NO VAN.. STILL FAB
Liverpool shrug off loss of Virgil as Fabinho steps up to fill the void
MOMENT OF MADNESS...
Tagliafico clumsily diverts the ball into his own net
IT was the performance Jurgen Klopp promised, with the hero that he prayed for.
Amid all the dire warnings of a European meltdown in the absence se of Virgil van Dijk, the Du Dutchman’s replacement Fabinho pro produced a towering display at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. The Brazilian showed a similar domin dominance in the air, the same poise on the ball, and even found time for a brillia brilliant match- turning goalline cleara clearance that had Klopp ( left) beami beaming at the end.
It al allowed the English champions to escape esc from Amsterdam with a crucia crucial victory – thanks to the brillian brilliance of Sadio Mane – that sets themu them up nicely in Group D.
And while it was hardly a classic Europe European display, Klopp was certainly satisfied with it, as his decision to close the game down after an hour showed.
Inevitably, the focus on this tie was on the Liverpool defence, and in particular on the man charged with replacing the best defender in the world.
Fabinho was not fazed. He is not Van Dijk, he is not even a centre-half if truth be told – he has played only a handful of games there – but he is versatile and he is willing. He also showed he was up to the task.
Ajax are mobile and swift on the counter and, for a defence that had not played together before, that was a real challenge.
Yet even in the opening exchanges, as stand-in Liverpool keeper Adrian again showed the jitters which makes playing in front of him a hair-raising experience, the Brazilian showed a composure in his play that suggested
he will provide more than adequate cover for the Dutch colossus.
Twice in the space of seconds – after Adrian showed poor decision-making again when he chose not to come for a ball over the top – Fabinho made two immaculate, crunching tackles in the penalty area.
A fraction out and it was a penalty, but the tall midfielder has confidence. And he’s no slouch on the ball either – his pass released Mo Salah to feed Mane for a big chance.
Fabinho did even better later in the half. Adrian again hesitated and allowed the advancing David Neres to reach the ball first and lift it over him, but somehow Fabinho got back to clear off the line with an acrobatic overhead kick.
Van Dijk would have been proud. By then Liverpool had already taken en the lead thanks to a moment of brilliance rilately from Mane followed immediately by a moment of luck. From a throw-in on the left he turned superbly but, when he tried to shoot, he connected first with Amsterdam turf.
His sliced shot threatened to embarrass him but it was turned into his own net by the desperately unfortunate Nicolas Tagliafico, who got his legs in a tangle schoolboy.
Mane deserved the good fortune for his audacious attacking threat. He was too hot to handle for the Ajax defence, in particular for right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who so very nearly gifted Liverpool a second goal just before the interval when he stuck out a leg as Mane
SHUT-OUT Adrian made some crucial saves as Liverpool kept a rare clean sheet with Fabinho, left, outstanding at the heart of their defence like an overenthusiastic
Mane cuts through the Ajax defence and his shot goes in off Tagliafico shot. That made it all the more baffling when Klopp chose to remove his entire front three after just an hour.
It was probably pre-meditated, but maybe Klopp just wanted to change the momentum as an energetic Ajax side fought for a leveller.
The erratic Adrian dropped the ball as he came for it on the edge of the box, and then Davy Klaasen hit the inside of the post with scorching shot.
Yet Adrian had his good moments, with two fine stops either side of half-time. The first was a brilliant one to thwart sub Quincy Promes, the second, again from Promes, more standard. Gini Wijnaldum went close late on from a great pass from sub Diogo Jota but in the end there was no need for a second Liverpool goal.