Super Can!
REDS READY FOR EUROPE’S BIG HITTERS
LIVERPOOL marched into today’s Champions League draw after blowing Hoffenheim away in a first-half ‘thunderstorm’ at Anfield. Emre Can (twice) and Mo Salah scored inside 21 minutes, with Roberto Firmino adding a fourth goal after the break. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona lie in wait in the Monaco draw. It is the first time England has had five teams in the group stages. ‘It feels amazing,’ said manager Jurgen Klopp. ‘The start was like a thunderstorm.’
ONLY four games into Liverpool’s season and we know them already. Enthralling to watch going forward but characterised by uncertainty at the back, Jurgen Klopp’s team are irresistible and vulnerable at the same time.
How far it can take them is open to question. But in terms of a spectacle, Anfield is the hot ticket and last night it was impossible to take your eyes off Liverpool.
Ultimately, the 6-3 aggregate scoreline seemed appropriate. Liverpool were twice as good going forward as Hoffenheim and only half as bad at the back.
Three goals up inside 21 minutes against a team whose coach said he had come without fear, Liverpool embarrassed Julian Nagelsmann’s optimism through goals from Emre Can (2) and Mo Salah. With Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane on point, Liverpool flowed like lava.
Almost inevitably, though, there were moments of promise for Hoffenheim, and Liverpool’s hopes of a clean sheet disappeared shortly before the half-hour when substitute Mark Uth scored from an angle.
Liverpool were nott in danger, not with suchh a lead. But although h Firmino’s 63rd-minute e goal was the least their attacking efforts deserved in the second half, it was no surprise to see Adam Szalai i head Hoffenheim m towards respectabilitylity with 11 minutes left.
So, if games in the ChChampionsi League group stage can be cagey, then it appears the qualifiers are the antidote. This was a tie that promised goals from the first moments in Germany last week and that game was haphazard in its own right — a missed Hoffenheim penalty, other spurned chances and a bad goal conceded by Liverpool at the death just to keep the thing alive.
And then there was last night. There were 16 goal attempts in the first half and the only shock was that just four of them went in. Hoffenheim were largely dreadful — disorganised, chaotic and skittish at the back. Yet they could have scored three times in the first 45 minutes.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were terrific with the ball, far too good for Hoffenheim and seemingly capable of scoring every time they advanced. But what of the home team’s defending? Well, we know the answer already and we have known it for a long time — too often too deep and almost always too square.
Playing a ball between the static members of Klopp’s back line is as easy as rolling a coin into a slot machine. It is an enduring problem that will kill Liverpool if they do not fix it.
But here, at least, Klopp’s team had the security of two away goals and soon the tie was all but over.
Liverpool could and should have scored in the second minute when Salah headed over. Then Mane was played clear and his toe-poked shot came back off goalkeeper Oliver Baumann’s shin. It was all Liverpool and they soon scored.
Firmino was magnificent all night and when his raking pass from deep played in Mane, the Liverpool forward checked inside and released Can with a backheel. The German’s shot was measured but went into the net off centre half Kevin Vogt. Lucky? Yes. But also fully deserved. HofHoffenheim were not copcoping and Liverpool ththreatened to overwhelm them. When they are on their game, they can do that to any team, never mind one as defensively poor as ththis German side. SalahS was next to scorscore, in the 11th minute, and he really could not miss. FiFirmino’si’ iintelligent low cross picked out Mane, who had dropped off his marker, and when the first-time shot came back off a post, Salah was there to slam the ball into the net.
Hoffenheim heads began to drop as Liverpool dominated. A superb ball inside the right back from Georginio Wijnaldum released Mane down the left and, when Firmino arrived on the back of a 50-yard gallop, another backheel from his colleague allowed him to cross to the far post for Can to volley home.
That was a fantastic goal. There will be few better here this season and it sent Klopp into raptures.
Nagelsmann reacted to the impending embarrassment by changing his team’s shape and throwing on first-leg scorer Uth. It worked for him because, minutes after Serge Gnabry had wasted a clear opportunity down the left, the substitute eased into space down the right to score across Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool gave the ball away twice in the run-up to that goal and, as such, could have few complaints. It was a horrible goal but the consolation was a 5-2 aggregate lead. Only catastrophe would halt their progress into today’s draw and the way they started the second half indicated they were not about to take chances.
Baumann saved at his near post from Mane and Wijnaldum, while the latter blazed another chance over.
Then, just after the hour, Vogt decided not to challenge Jordan Henderson for a 50-50 ball in his own half, the Liverpool captain squared to Firmino and he scored from 12 yards.
There was still time for Szalai to head a routine cross past Mignolet near the end and it may be this that Klopp remembers ahead of Liverpool’s meeting with Arsenal here on Sunday.
Klopp will hope for more security, while the neutrals would settle for half as much entertainment.