Do read Andy Hunter’s match report:
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Liverpool top Group E! Napoli and RB Salzburg played out a 1-1 draw tonight and Liverpool can qualify for the last 16 when they take on the Serie A side later this month. The mood in the Liverpool is understandably feelgood but James Milner knows they were not at their peak best. “I thought we were good at times and a bit sloppy at others, but the workload has been massive at the moment,” he says. “I’m just pleased to get the result. Set pieces are always going to be dangerous and when you have six changes one of the hardest things bits to pick up is team shape and people doing different jobs to what they normally do. It’s something to look at and improve on.” Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with a whacking ice pack on the ankle, says: “I feel like I’m getting better with every game physically but I think there’s more to come from me. It’s nice to be chipping in with the odd goal as well.
Full-time: Liverpool 2-1 Genk
Job done.
90 min: Liverpool have three minutes to extend their lead/hang on.
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89 min: Origi lashes one wide, and that’s his final contribution. He gets a hearty reception – another decent shift – and on comes Bobby Firmino.
88 min: Onuachu has been lively since coming on. Genk try to float the ball into him to attack but Alisson gathers. Firmino is about to enter for Liverpool.
87 min: Salah, almost! The Liverpool forward is slipped in a treat but after a marvellous show of strength, he overplays a little and is eventually crowded out. Meanwhile Genk are not going down without a fight ...
86 min: Onuachu and Bongonda replace De Norre and Hrosovsky.
85 min: “Hi Ben, watching Liverpool struggle to kill off Genk while reading about the 4-4 down the (long-ish) road has me thinking we’re watching the wrong game, a bit like watching Liverpool do away with Porto while City and Spurs traded four goals in seven minutes last year,” emails Bobby Moore. Me too.
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82 min: A raging Casper De Norre is booked for dissent after Joe Gomez buys a cheap foul out of Dieumerci Ndongala.
81 min: Genk almost level! De Norre dinks a wonderful ball into Heynen, who chests the ball down, swivels inside the box and rattles an effort goalwards. He had the freedom of Liverpool as he turned and wellied the ball at goal but Alisson does well to get down low to his left. Klopp and co have been warned.
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80 min: Origi makes a crude challenge on Dewaest. The striker tries to jump out of the way of the Genk midfielder but crashes into him instead.
78 min: Liverpool are not trying too hard for a third and Genk are not trying hard enough to dig out an equaliser. At Stamford Bridge, chaos and a good old fashioned nine-goal thriller:
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74 min: Robertson replaces Keïta and a standing ovation from the Kop as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is withdrawn. On comes Mané.
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73 min: Not a lot is happening, so here’s a killer stat, courtesy of Opta: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored four goals in his last four games for Liverpool; as many as in his previous 45 appearances for the club.
70 min: Liverpool are knocking the ball about for fun. They’re enjoying themselves – but could do with a third. Will Klopp add Mané or Firmino into the mix? He must be tempted.
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69 min: Andy Robertson is getting stripped to come on.
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68 min: Genk’s Dieumerci Ndongala replaces Ito.
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67 min: Salah kills the ball with a wonderful first touch and tries to pick out Milner roaming down the left but Genk cut it out.
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65 min: Alexander-Arnold sends a piledriver sailing over the bar with his left foot. Liverpool are certainly trying to hunt down a third goal.
64 min: Genk have stuck at their task, as did Slavia Prague:
62 min: Liverpool win a corner after another exquisite move. Salah dummied the ball for Wijnaldum, who struck at goal with the outside of his boot. The corner comes to nothing and Ito breaks forward for Genk but he blasts the ball into Row ZZ.
60 min: Dewaest heads a Heynen free-kick straight at Alisson. The Genk defender appeared offside anyway. Meanwhile, Chelsea are getting thumped:
58 min: Salah does absolutely everything – but finish! The Egyptian does superbly to brush off a robust challenge from his marker before allowing the ball to run into his path. He drives into a yard of space, drifting on to his left foot but, in the end, it’s a powder-puff strike. An anticlimax after another incisive Liverpool break.
55 min: Another stunning Liverpool move, with Origi nonchalantly flicking the ball into Wijnaldum, who almost supplies Salah. “We are the champions, champions of Europe!” comes the chant. Normal service resumed at Anfield.
