A BUNCH OF VIOLETS WILTED UNDER PRESSURE
Star-struck Kop flops in Euro danger
JURGEN KLOPP wanted his Liverpool side to cool the atmosphere with their football. But instead his Kop stars froze in the red-hot and raucous Rajko Mitic Stadium.
Red Star Belgrade stunned Klopp’s men with a performance that was worlds apart from their collapse at Anfield just two weeks ago. Liverpool’s display was very different too – but in a much more negative way. Milan Pavkov’s double for the Serbian team handed them their first European Cup win since 1992 and put a serious dent in Liverpool’s hopes of easing into the Champions League’s knockout stages.
In fact, Klopp (left) and his team now face a tough task to progress out of Group C ahead of Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain after their second defeat on the road in Europe this season.
A win here for the Merseysiders would have put them in control, but their future in the competition is now firmly in the balance.
They certainly can not start making plans for a drop into the Europa League in the new year just yet, after they lost three European Cup away games in a row for the first time since 1979 – if you include last season’s semifinal second-leg defeat at Roma. Defender Andy Robertson had warned his team-mates that they would face a “different beast” to the Red Star side that lost 4-0 at Anfield.
And this was some monster roared on by one of the hottest atmospheres in European football.
Liverpool may have left Xherdan Shaqiri, who has his own history with Serbia, back at home, but there was no warm embrace for those that did travel.
The noise generated by the crowd at the start of the game was both ear-splitting and spine-tingling in equal measure. Red Star’s fans were not allowed to travel to Anfield for the reverse fixture two weeks ago.
But back on home turf, their supporters’ backing brought the best out of their team as Liverpool buckled under the intensity. They had an early chance to silence the home crowd, but striker Daniel Sturridge fluffed his opportunity on a rare start. A clever dink from Adam Lallana started the move before
Sadio Mane swung in a cross that Sturridge turned over from five yards. Sturridge would be substituted at half-time.
And his miss would prove costly when Marko Marin’s corner was powered in by Red Star team-mate Pavkov in the 22nd minute.
Two men who did not feature at Anfield were running the show for Red Star and the noise level somehow went up another notch.
Just seven minutes later, the lead was doubled as sloppy play allowed Pavkov to gain possession and brush off Georginio Wijnaldum before hammering in a second goal from 25 yards.
Not bad for Red Star’s third-choice forward (celebrating, below) who cost no more than £100,000.
Liverpool’s hopes of getting something here was looking impossible against a side who had not conceded more than once at home in 18 months. Lallana had a header deflected wide, but they trudged off at the break after one of the worst first-half displays under German boss Klopp. A Robertson cross hit the Red Star bar after the restart, but it was not until the 70th minute that Liverpool finally had a shot on target. Mo Salah’s strike was pushed away by keeper Milan Borjan and from the resulting corner the Egypt frontman also hit the outside of a post. Defender Virgil van Dijk (inset, left) also looped a header over, but in truth Liverpool were without their usual attacking verve on a night to forget. They now face a trip to Paris before hosting Napoli at Anfield and it will not be an easy path to the knockout stages.