Match report: Midtjylland 1-1 Liverpool
Andy Hunter, the Guardian’s man on the Merseyside beat, offers his take on a match where both sides are entitled to feel slightly aggrieved at being denied victory.
Mo Salah - record-breaker ...
The Egyptian’s early goal means he is now Liverpool’s top-scorer in the Champions League with 22, taking him past Steven Gerrard. No Liverpool player has ever scored a quicker Champions League either.
Trent Alexander-Arnold speaks ...
“It was a difficult game for us, it was always going to be difficult,” says Liverpool’s captain. “We expected that – it was difficult at Anfield when we played them a few weeks ago. It’s obviously a bit disappointing because we wanted to come here and win and weren’t able to do that.
“We faced a good team who, looking at the group stage, you probably wouldn’t expect to be as good as they are with their amount of points. But respect to them – a really good team. In the second half they had the momentum, they controlled the game better than us. They kept the ball better and always attacked really well.”
Is there anyone in the world, football fan or otherwise, who would think this improves the game. pic.twitter.com/Y0wqtBSNh3
— Jay Es (@jay_es_one) December 9, 2020
A good game: Considering there was little more at stake than pride, that was a surprisingly entertaining game, at least until officialdom decided to ruin it by taking aeons to rule out goals for the most spurious reasons imaginable.
The “clear and obvious error” diktat does not apply to offside decisions, but as far as the rest are concerned - if it takes more than a few seconds to realise you’ve made an error, then it almost certainly isn’t clear and obvious. I refer, specifially, to the Minamino goal that was ruled out for reasons that remain unclear. I think it was for a Sadio Mane handball in the build-up, but it could scarcely have been more innocuous.
Full-time: FC Midtjylland 1-1 Liverpool
Peep! Peep! Peep! It’s all over in Denmark where the highlight of a second half punctuated by substitutions and VAR checks finally ends. A point apiece in a game of no consequence to either side seems fair enough, although both will feel they could have won it but for the intervention of technology. Mo Salah put Liverpool ahead inside within a minute, but Midtjylland’s second half performance was much improved and they restored parity through an Alexander Schulz penalty in the 62nd minute.
90+7 min: Kelleher punches a high ball clear, flattening Erik Sviatchenko in the process. There’s no foul there, but the Midtjylland skipper felt the full weight of the Irish goalkeeper.
90+4 min: We’re four minutes into eight of added time, many of them necessary because of all the standing around the players have been forced to endure as they waited for their goals to be chalked off.
90+1 min: Minamino’s goal is ruled out and I have no idea why. It’s possible Sadio Mane has been penalised for heading a Jordan Henderson delivery onto his own hand before it dropped for Minamino. Remember - if you ever complained at length about a referee, or a linesman, or demanded technology in the days before it arrived, you now have the game you wanted. This fiasco is on you.
90 min: Takumi Minamino scores a winner for Liverpool from six yards, pouncing on a Mane downward header. Needless to say, it’s ruled out for handball or an offside. We’re having another VAR check - it looks like a good goal to me - Minamino was neither offside, nor the perpetrator of a handball.
88 min: Clarkson loses the ball on the edge of the Midtjylland penalty area following a Liverpool corner and the hosts attack on the break. It’s six-on-three and they look certain to score until Jordan Henderson intervenes with a last-ditch tackle.
87 min: Liverpool substitution: Sadio Mane replaces Diogo Jota.
85 min: Midtjylland corner. Evander floats the ball into the penalty area, where an unmarked Sviatchenko leaps and gets a free header. Kelleher dives to his right and pushes the ball out to safety.
84 min: Isaksen shoots straight at Kelleher, when he should perhaps have done better.
81 min: Mikael Andersen is booked following a collision with Diogo Jota. The Liverpool man looked to be more at fault, if anyone was the aggressor, but it’s the Icelandic international who gets the card.
79 min: After a ridiculously long pause for the goal check, it is decided that somebody was offside and Alexander Scholz’s “goal” is ruled out.
77 min: Marvellous. Another VAR check. Alexander Scholz smashes the ball into the Liverpool net after several phases of play following a ball from deep into the Liverpool penalty area. Was he offside? Was somebody else offside? Was anyone offside? Does anyone care?
75 min: Liverpool substitution: Roberto Firmino is on for Divock Origi. Midtjylland substitution: Anders Dreyer makes way for Pione Sisto.
