Klopp speaks!
Jonathan Liew on Liverpool's night in Budapest
I reckon that’ll do from me. Stay tuned to the site for more reaction. Thanks a lot for joining me tonight – it’s been fun as ever, especially if you’re of a Liverpool persuasion. They appear to be back in business. Cheerio!
Something for happy Liverpool fans to tuck into here – David Hytner’s match report!
Given Alisson has had his problems in recent weeks it’s worth remembering he made a big save from Nkunku straight after half-time, before the goals. And *possibly* got a finger on that Olmo header against the post. He stood tall when Liverpool needed him tonight.
Henderson speaks:
“It was an important game, a tough game, but really happy overall. A good night and a good performance. From start to finish I thought we pressed really well, won the ball back, looked good going forward. A pleasing performance but it’s only half the job done.
“It was good to be able to create chances, we kept probing and finally got our reward with the goals. We just wanted to keep fighting every time we play and tonight was a good step in the right direction for us.”
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Liverpool were well worth that. They could have gone behind early on but after that they harassed Leipzig into all kinds of defensive errors, while not conceding too many chances themselves, and ultimately they made it count twice. Leipzig never really got into any rhythm; Liverpool had the old energy back and it bodes well.
Full-time: RB Leipzig 0-2 Liverpool
Possibly pretty important! Because we’re done now – that was a consummate and clinical from Liverpool, thanks to those Salah and Mane goals early in the second half. They have one foot firmly in the quarter-finals!
90+3 min: With surely the final action, Hwang misses a great chance for Leipzig, darting behind the defence but clipping just wide. How crucial might that be?
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90+2 min: “Liverpool definitely looked Hungary for the win tonight,” jests Gary Byrne in the second of three added minutes.
90 min: Liverpool are seeing this out with calmness, clarity and control. They look a little like their Old Selves.
88 min: “Faith restored in LFC!” writes Neil Johnson. Well, some of the stuff going around recently has been ludicrous but that seems to be the world we live in. Can this result, when confirmed, set their season back on the straight and narrow?
86 min: It is FOUR-ONE to Pochettino’s PSG in Barcelona. An Mbappe hat-trick. Fortunately Barca have no form for turning around a heavy first-leg deficit against this opposition.
84 min: Liverpool earn a corner from Alexander-Arnold’s surge and hope to put this to bed. But it turns out that won’t happen yet.
83 min: Liverpool are a little uncomfortable defending crosses from Angelino and Hwang ... but then the defender Klostermann whacks one miles high & wide, meaning it doesn’t matter.
81 min: A booking for Henderson as Leipzig wake up a little.
80 min: Oh, chance for Angelino from about the position where he cracked one in against Manchester United. He has a great left foot, but doesn’t catch this one and it bobbles well off target. Nagelsmann flings his arms around in frustration.
79 min: Now Sabitzer sets his sights and looks to atone for his earlier error, but lashes well wide from about 28 yards.
78 min: Leipzig had a little flurry after those back-to-back goals but don’t look like doing much at the moment. I have little to tell you about the last few minutes.
76 min: “Never mind squeaky bum time. We are deep into Alisson Bootwatch! So nerve-racking!” wails Peter Oh.
I make it, what, 18 minutes left? What could go wrong?
74 min: Nagelsmann brings on Hwang for Kampl – an attacking switch.
73 min: “Please just write the match MBM rather than talking about Liverpool injuries every five minutes. Every top team gets players injured and just gets on with it. Less fanboyism, more coverage of the match please,” writes “Freudiansnip Ad”.
I genuinely do not mind who wins this match. My team has already drawn 0-0 tonight.
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72 min: Firmino is given the final 20 minutes off; Shaqiri gets the runout. Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Thiago and instantly whips a dangerous ball across a vacant six-yard box.
71 min: 3-1 to PSG now at the Nou Camp. Moise Kean! And back here in Budapest it could, should be Mane again but he can’t control a beautiful Salah pass.
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70 min: From the free-kick, Leipzig think they’ve got in behind but, after Sabitzer heads across goal, the flag is hoisted aloft.
69 min: Now Kabak is booked after some sloppiness in midfield from Liverpool. He went in rashly on Poulsen.
