It was the second champions league matchday of the group stage actions. Lots of amazing fixtures kicked off and as usual in this competition, there were a variety of outcomes in all the matches played. Liverpool hosted Red Bull Salzburg for the second champions league group stage game. The two teams who are currently topping their respective leagues locked horn for a chance to earn the crucial 3 points.

It was a must-win game for the Reds to put themselves back in a good position after their opening fixture loss against Napoli. Liverpool are currently flying high in the premier league with maximum points in the bag, however, their champions league campaign hasn’t been as smooth as they would have wished for. A tricky fixture it was for Liverpool against Salzburg and boy it really proved tricky on the night at Anfield as Salzburg pulled off a remarkable 3 nil comeback to create tension in the minds of the home supporters. However, the Reds showed their fighting spirit and character to finally get the winning goal minutes later to finally secure their first champions league win of the season.

Red Bull Salzburg showed how good they are against the current champions and will be highly disappointed to not have at least left with a point after their remarkable effort to come back from 3 nil down to make it 3-3 before the hour mark and with the chances they created. Even though all their efforts were in vain at the end, they will take a lot of positives from this game and also, their opening fixture win has given them a good foundation to quickly move on from this defeat and look forward to the next game against Napoli and the remaining fixtures of group E.

Brief Post-Match Analyses

As always, the atmosphere was fantastic at Anfield as fans were all chanting and excited for the game.

Liverpool set up in their usual 4-3-3 formation with the front 3 of Mane, Firmino and Salah. Red Bull Salzburg set up in a 4-4-2 with Hwang and Daka as the two forwards. The game began and it didn’t take Liverpool long to kick into gear as they created a few chances before taking the lead very early in the game. It wasn’t enough for the home side as the Reds went 3 nil up before half time. This result looked locked down for Liverpool and was just a matter of how many. However, Salzburg created a couple of good chances and were able to get a goal back before half time.

Things quickly turned around in the second half as Salzburg proved once again why in football, the match isn’t over until it is over, as they quickly got themselves back in the game with a remarkable comeback to change the score to 3-3 few seconds before the hour mark. Nevertheless, their effort became void after Liverpool took the lead once again minutes later to finally secure the 3 points.

Sadio Mane scored the first goal for Liverpool in the 9th minute with a nice finish.

Andrew Robertson doubled the lead in the 25th minute with a very nice finish inside the box.

Mohamed Salah made it 3 in the 36th minute, capitalizing from a spilled ball by the goalkeeper to fire the ball home.

Hwang Hee-Chang got a goal back for Salzburg in the 39th minute with a beautiful individual goal.

Takumi Minamino made it 3-2 in the 56th minute with a sweet volley strike inside the box.

Erling Braut Haland completed the comeback in the 60th minute with a cool tap in into an empty net.

Mohamed Salah restored the crucial lead for Liverpool in the 69th minute with a composed finish.

A crucial win for Liverpool at home to put themselves back in a good position in the group. For Salzburg, it was a disappointing result for them as they would feel that they at least deserved a point at Anfield. This result means that both Liverpool and Salzburg are the same on points and are just a point behind Napoli who are currently leading the group on 4 points.

What do you think of the outcome of this match?

I would love to read your thoughts and opinions… Enjoy your day.