Who is aware of what the narrative would have been had Dominik Szoboszlai not transformed from the penalty spot?
The noise surrounding Mohamed Salah would solely have gotten louder. Extra dropped factors for Liverpool with out their star man.
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But it was Liverpool’s participant of the season to this point who took the duty from 12 yards out whereas the person who would have often taken the penalty sat at dwelling, virtually 1000 miles away.
The sight of the gamers strolling over to the away finish and the travelling followers singing Arne Slot’s title on the full-time whistle advised you all you wanted to know.
After a horrid few days, Slot and Liverpool lastly had one thing to smile about.
This was their fourth win on the San Siro in as a few years however crucially their first away win within the Champions League with out Salah since 2009.
Whether or not or not it’s a turning level for Slot and co stays to be seen nevertheless it actually felt huge. Not least with Michael Edwards, the chief govt, in attendance in Milan.
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On Monday, goalkeeper Alisson Becker insisted that the gamers had been behind the supervisor after arguably the hardest spell of his profession.
On the pitch, they delivered with an assured show after Slot’s tactical tweaks and crucially stored a clear sheet following the capitulation at Leeds on Saturday.
Above all, the spirit and togetherness after a tumultuous 72 hours was notable. Liverpool travelled to Italy with a depleted 19-man squad and received the job performed.
“It does not change something. There’s clearly a lot noise from the skin world, which is regular when you do not carry out,” Virgil van Dijk advised Amazon Prime Sport.
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“It is deserved as properly. We wish to enhance, we wish to be constant and win video games. We’re not doing it as a lot as we like. We’ve to stay collectively and be a unit as now we have been. That is what Liverpool stands for.
Left-back Andy Robertson added: “All of us wanted it. We all know the outcomes and performances aren’t ok. It is necessary that this membership is within the Champions League. It was an enormous end result for all of us.”
‘All concerning the gamers which might be right here’
The important thing now could be for Liverpool to push on. After a disastrous run of 9 defeats in 12, they’re unbeaten of their final 4 and seemingly out of the hardest part.
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Inevitably, Slot was requested about Salah afterwards, with former Dutch worldwide midfielder Clarence Seedorf suggesting to him gamers can “make errors”.
“Everybody makes errors in life however does the participant know he is made a mistake? Ought to the initiative come from him or me? That is one other query,” mentioned Slot.
Van Dijk, in the meantime, wouldn’t be drawn on whether or not his team-mate had let the facet down.
“There isn’t any level me saying if somebody has let somebody down,” he mentioned. “He did not journey based mostly the results of what he mentioned. That is it.
“He educated yesterday completely regular. Let’s have a look at after we come again on Friday and see what the state of affairs will probably be like. My focus is on the crew and at this level Mo remains to be a part of the crew. We’ll see what occurs.”
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However this was an evening to reward those that performed, notably Szoboszlai, who has been immediately concerned in additional targets than some other Liverpool participant this season (10 – 5 targets, 5 assists).
“I’ve requested plenty of him,” Slot added. “I feel what can be particular is how a lot he runs – he is without doubt one of the few that performed all 4 video games in 10 days.
“It is particular what he’s doing bodily and in addition soccer smart, he stood up in a troublesome second.
“That was his first penalty for Liverpool throughout a sport however he has a terrific shot and he delivered.”
Profitable in Milan is not any straightforward feat, contemplating Inter had been unbeaten of their final 18 Champions League ties at dwelling
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“It needs to be about what we have performed over right here,” added Slot. “I totally perceive that on Friday, within the press convention, all of the questions will probably be about Mo.
“Tonight it needs to be all a couple of crew, in opposition to a crew like this who’re profitable at a stadium like this. The main target needs to be on that.
“Tonight it needs to be all concerning the gamers which might be right here. Within the wealthy historical past Liverpool has had, they’ve had many of those evenings.”
Proof, if it was ever wanted, that with or with out Salah, Liverpool will transfer on.