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68 min: It’s now Barcelona 1-2 PSG. Another for Mbappe!
66 min: Angelino picks up a booking. For Leipzig’s part, they mustn’t concede another as one more Liverpool goal probably kills this completely.
65 min: Haidara and Mukiele – who was at fault for the second by the way, not Upamecano – are replaced by Orban and the big striker Poulsen.
63 min: Robertson blocks after good work from Nkunku gives Olmo a good chance. Liverpool don’t want to squander this. From the corner there’s a shout for handball and we will have a VAR check ... but only a quick one. No penalty.
As expected, weakness at centre back is proving critical @NickAmes82.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) February 16, 2021
I definitely didn’t liken Upamecano to Van Dijk in the earlier-trailed “five to watch” piece.
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61 min: Angelino is, again, the furthest Leipzig man forward but shoots wide of the near post.
60 min: Leipzig had been well warned in the first half about sloppiness in their own half. They didn’t heed it. It’ll now take a humungous effort to turn this tie around. Liverpool deserve this.
Goal! RB Leipzig 0-2 Liverpool (Mane, 58)
A near-identical goal puts Liverpool firmly in control of the tie! This time it’s Mukiele misjudging a long ball and missing his interception. Mane runs through the the outcome is never in doubt!
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56 min: It was Sabitzer’s wayward backpass, aimed at one of his own centre-backs but played in behind instead. What a blooper from one of Leipzig’s key man.
Goal! RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool (Salah, 53)
Brilliantly taken from Salah! Not for the first time, Liverpool seize onto a Leipzig error. Didn’t see who played the loose backpass, but it sends him running in behind and he sweeps home after giving Gulacsi the eyes. They have an away goal, in the manner we’d rather expected having seen that first half!
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52 min: “I think the point needs to be made that Liverpool are missing far more than just VvD,” writes Peter Kane. “All of the CBs and first reserve CBs are missing, and in cover, Liverpool have lost their two colossus midfielders trying to cover the situation. That has compromised so many facets of Liverpool’s style. If Gomez and Matip were fit, and Henderson and Fabino were playing in midfield, I suspect the VvD miss would have been quite manageable!”
Their new centre-back, Kabak, take a whack from Nkunku now and the Leipzig man is booked.
51 min: Liverpool come now and peg Leipzig back near their right-back position.
48 min: Olmo tries to turn onto an Angelino ball but can’t quite bring it under his spell. The German side have come out well.
46 min: Big save from Alisson! Leipzig make a fast start and Olmo plays Nkunku in behind Henderson ... but Alisson narrows the angle and deflects the ball behind! The corner is swept away by Salah.
Peeeep! The second half has begun
Who’ll make the breakthrough?
Back for the second half shortly. Liverpool would take a draw ordinarily, I’m pretty sure – but you do sense there is more on offer here for them.
Messi has scored for Barca tonight – but Kylian Mbappe has bagged one for PSG! Check out the latest here.
And a fair point from Jan Williams:
“I would say Liverpool losing Suarez to Barcelona in 2014 comes close – over 20 points less the following season and dropping from second to mid-table.”
Regarding Richard Hirst’s earlier Van Dijk question, an email from Martin Segerstrale:
“On a team missing a player as much as van Dijk, I think there’s a case to be had for prime Barca without Messi, even though we seldom saw it. Even the Barca of the last years was heavily reliant on Messi scoring a worldie here and there.”
Half-time: RB Leipzig 0-0 Liverpool
Olmo could have scored but hit the post; Salah could have scored but Gulacsi saved. Liverpool have shaded this, no doubt, but there really is all to play for after a fairly compelling half.
44 min: Leipzig enjoy some possession. They’ll want to be a little more precise on the ball after half-time.
42 min: Liverpool have a promising free-kick out on the right after Kampl fouls Jones. A chance, this. Until Sabitzer heads away at the near post, anyway.
41 min: I’d say Liverpool have been the better side overall, but not quite to the extent I’m hearing on my telly.
39 min: Cheap concessions from Leipzig inside their own half have been a feature here. At some point they’ll be punished.
38 min: Olmo, unmarked, heads over Angelino’s inviting cross. He needed to be a touch taller, as he had to stretch for that.
