Liverpool continued their relentless march at home and abroad with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Girona in the Champions League, moving the Reds to a perfect six-from-six in European play.
Mohamed Salah scored his 50th UEFA Champions League goal from the penalty spot just past the hour mark to keep Arne Slot’s side in their best position in the festival so far, sitting comfortably at the top of the table.
By contrast, Girona managed just one win on their debut in Europe’s most sensible competition, with coach Michel capitalizing on missed chances after an overall lively performance.
Liverpool started with a bit of luck as expected, with Slot able to field a strong team after Saturday’s Merseyside derby against Everton was postponed due to severe weather conditions.
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Alisson returned from a hamstring injury to score for the first time since October 5 and the Brazilian foreigner was called into action to deny Bryan Gill’s second attempt in the 11th minute. The attack should not have come so far away, considering that Daley Blind shot from above at a cross from the left wing by Miguel Gutiérrez with the goal at his mercy.
Gil lost his balance while scoring and Alisson also made some precision paints to beat a Yaser Asprilla goal after his counterpart Paulo Gazzaniga had frustrated Darwin Nunez.
Gazzaniga was the busier goalkeeper during the early stages of the second half, smartly denying Andy Robertson on the end of a Ryan Gravenberch pass. However, that attack was then decisively called back for a video review
Donny van de Beek was punished for tripping Luis Diaz inside the box. The decision was ultimately the correct one, even though Van de Beek could be considered unfortunate. Salah sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to score his 16th of the season in all competitions. Game by game, it looks like one that will end with more medals in his collection, even at this early stage.
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Venue: Estadi Montilivi, GironaReferee: Benoit Bastien (France)
Confirmed lineups:
Girona (4-3-2-1, left): 13. Paulo Gazzaniga (GK) – 16. Alejandro Frances, 15. Juanpe, 18. Ladislav Krejci, 17. Daley Blind – 6. Donny van de Beek, 14 . Oriel Romeu, 3. Miguel Gutiérrez — 10. Yaser Asprilla, 20. Bryan Gul — 11. Amaut Danjuma
Liverpool (4-3-3, left): 1. Alisson (GK) – 66. Trent Alexander-Arnold, 2. Joe Gomez, 4. Virgil van Dijk, 26. Andy Robertson – 8. Dominik Szoboszlai, 38 years old . Ryan Gravenberch, 17 years old. Curtis Jones – 11. Mohamed Salah, 9. Darwin Núñez, 7. Luis Díaz
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FULL TIME: Girona 0-1 Liverpool
Girona will feel this part is a missed opportunity to salvage their European hopes, however, Liverpool secured 3 vital issues in unconvincing fashion. The Reds worked hard to win their penalty, then stopped play to protect the lead, but was far from dominant, as Girona missed a number of big chances, none bigger than Bryan Gil’s slide through.
63 mins: Liverpool have had to be patient and give up in several events, but they have made a breakthrough and it’s that guy, Mo Salah. A VAR review penalized Donny van de Beek for a clumsy foul on Luis Díaz and Salah intervened to send on Paulo Gazzaniga.
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Mo Salah with his #UCL purpose of breaking the impasse in Spain ? pic. twitter. com/sUsjBXPqqY
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Salah strikes again from the penalty spot! ?? @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Qj0hLTHl3J
Ukrainian foreigner Viktor Tsygankov will likely be out for the rest of December, while Bojan Miovski sprained his ankle during training and will miss this match.
However, Girona are counting on the comeback of young Colombian Jhon Solis after missing the defeat against Madrid, while full-back Arnau Martínez returns from suspension. He joins Solis on the bench.
Liverpool meet some familiar opposition in this match, with former Manchester United duo Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek both now in Girona colours and starting.
Girona line-up (4-2-3-1, left): Gazzaniga (GK) – Arnau Martínez, López, Krejci, Gutiérrez – Martín, Romeu – Asprilla, Van de Beek, Gil – Ruiz
Injured: Tsygankov (undisc.), Miovski (ankle)Suspended: None
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Liverpool have received a boost in their latest educational consultation ahead of their trip to Spain. Goalkeeper Alisson and striker Diogo Jota participated in the consultation. Alisson makes his first appearance in goal since October 5 and is one of four changes.
There are still disorders in defence, with Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas expected to return before the end of December.
Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is due to serve a one-match suspension.
Liverpool lineup (4-2-3-1, left): Alisson (GK) – Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson – Gravenberch, Jones – Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz – Núñez
Injured: Konate (knee), Bradley (thigh), Tsimikas (foot), Alisson (thigh, doubt), Jota (doubt) Sanctioned: Mac Allister
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Dom is the Senior Content Creator at Sporting News UK. He previously worked as a fan logo editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he gained more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for news agencies Stats Perform and Press Association. Dom has covered primary outdoor football events, adding Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, as well as high-profile foreign matches from the Premier League, Champions League and England. Cricket and boxing are his other wonderful sporting passions and he has covered Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from the ring.