Reds crash in Serbia, but Tottenham grab a lifeline
RED STAR BELGRADE ...... 2 LIVERPOOL ......................... 0
DEFEAT to Red Star Belgrade in Serbia sealed Liverpool’s worst away run in Europe’s elite club competition in 39 years and made qualifying from Group C of the UEFA Champions League that bit harder.
Two first-half strikes from Milan Pavkov, a 24-year-old scoring his first European goals in only his 11th appearance, were enough to beat the off-colour Reds.
A third successive Champions League away defeat, taking into account May’s semi-final reverse in Rome, equalled the run of 1979 which was recorded over three seasons, not three successive matches.
It posed plenty of questions for manager Jurgen Klopp, whose decision to leave Xherdan Shaqiri, of Kosovar-Albanian parentage, at home in order to lessen local hostilities, had no bearing on this display.
There was an ominous feeling to Liverpool’s 200th match in the Champions League/European Cup when, in the 17th minute, Daniel Sturridge missed a sitter.
Sadio Mane found space down the left to drill a low cross which evaded Mohamed Salah but found his teammate at the far post, only for the striker to lean back and balloon over.
Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker was forced to save low to his left after El Fardou Ben Nabouhane’s shot from distance, but, from former Chelsea midfielder Marko Marin’s resulting corner, Pavkov headed in.
The visitors were further punished with exacting precision on the halfhour as James Milner gave away possession with a loose pass infield and the ball was quickly transferred to Pavkov, who smashed home his second from 25 yards.
In the second period, Roberto Firmino soon made his presence felt, cutting back only for Mane to make a half-hearted stab with the outside of his right foot from six yards.
Left-back Andy Robertson, playing almost as an out-and-out winger after the break, saw a cross deflected on to the top of the crossbar, while Salah finally forced a save out of Milan Borjan, hitting a post, but Red Star were comfortable enough.
Harry Kane was the familiar hero as his two late goals earned Spurs a 2-1 win over PSV and kept their Champions League hopes alive.
Spurs’ faltering Group B campaign looked like hitting a new low after Luuk de Jong put the Dutch side ahead after one minute at Wembley, which left Mauricio Pochettino’s men on the brink of elimination.
But Kane stood up when it mattered to rescue his side, levelling in the 78th minute and then being the beneficiary of an extremely kind deflection 11 minutes later.
The win, Spurs’ first of the group stage, leaves them in third place, three points behind Inter Milan, who visit Wembley in three weeks.
They will need to win that game and will have to be much more clinical than they were against PSV.