s opener stood after it was looked at by video recording adjunct reviewer ( VAR ) officials. “ I ‘m pretty sure there are different views on that situation but when a player jump before there is contact then it can not be a penalty, ” said Klopp. “ It was very critical in that moment for surely but we ca n’t change it. american samoa farseeing as human beings make the decisions then there is still potential for [ mistakes ]. “ The rules are like this and we trust in the rules. ” Goalkeeper Adrian had earlier made two keys saves for Liverpool, who initially struggled to impose themselves in the daunting atmosphere of the San Paolo Stadium. The 32-year-old, deputising for the hurt Alisson, doubly saved from compatriot fabian Ruiz during the first gear time period and produced an outstanding point-blank salvage from Mertens ‘ volley just after the break dance. however, unlike the correspond fastness last season, when Liverpool failed to register a stroke on target in their 1-0 frustration, Klopp ‘s english did produce moments of slickness football to threaten the hosts. A flash Mohamed Salah drive was wonderfully tipped to guard by Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, who besides saved Sadio Mane ‘s toe-poked tear with the score at 0-0. But while Klopp ‘s side have made a blister start to the Premier League, averaging three goals per plot, their failure to exploit several good breaks consigned them to a sixth kill away from home in their past eight matches in the competition .
Koulibaly snuffs out Liverpool threat
Liverpool ‘s failure to puncture the home defense was largely down to the impressive form of Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegal external repeatedly demonstrated why he was been mentioned in dispatches throughout the summer as a target of the Premier League ‘s biggest club. Named the best defender in Serie A last term, the 28-year-old made respective key interceptions and dispossessed both Roberto Firmino and Salah in one-versus-one situations. And he continued in that vein, patrolling behind left-back Mario Rui to snuff out the danger posed by the Egyptian ‘s pace and trickery. His interpretation of the game was emblematic throughout, ensuring he was rarely caught out of possession and was able to spring Napoli attacks .
Conservative Liverpool fail to sparkle
Klopp ‘s team lost all three away games in last season ‘s group stage, but overwhelmed teams at Anfield with their pace and energy, and the magnificence of forwards Mane, Salah and Firmino. Jordan Henderson ‘s searching second-minute pass into the way of Salah seemed a harbinger to the kind of dominant attacking display that has served Liverpool so well. however, on a warm even in Naples, Klopp ‘s slope appeared to take a more conservative approach exemplified by full-backs Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘s failure to press forth. In midfield Fabinho snapped away but their was an absence of sparkle in self-control, with Henderson and James Milner delivering solid displays but not the screen of service that Liverpool ‘s attacking triumvirate are accustomed to. lone goalkeeper Adrian touched the ball less than Salah and Firmino. And that lack of involvement possibly besides contributed to Mane ‘s indecision, when racing towards goal, with the senegalese forward over-hitting a pass to Salah that could have put the egyptian in .
Man of the match – Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
Kalidou Koulibaly delivered an imperious performance in the Napoli defence with Liverpool managing just four shots on target
Napoli maintain record against English clubs – the stats
- Napoli have nowadays won five of their six Champions League home games against English opposition ( L1 – a 2-4 defeat to Man City in November 2017 ) .
- Liverpool have lost their opening Champions League match of a raw campaign for alone the second time ( P12 W6 D4 L2 ), and for the first time since a 0-2 kill to Valencia in September 2002 .
- Liverpool had more shots in the open 22 minutes of this match ( five ) than they managed through the entirety of this demand repair in the rival end temper ( four ) .
- Liverpool have lost six of their last eight away games in the Champions League ( W2 ), american samoa many as in their previous 25 such matches in the competition .
- Since the beginning of last season, only Nicolas Tagliafico ( six ) has received more yellow cards in the Champions League than Liverpool ‘s Andy Robertson ( four ) .
- Napoli striker Dries Mertens has scored more Champions league goals than any other belgian in the contest ( 11 ) .
- Since a 2-0 winnings over Udinese as Borussia Dortmund emboss, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has lost on his last five visits to italian sides in all competitions ( P5 W0 D0 L5 ) .
- Napoli striker Fernando Llorente has now scored a Champions League finish for four different clubs ( Juventus, Sevilla, Spurs and Napoli ) – the joint-most sides of all Spaniards alongside Fernando Morientes .