72 min: TV evidence suggests the curtain-twitchers in charge of the VAR rulers, set squares and electron microscope appear to have done their job and decided that Anders Dreyer was in fact onside by millimetres as he ran on to that pass from deep in the build-up to the Midtjylland penalty.
70 min: Midtjylland continue to dominate the second half, having made some changes of their own. Gustav Isaksen and Mikael Andersen are on for Frank Onyeka and Awer Mabil.
67 min: Sensing the need for a wise head out on the pitch, Jurgen Klopp sends on Jordan Henderson, who takes the captain’s armband from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Naby Keita makes way. In other Liverpool substitution news, Kostas Tskimikas has been forced off with injury and is replaced by Andy Robertson.
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63 min: For all the debate that will quietly simmer about that controversial goal in a game that doesn’t really matter, Midtjylland deserved that goal for all the pressure they put Liverpool under since half-time. We can only assume the referee over-ruled the offside decision in the build-up to the penalty, otherwise it wouldn’t have been a penalty.
Kelleher avoided a red card thanks to the double jeopardy rule - because he went for the ball, he only gets a booking. If he’d taken Dreyer out without trying to get the ball, he’d have seen red.
GOAL! Midtjylland 1-1 Liverpool (Scholz 62pen)
Alexander Scholz scores into the bottom right-hand corner. Kelleher went the right way but couldn’t get a fingertip to it.
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PENALTY TO MIDTJYLLAND!
The ref goes to his pitchside monitor and decides to give Caoimhin Kelleher a yellow card and the Danish side a spot-kick, despite the offside flag in the build-up to Dreyer’s chance. How odd.
58 min: Dreyer gets in behind the Liverpool defence to latch on to a ball from deep. Kelleher is quick off his line and fouls the Midtjylland No36, who manages to prod the ball past him anyway. It’s cleared off the line by Leighton Clarkson, the flag goes up for offside and now we’re having a VAR check.
57 min: In for Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas limps off with some manner of injury after receiving treatment. He’ll be assessed on the sideline.
55 min: Out on the left flank, Paulinho curls a cross into the Liverpool penalty area. Sory Kaba leaps highest but sends his header the wrong side of the upright.
53 min: Dreyer wins a free-kick a little inside the Liverpool half, on the back of a tussle with Tsimikas. The ball’s floated towards the Liverpool penalty area, where Koumetio heads it into the arms of Kelleher.
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52 min: Liverpool’s youngsters are seriously under the cosh in the early stages of this second half, with Midtjylland appearing to have the scent of blood in their nostrils.
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50 min: Evander swivels to smash an effort off the crossbar. The rebound bounces up for Sory Kaba, who sends a bicycle kick wide.
49 min: And defend it he does with some aplomb, thumping the inswinger clear with a meaty header.
48 min: Koumetio gets his first touch, heading the ball out for a throw-in. Moments later, he has a corner to defend.
Second half: Midtjylland 0-1 Liverpool
46 min: We get to run the rule over another Liverpooll youngster, as Jurgen Klopp has made a change. Billy Koumetio is on for Fabinho, the 18-year-old Frenchman making what I think is his senior debut. Feel free to @ me if I’m wrong, but only in the most polite possible terms.
Elsewhere in the Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain lead Istanbul Basaksehir 4-0 in the game that was carried over from last night after being abandoned in controversial circumstances. Neymar has bagged himself a hat-trick, with Kylian Mbappe settling for just one goal so far.
Half-time: Midtjylland 0-1 Liverpool
Having scored inside a minute through Mo Salah, Liverpool go in at the break with a one-goal lead. Their young side has dominated Midtjylland but the Danish side have had their moments despite the early set-back.
45+2 min: Naby Keita shoots on the turn from the edge of the Midtjylland penalty area after good work from Trent Alexander-Arnold. His effort is straight at Hansen, who clutches the ball to his midrift.
45+1 min: Sviachenko goes through Jota in his efforts to get the ball on the halfway line and is lucky to avoid a booking.
44 min: Diogo Jota receives a pass from Mo Salah and shoots for goal, but his drive is straight at Jesper Hansen and a nice height for the goalkeeper, who bats it away.
43 min: Paulinho and Evander combine down the left for Midtjylland before spreading the ball wide to the right flank. Dion Cools crosses for Awer Mabil at the far post but his effort from close range is blocked by Kelleher.