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GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Genk (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 53)
Superb, smarting finish. Salah does well to keep his marker at arm’s length before Oxlade-Chamberlain takes over the baton and swivels before smashing one into the bottom corner from 20 yards out at the Kop end. Sublime strike.
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51 min: Close! Another great move by Genk culminates in Trent Alexander-Arnold diving in to steal the ball away and clear Liverpool’s lines. Heynen surged forward into acres of space behind the defence before pinging a ball across goal. The assistant referee raises his flag, presumably for offside but replays show the midfielder was miles on. Nothing new there.
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49 min: Origi tries his luck from 25 yards! It is curling into the far corner but Coucke gets a strong left hand down to it and smothers the ball. It was bending in and the Genk goalkeeper had to act. He made a bit of a meal of it, but got there in the end.
48 min: A flat start to the second half. Klopp’s not having this. He orders Mané, Firmino and, er, Lovren out to warm up.
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46 min: Liverpool get us back under way at Anfield.
Pep Guardiola doesn’t think Mané is naughty after all:
Half-time news bulletin:
Half-time: Liverpool 1-1 Genk
Van Dijk flicks a header just wide as the referee blows his whistle. Lucumí had conceded a corner, which Alexander-Arnold recycled on the edge of the box, lashing at goal. Van Dijk connected with it but his header drops just wide. And with that the players head down the tunnel. Liverpool were in cruise control but in the end they did not have things all their own way.
45 min: There will be one minute of added time.
44 min: Origi drags wide! The striker should have done better. He smashes the ball wide of a post after being played in by Fabinho, who made a heavy challenge on a Genk defender to steal the ball away before nudging it into the path of Origi.
43 min: What’s Samatta with Liverpool? Genk bare their teeth as Joe Gomez drops off Heynen, allowing the Genk midfielder to send a stinging shot just wide of Alisson’s right post. Liverpool have gone to sleep the past five minutes.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Genk (Samatta, 41)
What a header! Mbwana Samatta flies to the front post and powers home a corner to punish Liverpool, who totally switched off. In truth it was a mad minute or so for Liverpool, who allowed Genk to whip an initial cross in from the right, which Alexander-Arnold got a crucial touch on to intervene to take the ball away from Samatta, conceding a corner in the process. But then Liverpool allowed Samatta a second bite of the cherry and the Tanzanian unmistakably finished.
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37 min: Keïta drags wide! It stems from another Alexander-Arnold corner, which is fired into van Dijk, who is lurking off centre. But the Dutch defender swipes thin air. Liverpool work it to Keïta, as Genk’s defence go missing but the midfielder’s shot is off target. Moments later Salah is in on goal but the Slovakian referee pulls up the forward for a foul on Dewaest.
35 min: Liverpool go close! Another sumptuous ball in from the left by – you’ve guessed it – Milner and Salah fires just wide! He latched on to the pass and tried to drive the ball into the corner but he could not squeeze it inside the far post. Liverpool have mustered 11 attempts on goal. Genk? Just the none.
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34 min: Keïta surges forward but runs into a roadblock. Meanwhile Oxlade-Chamberlain goes to ground after taking a wholehearted whack. He seems to have twisted or rolled his ankle. But the Liverpool midfielder is soon back up on his feet. He’s trying to run it off. Nothing to see here?
30 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain twists and turns just inside the box, as if he is skiing down the slopes – he works a wonderful opening – but Genk make a last-ditch block. A second goal is coming. Liverpool fans can feel it, smell it.
29 min: James Milner is verging on unplayable down the left. The makeshift defender piles forward down the left and whips in another cross, this time to no avail. Liverpool are enjoying themselves and Genk, too. The visitors are under the cosh but are no longer happy to merely shut up shop.
28 min: Genk get away with one as the goalkeeper Coucke makes a mess of a routine clearance. Luckily for him, De Norre is in close proximity and able to hoover up the danger with Salah lurking. Liverpool supporters promptly drown Anfield in the sweet sound of Si Señor, an infectious ode to Roberto Firmino.
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26 min: Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Origi combine – but the latter is flagged offside. It is another electric move down the left. There is so much going on, so much for Genk to handle.
