Liverpool get lift-off in Europe:
Fabinho jumps for the ball with Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch during last night’s Champions League clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Liverpool won the game 1-0.
IT IS impossible to replace the irreplaceable, but Liverpool surely found a solution, for now, to the loss of Virgil van Dijk as Fabinho produced an outstanding performance in the centre of their defence as they began their Champions League campaign with a precious away win.
The winning goal against Ajax was freakish, but Liverpool will believe they have deserved some luck after the terrible cruciate ligament injury that will require surgery and has ruled out their best defender, and arguably the best in the world, for months and possibly the rest of this season.
All the talk had been of Van Dijk’s absence and the effect it would have on Liverpool, who will be almost as pleased with the clean sheet as the points although, in truth, they were fortunate not to concede against a vibrant young Ajax side in the heavy Amsterdam rain.
Liverpool also defended differently without Van Dijk, dropping deeper and with Fabinho filling in from midfield as he has done before and to great effect. Although it may be a disservice to the Brazilian to expect him to stay in that role for the coming months. Liverpool, despite stand-in Fabinho’s outstanding display, inevitably appear more vulnerable and that will be a worry with the taxing schedule to come.
The Reds’ lead was gained in the strangest manner and came within seconds of a move in which Ajax should have gone ahead.
It was Sadio Mane who turned sharply to spin centre-half Perr Schuurs from a throw-in and create the space to shoot – only to take a chunk out of the turf with the ball miscued across goal. However, Nicolas Tagliafico made a horrible mess of it as he attempted to clear – only to side-foot into his own net, with goalkeeper Andre Onana stranded.
Frustrated
How Ajax will have been frustrated by that and by Quincy Promes’s inability to beat Adrian from close range after the winger – who had come on for the injured 20-year-old Ghanaian forward Mohammed Kudus – exchanged passes with David Neres. Adrian pushed out a boot to deflect his shot.
Before the goal there had been an apoplectic reaction from Jurgen Klopp at the ease with which Ajax were working their way into the Liverpool penalty area. That was compounded by some misjudgments from Adrian, whose routine clearance, as he dallied, was charged down by Dusan Tadic and fortunately rebounded away.
Before that Adrian had annoyed Joe Gomez by rushing out unnecessarily as the defender shepherded the ball.
There was undeniably a lack of certainty in defence, although Fabinho twice denied Ajax with challenges on Neres and Tadic inside the Liverpool area before the latter laid the ball back to Ryan Gravenberch, who drilled a low shot narrowly wide.
Once ahead, Liverpool could prey on Ajax’s attempts to get themselves back into the match and a strong run by Andrew Robertson led to him finding Mo Salah, who rolled the ball before curling a shot that appeared goalbound, before Noussair Mazraoui intervened.
However, that clearance was nothing compared to Fabinho’s next contribution as he sprinted back to hook the ball off the goal-line after Neres had picked out Tadic and the former Southampton forward lifted his shot over Adrian and towards the net.
Just before half-time there was almost another own goal by Ajax involving Mane, after his low cross was cut out by Schuurs, a 20-year-old identikit centre-half to Matthijs de Ligt, with the ball trickling just past a post.
But for Lucas Moura’s dramatic hat-trick for Tottenham Hotspur, this match-up would have been the Champions League final in 2019. Although, Ajax are much altered – having sold heavily in the past two summers. But they were unfortunate to be a goal down, with Liverpool indebted to Fabinho.
Klopp acted with Jordan Henderson replacing Curtis Jones, who was mak
ing his Champions League debut, to try to gain more control in midfield. But once again Ajax were unfortunate when Tadic worked a chance to shoot for Klaassen on the edge of the area, with the midfielder’s crisp drive striking the inside of a post before bouncing out.
There was then a let-off for Ajax when Onana made a hash of collecting a corner, allowing Fabinho a header that deflected wide.
Klopp made a triple change and, interestingly replaced his front three with Mane, Firmino and Salah all taken off after an hour, which made it look like the substitutions were preplanned.
There will have been concern, though, at the sight of bags of ice being piled on to Mane’s leg.
The changes broke up the play, but Liverpool threatened when Georginio Wijnaldum’s header from a corner landed on the roof of the net before Robertson, who also impressed, was inches away from reaching a low cross from substitute Takumi Minamino.
It remained close with Ajax making changes of their own by bringing on more forwards, including veteran striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, now 37, and taking off defenders as the game opening up even more as Liverpool sensed the opportunity to end any doubt.
Wijnaldum should have done that after he smartly collected a pass from substitute Diogo Jota, only for Onana to block his shot with Minamino’s follow-up also turned away. (© Daily Telegraph, London)