Virgil van Dijk suffered a terrible injury that nearly left Everton’s goal empty. The way Jordan Pickford tackled Liverpool’s defensive goal scorer was brutal. However, the Reds were more than capable of continuing their Champions League campaign. Fabinho stepped up and filled the gap in their match against Ajax on Wednesday.
Pre-Game
Jürgen Klopp made a few changes after the tie with Everton. Virgil van Dijk was not the only one who had to sit out a game. Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are also injured. James Milner, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, and Georginio Wijnaldum entered the first team. The Dutch made a single change.
There is something interesting about their history. Both teams have experience with facing football clubs from their opponent’s respective countries. However, this is only the third time the two have met. Their first meetup was in 1966 when Liverpool lost 5-1. The second encounter ended in a draw.
The Goal That Shouldn’t Have Been
After a couple of attempts on both sides that both Onana and Adrián successfully fought off, the unthinkable happened. While trying to intercept a pass by Mané, Nicolás Tagliafico accidentally diverted the ball past Onana and into his own goal. This wasn’t the first time the Dutch captain made such a grievous error. Something similar happened last year when Ajax faced FC Emmen.
In short, this was the only goal of the match. Tagliafico unwittingly dismantled his team’s defense from the inside. It was entirely possible for the match to end in a draw.
With attacks by Mané and the protection of the rear by Fabinho and Adrián, the Dutch could not equalize for the rest of the match.
The Aftermath
The Reds start their group phase with a win and three points. They are behind Atalanta on goal difference. What’s more, this is a nice notch on Liverpool’s record against the Dutch in general. They have had no losses since the 60s.