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23 min: Dewaest hacks it clear, Genk surge forward but then they gift it straight back to Liverpool, who break through Oxlade-Chamberlain. Then Keïta is in down the left, with the midfielder forcing a save out of Coucke in the Genk goal. This game is beginning to ebb and flow, with Genk coming out of their shells.
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22 min: Jhon Lucumí is booked for pulling, tugging and just about everything else at Mo Salah’s shirt. The Genk defence is already strained. Salah and Alexander-Arnold are stood over the free-kick, on the edge of the box. Twenty yards out ...
20 min: Naby Keïta nicks the ball away from Ito, just as it seems the Genk striker is winding up for an ambitious shot, a good 35 yards from goal. Then Liverpool pound forward down the other end and Milner sends a snapshot wide.
18 min: It’s going to be a long night for the Genk defence. Salah almost races in behind the visitors’ back line – but the flag goes up.
16 min: That was all rather easy for Liverpool. A simple move down the left, after neat interplay and a triangle or two. And then a teasing cross into the box is not dealt with and Wijnaldum fires home instinctively.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Genk (Wijnaldum, 14)
Keïta, Milner and Origi combine down the left flank and, when Milner delivers approaching the byline, the Genk defence panics and they duly fail to clear their lines. There is Georginio Wijnaldum, who applies a deft, hooked finish.
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12 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain is pickpocketed on halfway after Keïta found the midfielder. It was patient buildup play, with Alexander-Arnold cannoning a pass into Keïta, who wriggled away from a couple of white shirts before the move broke down. Genk pour forward on the counter but nothing comes of it.
11 min: Salzburg lead Napoli. Erling Braut Haaland, of course.
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9 min: Another corner. Another Alexander-Arnold training-ground routine, with the full-back playing the ball into Virgil van Dijk, who peels off his man into shed loads of space. Van Dijk hooks it towards goal but it’s wayward.
8 min: It’s taken preposterously quick, but Salah cannot connect properly with the pass. Liverpool, who are dominating possession, will go again.
7 min: Alexander-Arnold wins a corner ...
5 min: Van Dijk plays a flawless 40-yard diagonal into James Milner, who finds Naby Keïta. Nice little move but Liverpool cannot get a clear shot away. They recycle the ball down the right, with Wijnaldum driving into plenty of space down the right. Origi is in the middle but the midfielder failed to pick him out.
3 min: De Norre tries and fails to dink the ball over the top to Ito.
1 min: Divock Origi, who joined Genk aged six before later joining Lille, surges down the left. Then Wijnaldum goes on the rampage. Liverpool begin with plenty of intent.
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Peeeeeeeeep!
Genk get things started.
The teams trudge out of the tunnel at Anfield. It’s time.
Beat this for a Genk/Gent tale. “Whilst I was in charge of Liverpool Hope University’s outdoor activity centre in North Wales, one enterprising student who had missed the coach to take him to his week-long residential course near Barmouth, decided to catch the train from Liverpool instead,” begins Graham Moger on email. “‘Well done, lad’, we thought and said we’d pick him up from the nearby station. Sadly, he caught the train to Bournemouth instead of Barmouth. He was studying Geography.” Well, well, well ...
“I can see Liverpool lining up 4-2-3-1,” emails Joe Shelton. “Fabinho and Gini the two, Ox, Keïta and Salah behind Origi?” Quite possibly – there’s only one way to find out. And Klopp reckons Genk could make life difficult by shoving five defenders, and possibly a few more, behind the ball. “It looks a little bit like they could play five at the back,” he says. “It would be the first time in ages but it is still possible. There is always some space in between the lines, we have to find that and make the pitch wide. We have to be strong, quick and direct.”
Klopp speaks, and says he is confident his captain, Jordan Henderson, will be fit for Sunday’s showdown with Manchester City despite not training because of illness on Monday. Henderson is absent this evening. “He wanted to make himself available but we said ‘go home again, you are whiter than a sheet’ so from tomorrow I think he will be fine,” Klopp says. “We have to be really careful, because we don’t want all of them [to be ill].”
