As of: November 5th, 2024 11:04 p.m
When Xabi Alonso returned to Anfield, Bayer Leverkusen suffered their first defeat of the current Champions League season. And it had it all.
After an even first half, Liverpool turned things up in the second half and deservedly won 4-0 (0-0) thanks to a hat-trick from Luis Díaz.
“You can't dominate Liverpool for 90 minutes, we knew that. We concede easy goals and that shouldn't happen at this level.”said Granit Xhaka after the game on “Prime Video”.
Alonso changes the starting eleven in two positions
Xabi Alonso changed upon his return to the Anfield Road his starting eleven in two positions compared to the Bundesliga game against VfB Stuttgart (0-0). Alex Garcia slipped into the starting lineup for Robert Andrich, Exequiel Palacios replaced the injured one Nordi Mukiele.
The atmosphere was great on Tuesday – the best conditions for a brilliant Champions League evening.
However, the Werkself had no respect for them in the early stages “Reds” to note. Xabi Alonso's team tried to maintain control, but Liverpool also acted cautiously in the early stages. It took a quarter of an hour for the first shot on goal – Lukas Hrádecký easily parried Curtis Jones' shot (14th).
Frimpong is through – the ball fidgets in the net
Leverkusen gradually dared to enter the opponent's half, and when they did, it was usually via Jeremie Frimpong's right side. The game became more intense and the pace increased again towards the end of the first half:
Mohamed Salah challenged Hrádecký from a tight angle (43'), in direct response Frimpong escaped from the Liverpool defense after a long ball from Edmond Tapsoba, ran freely towards the goal and shot the ball powerfully into the net. Referee Danny Makkelie correctly took the goal back – Frimpong had his hand on the ball in the 43rd minute.
Shortly before the break, Liverpool almost took the lead. Cody Gakpo broke through on the left side and Bayer's captain spread wide when he shot from another tight angle (45'+2).
Liverpool dominates second half
After the break, Leverkusen found it increasingly difficult to break away from their own half. Liverpool stood compactly and increased the pressure. Such a phase of pressure resulted in a deserved 1-0 win for the home team. Jones passed through centrally to Luis Díaz, who also lofted the ball over Hrádecký into the goal (61').
Luis Diaz from Liverpool FC celebrates after scoring a goal
Leverkusen didn't have time to recover from the setback. After winning the ball, Liverpool switched quickly via Salah, his cross landed perfectly “tempered” on the head of Gakpo, who increased the score to 2-0. Makkelie first decided it was offside, but then corrected his decision (65th).
Díaz makes everything clear with a double pack
The spectators at Anfield Road now experienced a really good football game. Liverpool seemed to have everything under control when Boniface headed the ball just wide of the goal (68'). However, Liverpool were not impressed by the guests' best chance to date and continued to build steam up front. The “Reds” sometimes completely restricted the Werkself at the back. Hrádecký prevented the third goal from being conceded with a strong save from Mac Allister's shot (72').
Ten minutes later the time had come: Salah again came to the cross on the right side and found Díaz, who asserted himself robustly in the penalty area and scored his brace (83'). Leverkusen showed courage in the final phase – substitute Patrik Schick (85th) and Robert Andrich (87th) narrowly missed the consolation goal. On the other hand, Díaz even scored his hat-trick to make the final score 4-0 (90+2).
Thanks to an outstanding Salah/Díaz duo and a significant increase in performance in the second half, the “Reds” achieved a well-deserved victory – their fourth in the fourth game. Liverpool are at the top of the table with twelve points, Leverkusen slipped to ninth place with seven points.
Leverkusen in Bochum on Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen will be in the Champions League on November 26th. (9 p.m.) in the home game against RB Salzburg. In the Bundesliga, the Rhinelanders will be guests at struggling VfL Bochum on Saturday (3:30 p.m.).
