Football writer Alex Keble analyses Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League matches for Premier League clubs.
Salah makes history but Slot ‘far from pleased’
Girona 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool’s 100 per cent record in the Champions League – now six wins from six – takes the pressure off their final two matches in the new-format league phase, and should allow head coach Arne Slot to rotate his squad.
A top-eight finish means sides automatically qualify for the last 16, and therefore avoid two additional fixtures in February’s playoff round. Leading the table with a maximum 18 points, Liverpool are on course to achieve that.
Mohamed Salah enjoyed another milestone outing, as his match-winning penalty against Girona made him only the 11th player in Champions League history to score 50 goals in the competition.
The Egyptian’s strike on Tuesday night also means he has 28 goals and assists in all competitions this season, the joint-highest number among players in Europe’s “top five” leagues (level with Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush).
Now with 227 goals for Liverpool, Salah is only one away from sharing fourth place on the club’s all-time top scorers list with Billy Liddell, who played for the Reds between 1946 and 1961.
However, Slot was less than impressed with the way his side played against Girona. It was only the hosts’ poor finishing – and good goalkeeping by Alisson Becker, on his return from injury – that kept the score level prior to Salah’s spot-kick.
“I am far from pleased about the performance tonight,” he told reporters after the match.
“If you play against a team who has such a good idea about football and know how to bring the ball out from the back, then you have to be so intense if you want to make it difficult for them.
“But if every time you are waiting a few seconds before you press, and if you do press you are so easily outplayed, then this team can cause you a lot of problems.”
Liverpool were caught on the counter-attack numerous times because of that lacklustre press, completing just five tackles across the 90 minutes, their second-fewest in all competitions this season.
Example of Liverpool failure to press Girona
After this struggle to beat 30th-placed Girona, and the ragged nature of their 3-3 draw against Newcastle United last Wednesday, Liverpool fans may worry that a slight decline for their team is in progress.
Any nerves among the supporters should be calmed by Slot’s reaction. His disappointment suggests he has very high standards – and will not let them slip.
See: Liverpool’s report and line-up
Duran gives Emery a selection headache
RB Leipzig 2-3 Aston Villa
Another unbelievable strike from substitute Jhon Duran was the standout moment in Aston Villa’s impressive victory in Germany on Tuesday evening.
Opta’s “supercomputer” suggests 16 points gives teams a 98 per cent chance of finishing in the top eight of the league phase, meaning Villa need just three more points to book their place in the last 16.
With a trip to Monaco and a home game against Celtic still to come, you would certainly back Unai Emery’s side to do it. Not least because they played with confidence and style against RB Leipzig, putting in one of their best all-round performances of the season.
In Duran and Ollie Watkins, Villa possess two of the best strikers in Europe.
Duran has scored more goals as a substitute (six) and more goals from outside the box (four) than any other player in Europe’s “big five” leagues this season, and he is banging on the door after netting in back-to-back Villa matches.
Duran’s stunner v RB Leipzig
It’s causing a real headache for Emery, who still prefers Watkins for his superior teamwork and tactical understanding, as we saw when his intelligent cushion header assisted John McGinn’s opener.
“Sometimes [Duran] is very impassioned and we have to try and keep balanced with him,” Emery told Amazon Prime.
“I’m just happy to be here and I actually love the competition with Ollie Watkins,” was Duran’s verdict, although that carefree perspective might not last much longer.
Though Duran started Villa’s last Premier League match instead of Watkins, the Colombian is often sitting patiently on the bench and is becoming increasingly difficult for Emery to omit.
See: Aston Villa’s report and line-up
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