The match-up was just the third time that Liverpool and AC Milan have faced each other in the Champions League. The other two instances were the 2005 and 2007 finals of the tournament, with the pair splitting European dominance. At least for now, Liverpool holds the bragging rights after their thrilling, and, oftentimes, dominating performance against Milan.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made two shock decisions with his starting eleven. Opting for Joe Gomez at center-back over Virgil Van Dijk and starting Divock Origi at center forward over Sadio Mane. AC Milan was without Zlatan Ibrahimovich after he picked up an Achilles knock in his league debut. The imposing Swede, known for his aerial prowess, among a cohort of other things, made Van Dijk’s absence a moot point for the first 40 minutes.
Liverpool started the game fast, furious, frenetic, fantastic. Milan were simply and utterly overwhelmed by Liverpool’s press. The gulf in quality between the two was staggering, and Liverpool made good on their early advantage with a 9th-minute goal. Mohamed Salah received the ball in a wide position and graciously played a ball into a streaking Trent Alexander-Arnold, who marauded towards goal.
Alexander-Arnold beat his defender with pace and ripped a shot on goal. Milan defender, and former Chelsea player, Fikayo Tomori made a valiant effort to block the shot, but ended up redirecting it into his own goal.
Liverpool refused to let up, and mere minutes later, they earned a penalty on a handball from an Andrew Robertson shot. Salah lined up to take the penalty against Milan keeper Mike Maignan. Salah went for power, and Maignan was up to the task of saving the penalty and then Diogo Jota’s headed effort off of the rebound. Liverpool had missed a golden opportunity to go up 2-0, but they remained in control of the game.
Milan held on for dear life over the first 40 minutes of the game. Liverpool’s wastefulness in front of goal looked like a moot point as Milan appeared incapable of creating anything going forward. Suddenly, and against the run of play, Milan broke through and Ante Rebic slotted home a shot from a Rafael Leao pass. The equalizer left Liverpool and their supporters shocked.
Only two minutes later, Milan struck again. The goal was created from a Rebic cross into Theo Hernandez, who shot the ball on goal only to be denied by an Andrew Robertson goal-line clearance. The ball didn’t reach safety, as Brahim Diaz struck the ball into the back of the net.
Liverpool had dominated the first 40 minutes. In a five-minute period, they saw all of their dominance evaporate into a 2-1 deficit. The second half started well for Liverpool as they once again gained control of the game. It didn’t take long, but a beautiful combination between Origi and Salah levelled the game at two apiece. With Anfield re-energized and almost 45 minutes left to play, Liverpool set their sights on three points.
For the next 20 minutes, Liverpool continued to go after Milan, and finally recaptured the lead when Jordan Henderson thumped home a volley off a poorly cleared corner. The captain had risen to the occasion and delivered them a lead they would not relinquish.
Klopp used all of his substitutions as he saw out the game. Salah, as he has so many times in a Liverpool jersey, was the man of the match. His passing proved vital to Liverpool, unlocking Milan’s defense time after time and, as always, his calm in front of goal proved pivotal. If it wasn’t for his missed penalty, only his second in 19 tries for Liverpool, he’d have earned a ten out of ten match rating.