Champions suffer more Italian misery

THE result was just as depressing as a year ago here in Naples – and Liverpool only have themselves to blame.

On a night when they produced a decent performance, far beyond the dismal level they showed last season, the outcome was the same because they failed to take their chances. It was a late show that undid them again. First, on 82 minutes, Andy Robertson tripped Jose Callejon in the penalty area. Dries Mertens converted the spot-kick. Then, in added time, Fernando Llorente added insult to injury, when he capitalised on a rare Virgil van Dijk mistake, to convert from close range (right).

The Reds had created enough opportunities to win comfortably, with Sadio Mane twice denied by brilliant saves from Napoli’s Alex Meret.

Mo Salah, too, had several chances and when he failed to take them, the Italians reacted in the most brutal fashion, as they inflicted a defeat on the European champions 109 days on from that famous night in Madrid.

Despite conceding two goals, keeper Adrian had a decent night and surely produced a performance good enough to inspire yet more Rocky impressions from Jurgen Klopp.

His save in the 50th minute was simply unbelievable, almost defying physics in the way he managed to hang in the air to turn over a brilliant volley from Mertens.

Whisper it, but it was even better than Alisson’s save from Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik in December. There was a brilliant double save in the first half too, but, even though it had seemed likely to be Liverpool’s night, their late collapse leaves sees them suffer the same fate in Naples once more. Klopp had suggested the performance here, in the Studio San Paolo, was Liverpool’s worst of last season and demanded a response this time.

He got it immediately, with the Merseysiders showing more energy in the opening moments than they had throughout the entire game a year ago.

It made for a breathless and