We learned from Anfield

excellent striker – one who scored 21 Premier League goals only four years ago and who, at 29, should be at the peak of his powers. Injuries have taken away what might have been of Sturridge’s career and he is a less than ideal fit for Klopp’s gegenpressing system, but he remains a finisher of the highest quality when fit and confident. It was nice to see Sturridge remind everyone of the talent he still has.

NEYMAR IS NO CLOSER TO HIS BALLON D’OR DREAM If you ignore the mind-boggling sums of money involved, Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in the summer of 2017 to escape the legendary shadow of Lionel Messi. His statistics in Ligue 1 have been predictably outrageous but he has regressed as a match-winner at the elite level.

At Anfield he floated stylishly but superfluously on the periphery of the game, one shot fired straight at Alisson his only significant contribution to an occasion that should have been his stage.

GROUP STAGE FIREWORKS Too often the Champions League’s opening round feels like a listless exercise in going through the motions but the draw has done us some favours this time around. Liverpool’s clash with PSG carried a real sense of occasion, if not quite knockout intensity, and a great atmosphere at Anfield. Barcelona are unlikely to find it as easy from here on out, with Tottenham and Inter Milan still to navigate in Group B. Juventus, Manchester United and Valencia battling for two qualification spots from Group H should also be genuinely interesting to watch. The knockout stage will always be where the real drama happens, but matches like this one at least give us a welcome taste of what lies in store later. – The Independent