Arne Slot’s Liverpool got off to a winning start in this season’s Champions League, coming from behind to defeat fellow European giant AC Milan.
One of the most-anticipated ties of the opening round, Liverpool’s Milanese rendezvous got off to a nightmare start when ex-Chelsea star Christian Pulisic fired the hosts ahead after just three minutes.
The Reds kept their cool though and weren’t panicked by the early opener, with goals from firstly Ibrahima Konate and then Virgil Van Dijk restoring parity at San Siro.
In the end, it turned into a pretty comfortable night’s work for the six-time winners, who added a third through Dominik Szoboszlai in the second half.
The perfect birthday present for manager Slot, whose side put to bed Saturday’s defeat in the Premier League with a comfortable win in Milan.
Express Sport details what we learned from Liverpool’s Champions League opener against AC Milan.
Salah sends FSG message amid contract standoff
Mohamed Salah continued to show the Liverpool owners why he’s worthy of a contract extension, with the Egyptian shining upon his Champions League return.
At the heart of the action during a first half that saw the Reds come from behind, Salah might not have registered a goal or an assist, but he came mightily close, rattling the crossbar on two separate occasions.
His stellar, albeit goalless, showing continued into the second half, with Salah making it clear to FSG and the Liverpool hierarchy, the Merseyside outfit are a better side with him in it.
Szoboszlai gives immediate response to Slot plea
Dominik Szoboszlai needed just one game to answer Slot’s plea for the midfielder to chip in with more goals.
Speaking ahead of the Milan clash, the Dutch manager commented: “Something that we have to work on with him is scoring goals and creating chances. His numbers need to go up.”
Well, go up they did, with the Hungarian in the right place at the right time to divert home and add a Liverpool third midway through the second half.
Nunez worry continues after uninspiring cameo
It hasn’t been a great start to the season for club-record signing Darwin Nunez, who once again drew a blank in Milan.
Coming on with 20 minutes to play, the Uruguayan failed to leave his mark, despite a flurry of in-behind runs.
His first shot after coming on barely made it to the goalkeeper, with the tame effort causing substitute shot-stopper Lorenzo Torriani no problems at all.
Ticket fury spreads across the continent
The new Champions League format means more big games, which is great, but it has also sparked fury among fanbases about the price of tickets.
Usually packed to the rafters on big European nights, San Siro was a little sparse for the visit of Liverpool, with an under-capacity crowd watching on.
The cheapest tickets in the lower tier of the iconic arena came in at over £100, with Milan failing to sell out for the visit of Liverpool.
It comes after Aston Villa fans were left outraged by the cost of tickets for their four home matches upon their return to Europe’s elite club competition.