36 min: An error from Upamecano – what a rarity! – ends up with Mane being sent away, but his shot is blocked by Mukiele. He miskicks the second ball but manages to hook it back from near the byline and Firmino to head in ... only for the linesman to correctly adjudge it had gone out.
34 min: Angelino plays like a wing-back-cum-centre-forward. He is up there, poised, as Leipzig apply some pressure but the ball doesn’t find him.
32 min: Robertson nearly scores from 45 yards! After clearing that set piece, Liverpool break like lightning and Gulacsi races out of his box to stop Mane running through. Robertson takes possession and looks to float the ball over him ... and it drifts an inch over the top. A backpeddling Gulacsi ends up in the back of his own net and needs treatment, but he’ll be fine.
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31 min: Better from Leipzig, Sabitzer finding Angelino for a low centre that Henderson wallops behind. It’s a corner ... and it’s eventually cleared.
30 min: Adams seeks to play Angelino in with a diagonal but Alexander-Arnold deals with it consummately.
27 min: Leipzig haven’t got much going since that Olmo header. Perhaps the Sabitzer and Angelino shots. Liverpool are growing in confidence all the time and Firmino drags a shot wide.
24 min: Big chance for Mane! Liverpool hunt Leipzig down again, win possession and make ground down a right side that’s given them plenty of joy so far. Salah finds Firmino, who chips across to Mane for a leaping header ... but he puts it over. Liverpool are currently on top.
23 min: And again Upamecano intervenes after, not for the first time, Leipzig get into a pickle of their own making. Worth every Bavarian cent so far!
21 min: Upamecano, busy so far, heads away a whipped Robertson cross.
20 min: It’s a really good game so far, both sides exuding menace and having cause to feel encouraged with how it’s started. Upamecano stands up and fends off Salah now in a one-v-one situation.
18 min: Angelino rather snatches at an admittedly difficult volley beyond the back stick from Nkunku’s cross. Leipzig are having a bit of joy around Liverpool’s far post in the right-back position.
17 min: A sweeping Leipzig move ends with Sabitzer taking down Olmo’s high pass and forcing Alisson to dive and grab his 20-yard strike.
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15 min: Now a save from Gulacsi! Salah is sent away again on the inside right and the ex-Reds keeper stands up bravely to block his attempted chip. Moments later Firmino lashes into the side netting. Both sides can point to a decent chance here now.
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13 min: It’s all pretty choppy – both sides hurling themselves into midfield challenges. Liverpool get into another good area on the break but this time Salah can’t play the ball in front of Firmino.
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11 min: Ooh, Leipzig get in a mess from their own throw in and Salah runs away on the right. Upamecano has to divert his Mane-bound centre behind. Firmino gets a head on the corner but it’s dealt with.
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9 min: It’s definitely Leipzig on the front foot now, but no chances to match that Olmo header. So crucial for Liverpool, in their current form, that they didn’t fall behind early on.
6 min: Not quite sure why, but two “home” players – Haidara and Mukiele – were booked straight after that near miss.
5 min: Post! Or was it a save from Alisson? Either way Leipzig are within a whisker of going ahead – it’s a dug-out cross from the byline by Angelino and a darting, diving header at the near post by Olmo. Not sure if Alisson gets a touch but it comes off the inside of the upright and pings out!
4 min: Liverpool haven’t started badly. Leipzig are pressing them ferociously, as expected, but Klopp’s side are letting the ball do the work.
2 min: Thiago nibbles at Sabitzer and gets a talking to. Nothing silly required at this stage!
1 min: I think it’s actually a 4-3-3 from Leipzig with Olmo as a false nine, flanked by Adams and Nkunku.
Peeeeep! We begin!
Leipzig, left to right, get this party started.
I can hear that Champions League music! Goodness, don’t you miss crowds?
Here we go then, the teams are stepping out in Budapest, where the temperature is around freezing point.
Richard Hirst writes:
“As a Fulham supporter it’s nice to be reminded of Moritz Volz again – a good, unshowy player and a lovely man. On Liverpool, I’m having difficulty remembering another instance where a team has missed a single player as much as Liverpool seem to be missing Van Dijk. Any suggestions?”
