The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Scotland captain Andy Robertson scores Liverpool’s second goal in their 4-3 Champions League Group E victory over RB Salzburg at Anfield last night.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Salah nets winner after visitors’ fightback
LIVERPOOL 4
RED BULL SALZBURG 3
Liverpool’s first European outing on home soil since winning the Champions Lague trophy in Madrid was not quite the celebration they would have anticipated after a tense win.
Anfield was hosting a landmark 100th European Cup match but very few of those occasions would have seen them squander a three-goal lead.
Leading through Sadio Mane’s strike against his former club, a rare but brilliantly worked goal from Scotland captain Andy Robertson – only his second for the club – and Mohamed Salah’s finish, the European champions were in cruise control.
It merely seemed a matter of how many more with almost an hour to play but uncharacteristic casualness crept in and they almost paid dearly for it.
The last time this ground hosted Champions League football it witnessed one of the competition’s greatest comebacks as Barcelona were defeated 4-0 in the semi-final second leg.
Five months on an altogether different turnaround left Jurgen Klopp’s side confused and chasing shadows as Salzburg proved there is much more to then than teenage goalscoring sensation Erling Braut Haaland.
The son of former Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City midfielder Alf-inge Haaland was only fit enough for a place on the bench after illness but in his absence Hwang Hee-chan and Takumi Minamoto pegged their hosts back to 3-2.
With Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch sensing blood he sent on Haaland and the Norwegian scored his 18th goal of the season within four minutes.
There was more than a brief moment of panic as manager, players and fans questioned how this could have happened.
However, there was still one more twist to come, with Salah’s volley settling things 20 minutes from time.
Liverpool remain behind Napoli in the group despite the Italians being held to a 0-0 draw by Genk in Belgium.
LILLE 1 CHELSEA 2
Tammy Abraham grabbed a birthday goal and Willian marked his 300th Chelsea appearance with the second as Chelsea won in Lille.
Abraham, expected to earn an England call-up today, registered his first Champions League goal before Lille equalised through their own exciting young striker, Victor Osimhen.
But Willian’s late volley secured a crucial first three points for Frank Lampard’s side in Group H.
Lampard had played down the significance of this match but after dropping all three points to Valencia at home two weeks ago, and with a trip to to Ajax – 3-0 winners over the Spanish side last night – next up, the margin for error would have got a lot smaller without a victory.
In Group F Luis Suarez scored a fine double as Barcelona came from behind to beat Inter Milan 2-1.
Lautaro Martinez gave Antonio Conte’s Inter a deserved lead but Suarez volleyed in an equaliser before finishing a pass from Lionel Messi, who was making his return from an injury layoff.
Barcelona, now unbeaten in 33 Champions League home games, are level at the top of the group on four points with Borussia Dortmund.
The Germans won 2-0 at Slavia Prague thanks to two excellent solo goals by Achraf Hakimi.
Zenit St Petersburg and Lyon lead the way in Group E on four points.
Zenit beat Benfica 3-1 while the French side recorded an impressive 2-0 win over Red Bull Leipzig in Germany with goals from Memphis Depay and Martin Terrier.