Lorenzo signs in to hit Klopp strugglers
LIVERPOOL got just what they deserved as Lorenzo Insigne snatched a dramatic last-gasp Champions League winner.
The Napoli forward has been on fire and after his side dominated this game but missed a stack of chances, he struck with the final action of a poor game, to convert a Jose Callejon right-wing cross from close range.
It was no less than Jurgen Klopp’s team deserved, after a strangely lifeless, listless display in Naples where they did not deserve the point it seemed they would escape with until that splendid last-minute intervention.
Napoli had hit the bar and saw Joe Gomez clear off the visitors’ line, as the verve and energy of their incredible start to the campaign disappeared for the Reds on a miserable night of pouring rain.
Klopp was visibly upset about a shocking performance from the Reds, who could not even pass to each other at times and failed to feed a forward line that was simply unable to get into the game.
It leaves them third in Group C after two matches, and now with much work to do in a strong section, with recognising just how tough it is to visit such a passionate stadium as the San Paolo.
His reasoning was to use the craft of Naby Keita between the lines to find space and beat Napoli’s energetic press and, even though he started badly by gifting the ball away and even gifting the home side a chance, the plan slowly began to work.
Keita had lost possession to Insigne early on, allowing the lively striker a shot across Alisson that crept just the wrong side of the far post, but from there, his running began to cause the Italians problems.
So it was disappointing to see him taken off on a stretcher after just 17 minutes following a sickening challenge with Insigne, which caused what looks a serious injury and forced the Reds into a tactical change. They took a long time to restructure as Henderson slipped into the holding role and Georginio Wijnaldum moved forward. It drained them of the quickbreaking attacking threat which had sent both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane racing forward early on.
Indeed Napoli took a grip on the game before the interval, and after the half-hour, Arkadiusz Milik turned Van Dijk in the box and fired off a powerful firsttime shot that Alisson did well to instinctively beat out.
Liverpool had lost on just two of their last eight visits to Italy, but such an outcome looked possible deep into the first half as Napoli used the quick-moving combination of Insigne and Milik to unsettle the visiting defence.
Van Dijk, though, was imperious as usual, producing at least five interceptions within the opening minutes as he stood between Napoli