‘It should hurt’ – what they said
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking to BT Sport: “ It should hurt because there were opportunities for us. It was an receptive crippled with a lot of counter-attacks, but we did n’t finish them off and that is a problem. “ In the second half it was a rampantly game ; they were running and we were running. “ I do n’t think it ‘s a punishment. What can I say ? For me, it is gain and obvious no punishment. He jumps before any contact – we ca n’t change that. “ We played a set of well football but did n’t finish it off. We controlled moments but had not enough chances in the conclusion. We made decisions that were not right and have to accept the solution. It was very much the final ball that was not right. ” Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti: “ The scheme was to play a complete game. high press if possible, but besides defending deeper if needed. We did everything well. We have to get used to the unlike moments of the game. “ When Liverpool were in control we did well in defending and then took our chances. It was a very balance game. So we did well, because I consider them the best team in Europe. ”
What’s next?
Liverpool travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, 22 September ( 16:30 BST ) and do not play in the Champions League again until Wednesday, 2 October ( 20:00 BST ) when they host RB Salzburg at Anfield .
- Line-ups
- Match Stats
- Live Text
Line-ups
Napoli
formation 4-4-2
1
Meret
22
Di Lorenzo
44
Manolas
26
Koulibaly
6
Mário Rui
7
Callejón
5
Allan
8
Ruiz
24
Insigne
14
Mertens
11
Lozano
- 1
Meret
- 22
Di Lorenzo
- 44
Manolas
- 26
Koulibaly
- 6
Mário Rui
- 7
Callejón
- 5
Allan
Substituted for
Elmas
at
75′
minutes
- 8
Ruiz
- 24
Insigne
Substituted for
Zielinski
at
66′
minutes
- 14
Mertens
- 11
Lozano
Substituted for
Llorente
at
69′
minutes
Booked at 90mins
Substitutes
- 9
Llorente
- 12
Elmas
- 19
Maksimovic
- 20
Zielinski
- 25
Ospina
- 31
Ghoulam
- 99
Milik
Liverpool
formation 4-3-3
13
Adrián
66
Alexander-Arnold
32
Matip
4
van Dijk
26
Robertson
Read more: Willem Dafoe
14
Henderson
3
Fabinho
7
Milner
11
Salah
9
Firmino
10
Mané
- 13
Adrián
- 66
Alexander-Arnold
- 32
Matip
- 4
van Dijk
- 26
Robertson
Booked at 57mins
- 14
Henderson
Substituted for
Shaqiri
at
87′
minutes
- 3
Fabinho
- 7
Milner
Booked at 61mins
Substituted for
Wijnaldum
at
66′
minutes
- 11
Salah
- 9
Firmino
- 10
Mané
Substitutes
- 5
Wijnaldum
- 6
Lovren
- 12
Gomez
- 15
Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 20
Lallana
- 23
Shaqiri
- 62
Kelleher
- Referee:
- Dr. Felix Brych
- Attendance:
- 38,878
Match Stats
Live Text
-
Post update
Match ends, Napoli 2, Liverpool 0 .
-
Full Time
second Half ends, Napoli 2, Liverpool 0 .
Goal!
goal ! Napoli 2, Liverpool 0. Fernando Llorente ( Napoli ) good footed dart from the center of the box to the bottom left corner .
-
Booking
Fernando Llorente ( Napoli ) is shown the yellow circuit board for a badly cruddy .
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Post update
Georginio Wijnaldum ( Liverpool ) wins a detached kick in the defensive half .
-
Post update
filthy by Fernando Llorente ( Napoli ) .
-
Substitution
substitution, Liverpool. Xherdan Shaqiri replaces Jordan Henderson .
-
Post update
attack missed. Fabinho ( Liverpool ) header from the center of the box misses to the leave. Assisted by Jordan Henderson with a cross following a corner .
-
Post update
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Kostas Manolas .
-
Post update
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Giovanni Di Lorenzo .
Goal!
goal ! Napoli 1, Liverpool 0. Dries Mertens ( Napoli ) converts the punishment with a right footed inject to the bottomland left corner .
-
Post update
penalty conceded by Andrew Robertson ( Liverpool ) after a foul in the penalty area .
-
Post update
penalty Napoli. José Callejón draws a cheating in the punishment sphere .
-
Post update
cheating by Fernando Llorente ( Napoli ) .
-
Post update
Virgil van Dijk ( Liverpool ) wins a free gripe in the defensive one-half .
-
Substitution
substitution, Napoli. Eljif Elmas replaces Allan .
-
Post update
Attempt saved. Sadio Mané ( Liverpool ) right footed shoot from the center of the box is saved in the center of the goal. Assisted by Roberto Firmino .
-
Substitution
substitution, Napoli. Fernando Llorente replaces Hirving Lozano .
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Substitution
substitution, Napoli. Piotr Zielinski replaces Lorenzo Insigne .
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Substitution
substitution, Liverpool. Georginio Wijnaldum replaces James Milner .
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