The Reds claims back their Champions League spot after a four year ordeal by defeating Hoffenheim 4-2 (6-3 agg)



JURGEN KLOPP claimed football is unlike ice-skating and that he is not interested in performances of beauty.

Yet his team delivered a majestic attacking display last night – one which deserved full marks –  to ensure a fifth English team in Thursday’s Champions League draw.

As for Hoffenheim, they crashed through the ice and into the Europa League draw instead.
Problems remain in Liverpool’s defence as we saw on a couple of occasions yet again but some of their offensive play was absolutely brilliant. Philippe who? . . .

This was Klopp’s biggest contest of his Liverpool career and he was clearly under some pressure going into the game, yet man-of-the-match Roberto Firmino tortured Hoffenheim and was rewarded with a second half goal, while Sadio Mane was also impressive, yet again.

In a stunning opening 21 minutes, Emre Can scored twice and Mohamed Salah grabbed his first goal at Anfield. Klopp had nothing to worry about. The tie was already over.

Given stick back home in Germany for the style of his team’s 2-1 win in the first leg, Klopp went on the defensive before the game and seemed to be getting a few excuses in.

In that terrific opening spell, as good as anything you will see in the early stages of a second leg match, Liverpool embarrassed their opponents.
 
This was the battle between the fourth-placed teams in the Premier League and Bundesliga and for once – not that it means much at this stage – England came out on top.

How Liverpool progress in the group stages remains to be seen but at least the club are back where they want to be and can avoid those Thursday nights with even more matches being played on a Sunday..

This was a brutal lesson for Hoffenheim’s 30-year-old manager Julian Nagelsmann, who has done an incredible job by bringing this club into Europe for the first time but watched in horror as his defence was torn to shreds by the home side’s front three.

Arsenal visit Anfield on Sunday and Arsene Wenger will not have been comfortable watching this.
After a powerful start, with Hoffenheim’s defence looking overwhelmed, Liverpool’s opener was no surprise.


FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS
  • Both sides made various changes to their teams which played at the weekend, with Liverpool making five and Hoffenheim six
  • Liverpool opted to stick with the exact same starting XI which won away in Germany last week
  • Alexander-Arnold had to plead his case to take last week’s successful free-kick, but as soon as Liverpool won a set-piece today the ball was thrust straight into his hands
  • Sadio Mane couldn’t resist egging on the cheering Liverpool fans after he was targeted by a section of booing Hoffenheim supporters
  • Jurgen Klopp showed just how much the performance meant by celebrating every single goal as if he’d won the Champions League trophy itself
  • Hoffenheim billed it as their ‘biggest-ever game’ but clearly hadn’t done their homework when they decided to make a huge tactical change with less than 25 minutes on the clock

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tyson Fury 'will not apply' for new licence to fight

Image
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury says he will not reapply for a licence to fight from the British Boxing Board of Control. The 29-year-old had his licence revoked in October 2016 after allegations of doping emerged in June of that year. Fury, who hinted at a comeback in March, tweeted: "After thinking long and hard about my return, I will not be applying for a BBBofC boxing license." "After the way they have handled stuff, no thanks." His decision not to seek a new licence casts Fury's future as a boxer into doubt again, although he has previously appeared to end his career via social media. In October 2016 he tweeted: "I'm the greatest, and I'm also retired" before performing a u-turn three hours later. But he has not fought since November 2015, when he shocked Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf to claim the IBF, WBO and WBA world titles. Fury pulled out of one rematch scheduled for July 2016 with an ankle injury, before withdrawin...
Read more

Chelsea's win at Atletico is a sign of the Premier League's revival in Europe

Image
 Some results mean more than others and have a greater impact, but one statistic underlines the magnitude of Chelsea's 2-1 Champions League victory on Wednesday at Atletico Madrid. Atletico have faced English clubs in Europe on countless occasions over the years, starting with a European Cup Winners' Cup clash against Leicester City in 1961. Until Michy Batshuayi struck with a 94th-minute winner for the Premier League champions in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, they had never lost to a visitor from England on home turf. Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool have all previously tried and failed to win at Atletico, as have Leicester, Derby County, Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers. But on their very first European night at their new stadium, Atletico surrendered their proud record against English opponents and, more importantly, could have no complaints about doing so. In a week that has seen the Premier League giants cruise to impressive Champions ...
Read more

Romelu Lukaku named Everton Player of the Season by teammates and fans.

Image
Romelu Lukaku thanked manager Ronald Koeman for making him a better footballer after being named Everton's Player of the Season by both his teammates and the supporters. Lukaku, 23, picked up the Players' Player of the Season award and the Player of the Season trophy chosen by Everton fans at the club's end-of-season awards night on Tuesday. The Belgium international, linked with a summer exit from Goodison Park, has scored 25 goals in all competitions, with 24 of those coming in the Premier League. He said he was not always an easy guy and thanked Koeman for helping him reach the next level. Lukaku leads the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot, having scored three more than nearest rival Harry Kane of Tottenham with two games remaining  although Spurs have a game in hand. I'm very happy, he said in a speech accepting the awards. I want to thank the manager for pushing me, even though sometimes I'm not always an easy guy. He's taken me to ...
Read more