41 min: Sory Kaba tries his luck from distance, but the Midtjylland man sends his effort well wide.
38 min: Midtjylland have upped their game and win themselves a corner. Evander sends his delivery to the near post and Liverpool clear despite the best attempts of Alexander Scholz to get his forehead to it and steer it goalwards.
36 min: Some admin catch-up: Dion Cools was booked a few minutes for a foul in the build-up to that Divock Origi miss. It was so long ago, I’ve forgotten whose ankle he trod on to earn his booking.
33 min: Superb defending from Fabinho, who is in place to hook a Sory Kaba far post header off the line with Kelleher beaten. The Guinea international rose high to connect with a cross from the right and looked to have scored with a firm downward header until Fabinho intervened.
31 min: With plenty of time to take a touch and control the ball, Divock Origi snatches at a glorious pass from Mo Salah and scuffs a poor effort wide when the Midtjylland goal was at his mercy from about 15 yards out.
30 min: Diogo Jota and Minamino combine on the edge of the Midtjylland penalty area, trying to tee up Divock Origi. The ball doesn’t break kindly for him and a promising looking attack comes to naught.
28 min: Liverpool continue to boss the game, with occasional interruptions from Midtjylland, who aren’t seeing much of the ball.
24 min: Midtjylland corner. The ball’s played into ther Liverpool penalty area, where Origi fails to clear with a poor header. Fabinho takes control, deeftly heading the loose, bouncing ball into the hands of Caoimhin Kelleher.
23 min: Alexander Scholz and Jesper Hansen combine to deny Mo Salah, the defender shepherding the ball into the penalty area so his goalkeeper can dash to the edge and claim it.
21 min: Midtjylland embark on a rare sortie out of their own half, pressing and probing down the right flank. Sviachenko plays the ball into sdpace behind |left-back Tskimikas, but Caoimhin Kelleher is quick out of his goal and penalty area to win it back for Liverpool.
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18 min: Hansen repels Liverpool again, displaying great reflexes to save a Mo Salah volley from about four yards out, the Egyptian having been picked out by a wonderful curling cross from Minamino.
17 min: “Let’s hope Klopp wasn’t comparing Clarkson to Steffen Freund,” writes Stephen Carr. “Otherwise he’ll end up on the receiving end of an on pitch throttling from Big Dunc.”
16 min: Mo Salah runs on to a ball over the top from Takumi Minamino and brings a smart save out of Hansen at his near post. The flag goes up for offside - his effort would not have counted if he had beaten the goalkeeper.
14 min: Trent Alexander-Arnold plays a crossfield pass from the right, that’s helped out towards Kostas Tskimis on the left touchline by Clarkson. Liverpool win themselves a corner, from which nothing comes.
12 min: An email: “Lothar Matheus,” writes Alex Sendtner. “That’s my guess of whom Leighton Clarkson reminds Klopp of, since he’s mentioning No 8 or No 6.”
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10 min: Mo Salah’s nutmegged the Midtjylland goalkeeper on 55 seconds, making it the quickest goal Liverpool have ever scored in the Champions League.
8 min: There’s another break in play so Divock Origi can receive treatment after being scythed down by Frank Onyeka. The tackle earns the Midtjylland midfielder a yellow card from referee Francois Letexier.
7 min: There was surprise at the inclusion of Mo Salah in tonight’s experimental line-up, but in his role as a pundit on BT Sport, Peter Crouch suggested a theory that had crossed my mind as well.
He reckoned that Mo is so obsessed with scoring goals that he probably asked to play because he thought he might fill his boots tonight. He’s got off to a good start.
5 min: Midtjylland’s Kenyan-born Australian Awer Mabil collides with one of his teram-mates and goes down with a bang on the hand. There’s a break in play while he receives treatment.
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4 min: Shellshocked after conceding so early, Midtjylland try to regroup. They attack up the left flank with Jens Cajuste sending a low cross into the Liverpool penalty area. Rhy Williams intercepts.
GOAL! Midtjylland 0-1 Liverpool (Salah 1)
Ah lads. Mo Salah latches on to a poor back-pass from midfielder towards Midtjylland Erik Svitachenko and finds himself in a one-on-one against the home goalkeeper, Jesper Hansen. He stabs the ball goalwards and it appears to hit the goalkeeper but trickle slowly over the line regardless.