Ohhh, that’s an excellent question. I’m going to throw it open to the floor ...
I’ve hit you with a lot of hot Leipzig #content but let’s save the best til last – Andy Brassell on the team from Saxony and their departing centre-back, Dayot Upamecano:
A reminder that away goals count in this tie – just reward for Liverpool if they can handle the febrile environment of an empty, neutral stadium.
“There is no ‘Leipzig exceptional talent all over the park’, compared to Liverpool. If anything, it’s system, tactics, courage, good gameplan” Liverpool the clear favourite,” explains Ernst Draxl.
I mean, I agree about the way they’ve been drilled and organised by Nagelsmann. It’s meticulous, intricate, you name it. But they do have excellent players to execute it – and Liverpool are without a fair few of theirs. So I call this 50/50.
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It’s an absolutely belting night of Champions League football – not only do we have this tie, but we can also bring you Barcelona v PSG with the legend that is Rob Smyth:
I am I’m not using this MBM solely to flog my own dirty work but did you know one of Nagelsmann’s assistants is a certain Moritz Volz? If you didn’t, you do now – so check this out from August, when RB Leipzig were about to play PSG in the semis:
“Liverpool’s starting XI looks Champions League...but the bench? Perhaps mid-table Championship?” queries Matt Owen.
Damning! But the point of course is that, in all bar the attacking department, Liverpool are in bare bones territory. No Fabinho, Keita, Milner. Obviously no Van Dijk. Henderson filling in at centre-back and absent from midfield. It’s like the beating heart has been wrenched from this side – or two thirds of it, however that works.
Who are the men tasked with overcoming Liverpool today? I’ve profiled five of them but, given Leipzig have exceptional talents all over the park, it was tough to be that selective.
Peter Oh has a dream and a nightmare:
“Fingers crossed that today’s edition of Lei(pzig)-Liv will have a more favourable outcome for the Reds than the Lei(cester)-Liv fixture of this past Saturday.
“My expectations are really pretty modest. I’d like to see the front line of Mané-Firmino-Salah score more than one goal, and Alisson make it through ninety-plus minutes without setting his feet on fire. Also, I would prefer not to have to watch a Leipzig player score such a rockin’ goal that he ends up playing corner flagpole guitar like the Hendrix of the genre, Jamie Vardy.”
Teams
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi; Mukiele, Klostermann, Upamecano; Adams, Haidara, Kampl, Angelino; Nkunku, Olmo, Sabitzer. Subs: Tschauner, Orban, Konate, Poulsen, Hwang, Sorloth, Samardzic, Kluivert, Halstenberg, Hartmann, Henrichs.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Henderson, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Jones, Thiago; Mane, Salah, Firmino. Subs: Adrian, Kelleher, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Origi, Davies, R Williams, Phillips, Cain, Clarkson, N Williams.
One change for Liverpool from that late horror show at Leicester – Thiago replaces James Milner, who has a hamstring injury.
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Liverpool meet Leipzig ... in Budapest. Might sound like your gap year inter-rail trip but it’s actually Champions League knock-out stage football in the Covid-19 era – and what a way to kick things off!
Jurgen Klopp’s men have lost three games in a row. Five in seven. Six in 10. Whichever way you cut the stats it makes for an extraordinarily grim run, given where they’ve come from, and you sense they need the kind of result that puts things back on an even keel. It’s a big week for them, this, with Everton coming up on Saturday – so a positive first-leg outcome against last season’s surprise semi-finalists would be very good indeed.
But boy, they’ll be made to work for that! While most of us are old enough to remember when Klopp was German football’s next big thing, the sickeningly young Julian Nagelsmann – all 33 years of him – has that mantle now. His side are second in the Bundesliga and ooze threat all over the pitch – and if anyone still isn’t sure, just look at the way they eliminated Manchester United and beat PSG in this season’s group stage. They’re beatable, as Borussia Dortmund proved when beating them 3-1 on their own turf last month. On current form, though, this one looks deliciously poised.
So let’s enjoy it! The fun officially starts at 8pm UK time, but really it starts *now* – get your emails, tweets, predictions and whatever else in.
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