Harm time continues to be Arne time. On Arne Slot’s forty seventh birthday, prolonged their extraordinary run of decisive late objectives. The specialists in drama on the dying conjured a victory they appeared to have tossed away. planted a 92nd-minute header into the Atletico Madrid web. Like Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha, like Dominik Szoboszlai and earlier than him, he acquired Liverpool a win from the jaws of a draw. Within the , as within the Premier League, they discovered a technique to win.
Logically, it can’t keep it up like this. Nevertheless it did keep it up like this. When Marcos Llorente appeared to have capped an Atletico comeback, his brace taking them from 2-0 right down to the brink of some extent, up popped Van Dijk, Liverpool successful one other sport of brinkmanship, wanting flawed however discovering a method. Maybe it was revenge of kinds for Atletico’s 3-2 win at Anfield in 2020, eliminating the holders. , the successful supervisor then, had a reasonably totally different end on Wednesday: despatched off for his livid protests after Van Dijk scored.
Van Dijk’s 92-minute winner was solely Liverpool’s third newest this season (Reuters)
Within the course of, he, Van Dijk and Llorente all achieved what had appeared unattainable, consigning the costliest footballer within the historical past of the English sport to a subplot. Isak made his debut, had a few pictures – one vast, the opposite at Jan Oblak – and produced a neat flick to Florian Wirtz. However he drained and was taken off after 58 minutes.
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The drama occurred round him, after him, as an alternative of him. There are several types of record-breakers, and whereas Isak’s £125m payment makes him the most important purchase within the historical past of English soccer, Salah has damaged a bunch of data together with his goalscoring. Isak scored on his Newcastle debut at Anfield, however couldn’t on his Liverpool bow. He now finds himself 248 Liverpool objectives behind Salah.
If among the script stayed the identical for Liverpool, together with one other exceptional end, they bookended the sport with objectives. They’d by no means beforehand been 2-0 up after six minutes of a European sport. They had been right here, with Salah outstanding.
After these six minutes, Salah had an help, albeit a lucky one, and a aim. He’s had a subdued begin to the season, regardless of changing the strain penalty at Burnley on Sunday, however he appeared transported again to close his greatest. Maybe it was a coincidence that it got here on Isak’s debut. Maybe, although, a person who is never overshadowed was making some extent.
Mohamed Salah doubled Liverpool’s lead inside six minutes (Motion Photos through Reuters)
Certainly, Liverpool had been 2-0 up earlier than Isak had even touched the ball. The primary was, in some methods, an impressively unhealthy aim, a poor free kick deflected in by a person who was making an attempt to get out of the way in which of it. But the ball struck ’s heel to wrongfoot Oblak. Generally, although, managerial choices simply work. This was not the explanation Slot introduced Robertson into the facet as he took the flailing Milos Kerkez out of the firing line, in search of defensive solidity which, it transpired, his facet nonetheless lacked. However, for simply the second time, the Scot was a scorer within the Champions League.
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Liverpool’s second was altogether extra intentional and typical, the kind of one-two Salah usually performs as he cuts infield. Ryan Gravenberch, who had received the free kick for the opener, returned the ball to him. Salah angled a shot previous Oblak.
Salah was electrical, near a spectacular second with a curling shot, denied by the submit when he ought to have prolonged Liverpool’s lead. There are days when he appears unattainable to include. This was the primary such event within the present marketing campaign.
Isak’s debut was largely overshadowed by the insanity round him (Motion Photos through Reuters)
And but his misses, and people of his colleagues, might have come at a price. Atletico had been with out the injured Julian Alvarez however discovered a talisman in Llorente. The midfielder has solely scored seven Champions League objectives, however 4 have come at Anfield; they could supply causes for Liverpool to recruit him.
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He halved the deficit when he poked in a shot after a go from Giacomo Raspadori. Alisson was aggrieved that the offside Antoine Griezmann was in his line of imaginative and prescient. On a day of bemusing officiating, referee Maurizio Mariani had even tried to award a penalty when the ball struck Clement Lenglet’s abdomen, so it was not essentially the most contentious choice.
Marcos Llorente appeared to have performed it once more for Atletico at Anfield (Getty Photos)
Llorente levelled with a sweetly-struck volley that nonetheless took a sizeable deflection off Alexis Mac Allister. Given the unwitting function Robertson performed within the opener, Liverpool might scarcely complain.
However they rallied, as they’ve earlier than. Ridiculously, Van Dijk’s aim was solely their third newest this season – Salah at Burnley and Ngumoha struck even deeper into matches. One other late, late present. And Isak, watching on from the bench by then, have to be questioning what, precisely, he has joined.