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1 min: Midtjylland win an early free-kick that leads to a cross into the Liverpool penalty area from the right. Fabionho heads clear.
Midtjylland v Liverpool is go ...
The match kicks off with the players of Midtjylland wearing white shirts, shorts and socks. Liverpool’s players wear red shirts, shorts and socks.
Not long now: The teams march out, Midtjylland leading the way followed by Liverpool, led by Trent Alexander-Arnold. They line up either side of the match officials for the Champions League anthems ahead of the last of the pre-match niceties. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
Jurgen Klopp: “I’m really looking forward to the game,” he says in a pre-match interview with BT Sport.”We’ve made some changes but we had to. We’re bringing in fresh legs, natural desire.”
On the inclusion of Leighton Clarkson: “Leighton is one of the biggest talents in our club. He’s a midfielder No8 or No6. He’s a very talented boy and I’m really happy to give him his opportunity because he deserves it.”
Klopp also says Clarkson reminds him of a famous German international but rather infuriatingly, doesn’t mention who, possibly because he doesn’t want to put undue pressure on the boy. Let’s see if we can guess over the course of the 90 minutes.
Midtjylland v Liverpool line-ups
FC Midtjylland: Hansen, Cajuste, Cools, Paulinho, Dreyer, Evander, Kaba, Mabil, Onyeka, Scholz, Sviatchenko.
Subs: Andersen, Andersson, Dyhr, Hoegh, Isaksen, Ottesen, Pfeiffer, Sery, Sisto, Thorsen, Vibe.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, R Williams, Fabinho, Tskimikas, Clarkson, Keita, Minamino, Jota, Origi, Salah.
Subs: Adrian, Jaros, Wijnaldum, Firmino, Mane, Henderson, Jones, Robertson, Matip, Cain, N Williams, Koumetio.
Eight changes to Liverpool
Trent Alexander-Arnold returns from injury and will captain Liverpool for the first – but almost certainly not the last – time tonight. Caoimhin Kelleher, Fabinho and Mohamed Salah are the only three players to remain from the side that walloped Wolves over the weekend, while among the changes midfielder Leighton Clarkson deserves a tip of the hat for making his Champions League debut.
Liverpool team to play Midtjylland ...
Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, R Williams, Fabinho, Tskimikas, Clarkson, Keita, Minamino, Jota, Origi, Salah.
Tonight’s match officials
- Referee: Francois Letexier
- Assistants: Mehdi Rahmoun and Cyril Gringore
- VAR: Clement Turpin
Updated
Jurgen Klopp speaks
“We have all the respect for Midtjylland,” said Liverpool’s manager during his pre-match press conference. “Since Sunday, I’ve thought a lot about them. We will be prepared. We were lucky to beat them [on Matchday 2]. Really good performances and that is how it is. You learn with experience, the hard way. They should be really proud so far of what they have done.”
Brian Priske speaks
“We are all looking forward to the last match in this year’s Champions League, which is also our last home game [of 2020],” said the Midtjylland head coach. “We will do everything to deliver a great result and actually expect a lot from ourselves after last week’s experience against Atalanta. All our energy and strength is directed towards Liverpool tomorrow and the attempt to get three more points.”
Early team news ...
French 18-year-old Billy Koumetio could feature for Liverpool at centre-back, while his fellow fringe players Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and Rhys Williams may also get a run-out in Denmark. Young midfielders Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson are also expected to get some minutes.
Irish youngster Caoimhin Kelleher should keep his place after keeping two clean sheets while deputising for first choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Having sat out Liverpool’s emphatic win over Wolves on Sunday, Dioga Jota is likely to up front tonight in a front three with Origi and Minamino.
Unlike his opposite number, whose lengthy injury list has been well documented, Midtjylland manager Brian Priske has a full squad to choose from ... possibly because his side are never forced to play at lunchtime on Saturday’s by BT Sport’s pitchside reporter Des Kelly.
Champions League: FC Midtjylland v Liverpool
Denmark’s Herning Arena is the venue as FC Midtjylland entertain Liverpool in the final round of games in Group D. Rubbers don’t come more unresponsive and deceased than this one, what with the Danish champions already destined to finish bottom of the group, while their Premier League counterparts have already booked their place in the knockout stages as Group winners.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to rotate his squad tonight and is likely to blood a few youngsters in the process. Kick-off in Middle Jutland is at 5.55pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
