Champions League: Liverpool Overpowers AC Milan 3-1
Arne Slot’s understanding of football history was evident in Liverpool’s dominant comeback against AC Milan. Just two minutes into the game, Christian Pulisic seized an early opportunity to give Milan the lead. But could Liverpool steady their nerves?
Indeed, they could. Despite some less-than-perfect moments and Milan’s early edge, Liverpool patiently dismantled the seven-time champions on their home turf over the remainder of the 88 minutes. Their solid performance was marked by an appealing directness, and more importantly, a composed disposition.
Liverpool were equally at ease in possession and out of it, moving on from unsuccessful attempts to continually create better opportunities. Milan’s lacklustre defence posed little resistance, permitting free headers from Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk that pushed Liverpool ahead.
The final tally on the scoreboard was the work of Dominik Szoboszlai in the latter half, fulfilling Slot’s plea for higher input from the midfield. Noteworthy contributions also came from Cody Gakpo on the flank and Ryan Gravenberch in the heart of midfield. Gakpo’s dynamic movements and sheer power on the football proved too much for Milan, while Gravenberch was instrumental in Liverpool’s remarkable return, echoing his promising start to the season.
Pulisic’s solitary goal for Milan, early on, was somewhat incongruous, surprising for its comfortable execution and lack of resistance. Receiving a neat pass from Álvaro Morata, Pulisic only had to dodge a hesitant Kostas Tsimikas and an insufficiently attentive Konaté to angle his shot to the goal’s bottom corner. During their review of the match, Liverpool, no doubt, will mull over granting him this much liberty.
It may be true that a group slip-up like Liverpool experienced could cost the game against more proficient opposition. Yet, Liverpool’s inherent tenacity and seamless shift through their paces highlighted AC Milan’s shortcomings. Despite only one victory in their first four Serie A games under new leadership from Paulo Fonseca, the Milan team were simply insufficiently accomplished or coordinated to cope with Liverpool’s strategy. This was damningly confirmed by Arrigo Sacchi who criticised the team’s lack of unity. Even so, Liverpool effortlessly regained their rhythm, selecting their passes and moments optimally.
Having recovered his footing following an initial blip, Konaté delivered a redeeming header at 23 minutes, assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s left-sided free-kick, a move Mike Maignan was nowhere near challenging. Mohamed Salah had a pair of near misses hitting the bar, as did Diogo Jota whose shot went amiss despite a promising position. Maignan had a couple of notable saves from Salah as well as Cody Gakpo, who was capitalising on Davide Calabria’s early booking, making the left position his own dominion.
On San Siro’s open field, Liverpool found the space they couldn’t locate against Nottingham Forest. This set the stage for Van Dijk’s goal from a corner just before the interval. His execution was straightforward: after a quick interaction with Dutch team-mate Tijjani Reijnders, he swooped in the opposite direction meeting Tsimikas’ corner with a header from close proximity.
Despite the frustration, Milan displayed attractive gameplay in their moments of synchronicity, boasting a team composed of raw talent, experienced pros, and familiar faces from previous Chelsea stints. Morata, a summer signing from Atlético Madrid, is more shrewd and resilient than he’s given credit for. Age has done little to change Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s strategy or skill, still reflecting his 20-year-old self at 28. Fikayo Tomori emerged as the standout figure in a shaky defence, while Tammy Abraham put in a short stint as a substitute.
By the time it had reached a certain point, it was evident that Milan’s chances in the game were limited. At moments, there were glimmers of hope that Milan might persevere, extend the match and perhaps cause Liverpool to experience some unease. However, an unfortunate injury to Maignan, who had showcased courage with his dive to block Jota’s attack, cost Milan their star player. Subsequently, Lorenzo Torriani, a young first-timer, was left with no other option but to retrieve the football from his goal post, following a rapid counter-offensive maneuver by Gakpo and Szoboszlai’s skilful shot at the goal.
The match gradually fizzled out without much excitement, save for eagerly anticipated first appearance from Federico Chiesa and an unusually frenzied performance from Salah, who seemed fixated on scoring.
Recognising that goal difference may be a determining factor in this extremely competitive 36-team league, the final score of 3-1 may not have been such a dreadful outcome. And indeed, the performance served to reemphasise their innate superiority, in a remarkably effective way. – Guardian