MILAN, Italy — Liverpool routed AC Milan 3-1 in its debut in the expanded Champions League competition, but Arne Slot's team had to rally after conceding a spectacular third-minute goal from Christian Pulisic to seal victory at San Siro.
The clash between seven-time European champions Milan and six-time champions Liverpool was the perfect encounter for UEFA to kick off its new league phase of the competition. Although Pulisic's goal gave Liverpool a scare at the start and offered Milan hope of a surprise win, the reality turned out to be different as Liverpool easily disposed of the home side.
Mohamed Salah twice hit the bar before defenders Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk headed in from set-pieces to give Liverpool a 2-1 lead at the break. Dominik Szoboszlai's 67th-minute goal secured the game for Liverpool, but their victory was never in doubt after Pulisic's opener was disallowed. –Mark Ogden
Liverpool's threat from set pieces is evident under Slot
It is still early days for Slot at Liverpool, but his side's opening two goals against Milan showed a subtle shift in the former Feyenoord boss's approach from his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp's Liverpool focused on goals from their forwards and midfielders rather than relying too heavily on training-ground work to convert set-pieces. But Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk's headers in the first half underlined Slot's willingness to exploit the physical attributes of his defenders, who are both over 1.80m tall.
First, Konate powerfully headed Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick from inside the six-yard box past goalkeeper Mike Maignan, before Van Dijk did the same from a Kostas Tsimikas corner. Both goals were simple and direct, further proof of Slot's work with this team.
It is also worth noting that, as impressive as Liverpool's performance has been, Milan were abysmal when it came to defence. Centre-backs Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic were too passive in responding to both passes, and Konate and Van Dijk will not get any easier chances all season. Their aerial threat is unquestionable and Liverpool will score more goals from set-pieces if they exploit these strengths this season. –Ogden
“Captain America” gets off to a good start before Milan fades away
Christian Pulisic's night couldn't have started better. A pass from Álvaro Morata, a defensive foul from Tsimikas and there he was, cutting down the right flank and putting in a diagonal shot that beat Alisson, preventing a desperate Alexis Mac Allister from recovering.
Things went downhill from there, though, partly because Milan failed to get the ball to him and partly because, with Liverpool on the attack, Pulisic found himself spending a lot of time dropping back to help Davide Calabria deal with Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota on the left side of Liverpool's attack.
Pulisic's chemistry with Morata is something coach Paulo Fonseca will also want to work on. Opening goal aside, the United States and Spain internationals failed to connect, especially when Morata dropped back from his centre-forward position. Off the ball, he was as hard-working as ever, but a greater threat to Alisson's goal would have been welcome. — Gab Marcotti
Alexander-Arnold and Leão show their good and bad sides
The head-to-head clash between AC Milan striker Rafael Leão and Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold perfectly summed up the strengths and weaknesses of two of the game's most talented yet infuriating players.
Leão’s performance was more straightforward, as he only showed glimpses of his best form for Paulo Fonseca’s side. The Portuguese international has speed and guile – enough to outstrip any defence on his day – but it was nowhere near as good against Liverpool. On one occasion during the first half, Leão ran 40 yards with the ball to thrill the crowd, but instead of seeing out the unmarked runners either side of him, he ran into trouble and lost possession. This summed up his night until a rare glimpse of his talents when he hit the post in the 96th minute.
Alexander-Arnold had more good than bad contributions, but there is no doubt that he remains a defensive liability. On more than one occasion, centre-back Konate had to urge his teammate back into position after he had drifted into midfield or stayed forward after an attacking move. Had Leão been more attentive to his surroundings, he would have sought out the gaps Alexander-Arnold had left and hurt Liverpool, but that was not to be.
The England star also squandered possession too often, but created Liverpool's first goal for Konate with his famous set-piece pass from a free-kick.
It's the same old story with Alexander-Arnold. He's excellent at what he does well, but his weaknesses can be bad and ugly for Liverpool. –Ogden
Maignan's injury could hurt Milan in the long term
The sight of “Magic” Mike Maignan pounding the turf in frustration after being injured in a collision with Fikayo Tomori early in the second half was a harsh one for Milanese take, perhaps even more than defeat.
The French goalkeeper, who had requested medical assistance three times in the first half, left the pitch in obvious pain. At best, he is a doubt for this weekend's Milan derby; at worst, he could be sidelined for a longer period of time.
It is worth noting that he had been suffering from a calf problem in recent days but assured the team that he was fit to play. Had Sportiello, who was injured in pre-season and is likely to be out until January, been fit, he may well have started. As it turned out, Maignan's fitness probably did not help in any of Liverpool's free-kick goals.
To make matters worse, his deputy, former Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, is injured, which explains why Fonseca had to call on 19-year-old Lorenzo Torriani (who had never played a single minute for the first team) to replace Maignan. In fact, Torriani was only the third-choice goalkeeper last year – for Milan's under-21 team.
Let's talk about being thrown into the water.
There wasn't much Torriani could do about Szoboszlai's goal, and he certainly looked assured on the pitch. He wasn't afraid to play out from the back like Maignan likes to do, and on one occasion he ran out of his penalty area to clear a long ball over the goal. All in all, it wasn't a bad debut, but it's probably for Milan's best if they don't need to see him again for a while. — Marcotti
Why is the crowd muted?
On Saturday, 71,273 fans (almost a full house) packed the San Siro to watch Milan take on newly promoted Venezia in a Serie A match, which the hosts won comfortably 4-0. Four days later, just 59,826 turned up for the visit of six-time European champions Liverpool in Serie A. RossoneriOpening match of the renewed UEFA Champions League.
How can the absence of more than 11,000 fans be explained? Obviously, it is not a question of the prestige of the event or the rival; a clue could be in the prices charged.
The cheapest tickets available cost €74 ($82) and the cheapest in the lower category cost €124 ($138). In contrast, Liverpool tickets more expensive Adult seats cost £61 ($80), prompting a backlash from fans on social media and, unsurprisingly, there were several empty seats on Tuesday night.
The Champions League is obviously a goldmine for clubs in terms of ticket revenue, but obviously, you have to make sure that people sit in the seats. — Marcotti
Milan are too docile for Zlatan's taste
They waited, as they usually do, until well into extra time and then they gave them the goal.
The Milan players lined up in front of the South Curveostensibly to thank the club's black-clad ultras for their support, but in reality to let them vent. And vent they did, chanting “Let's watch some b—s!” and “We're sick of this!”.
Obviously no fan is going to be happy with a 3-1 home defeat on the opening day of the new Champions League, but the way it was handled speaks to a more complex problem engulfing the club: the idea that manager Paulo Fonseca is too nice a guy, that some players are soft and that a tough man – a “football man” – is needed to bring discipline.
That man, of course, is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is on the board of RedBird, the club's owners. No one doubts he is a tough guy and a winner and his arrival in the summer was hailed as a coup. Finally, a former player at the top who could command the respect of everyone and be a conduit between the dressing room, the coach, management and ownership.
Ibrahimovic had been absent (“for personal reasons,” he said) before this match and before kick-off he went into Zlatan mode. Referring to his absence, he said: “When the lion leaves, the cats come out. When the lion comes back, the cats disappear.” He then added: “What is my role? It's simple. A lot of people talk, but I'm in charge. I'm the boss and everyone works for me.”
If so, he has his work cut out for him, as Milan have won just one of their first five games this season in all competitions. Time will tell if he's the manager who kicks ass and gets everyone on his side or if he's more like that old “Saturday Night Live” sketch. — Marcotti