Of those six changes, he adds: “It is to bring in fresh legs, fresh ideas, new skills and different ways to play. We never know what the other team is going to do to us. We didn’t meet in the car park before the game, we trained a couple of times together and, yeah, let’s play a football game. I said today in a meeting it looks like for two-and-half years every game is the most important in our life and this is again like this, a very important game and we want to show that on the pitch.”
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Regarding that Genk/Gent mix-up, and the possibility of a handful of Belgians following suit in search of Anfield, a tweet. “You’ve overlooked Liverpool Nova Scotia, which is also on the Mersey River,” says Steven Kempton. “A few have shown up in Sydney (Cape Breton) looking for the Opera House only to find a large fiddle.” And an email courtesy of Shane O’Leary: “I find it easy to respect and admire Pep, but impossible to connect in the same gut reaction way that I do with Der Kloppster. Pep gives the impression that he approaches making toast in the same way while Der Kloppster seems to be a more visceral, jumpers for goalposts and toast with a flamethrower kind of guy. Am I right?”
Alisson speaks, and says others raise seem to raise their game against Liverpool. “Everyone looks at us as the champions so when we go to the pitch, everyone wants to beat us,” he says. “I always have a big expectation on me all my life, so all of my life I have dealt with that. I just need to show my best on the pitch for my supporters and the team to achieve big things. I think I did really good last season and I want to do that again and, if possible, even better. We gave everything on the pitch last season and will try to do that again. Why not?”
Obviously we are only thinking about Genk – but Pep Guardiola did stoke a fire with those comments about Mané and diving. Jürgen Klopp’s riposte? To touch on Manchester City’s tactical fouls and defend his man, of course. “I don’t understand these types of things,” Klopp says. “My brain is not big enough to think about another team as well. I have enough to do to think about us.”
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From Paris to Berlin Birmingham to Qatar:
Team news news: Jürgen Klopp makes six changes, with James Milner filling in at left-back in the absence of Andy Robertson, who is given a breather ahead of the big one on Sunday. The Scot is on the bench, alongside Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, though Klopp will hope he does not have to call on any of the trio. Divock Origi gets the nod up front and Fabinho in midfield, while Oxlade-Chamberlain will play out wide and Gomez replaces Lovren.
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The teams!
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Gomez, Milner; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keïta; Salah, Origi, Oxlade-Chamberlain
Subs: Adrián, Lovren, Robertson, Lallana, Jones, Mané, Firmino
Genk (4-4-2): Coucke; Maehle, De Norre, Lucumí, Cuesta; Heynen, Hrosovsky, Dewaest, Berge; Ito, Samatta
Subs: Wouters, Onuachu, Piotrowski, Hagi, Vandevoordt, Bongonda, Ndongala
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia)
Preamble
Hopefully no Genk supporters have rocked up in Illinois or New South Wales expecting to watch their team turn over Jürgen Klopp’s side at Anfield. Two Liverpool supporters missed their 4-1 victory in Belgium last month after travelling to Gent, 80 miles away from Genk, by mistake. Surely not. Anyway, this is the easy bit for Klopp. Hours after Liverpool confirmed they will play twice in two days next month – presumably Klopp will not be in both Birmingham and then Qatar for the Carabao Cup and Fifa Club World Cup respectively – it is back to the day job and a competition they truly cherish. Their Premier League showdown against Manchester City is not until Sunday but first they have the chance to brush aside Genk. Fabinho could return after skipping Saturday’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa, while Klopp could start James Milner and hand Jordan Henderson a breather.
Napoli top Group E and will qualify for the last 16 if they beat Red Bull Salzburg and Genk fail to win at Anfield. There seems a good chance of that, with Liverpool in no mood to surrender with City on the horizon and Genk having conceded five goals in each of their past three Champions League away games. Klopp could not help but indulge in Sadio Mané talk and tactical-foul chat in the buildup to this one, though his players know the drill. “The story the boys wrote in the past three years was only possible because we were always focused on the next game,” Klopp said. “We have bigger ambitions in this competition than Tuesday night so we have to be 100% spot on. I don’t doubt my players at all. I would feel a bit embarrassed if I had to tell them ‘don’t think about Man City already.’” Think about Gent Genk.
Kick-off: 8pm (GMT)
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