(Football news) Liverpool finally secured their first win in the UEFA Champions League this season after a narrow 2-1 victory over Ajax at Anfield. A late header by Joel Matip was enough to secure the points for the Reds who were desperate for a win after their humiliating result against Napoli last week. Jurgen Klopp made four changes to his side with Joel Matip, Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago and Diogo Jota replacing Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, James Milner and Roberto Firmino in the starting lineup. 

Anfield is known for its European nights but the crowd was visibly sombre after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The match featured no Champions League anthem and there was a moment of silence observed, even though a handful of supporters could be heard. Unlike the match against Napoli, Liverpool began this fixture on the front foot, showing some encouraging attacking prowess right from kick off. Diogo Jota looked dangerous while Thiago Alcantara showed what his team had been missing due to the Spaniard’s injury absence. 

Jota was responsible for the opening goal of the match when the Portuguese forward set the ball up to Mohamed Salah who found the back of the net in the 17th minute. The Egyptian, who hadn’t scored a goal in four games, would be undoubtedly relieved to have found the back of the net and will want to build on his form for the fixtures ahead. Despite the early lead, Liverpool showed signs of weaknesses, especially from their right flank which was the reason they conceded the equaliser when Ghanian footballer Mohammed Kudus found the back of the net. 

Liverpool were pretty wasteful with their opportunities with the likes of Luis Diaz, Jota and Salah not capitalising on opportunities. Trent Alexander-Arnold forced a double stop from Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer while Virgil Van Dijk could have been better with headers. Moreover, the hosts were at risk of conceding a second goal when Kudus threatened once again on the counter-attack while former Manchester United player Daley Blind failed to hit the target and test goalkeeper Alisson. Just when the match seemed to be heading for a draw, Liverpool’s Joel Matip rose high to head home in the 89th minute to seal a dramatic victory for the Reds.

Speaking after the match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said “I think if we put the two games next to each other you would not recognise it as the same squad. Braver, more ready, everything was better. I think the story of the game is kind of typical. We played a lot of good stuff against a strong side, full of confidence, absolutely convinced by how they play, and we caused them a lot of problems. We are 1-0 up and we concede with the first chance of the opponent. That is what I mean by typical. A proper setback. The reaction was OK [but] the pressing was not as convincing as before. That is what we tried to do in the second half. It was clear we had to keep trying to play football. We did that really well. Sometimes you have to wait a bit longer. It was a set-piece but I don't think that was a surprise. The face of Joel showed exactly how we all felt." 

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