Liverpool will accept history repeating itself should another late defeat at Napoli ultimately end in another Champions League triumph but this was a troubling start to the defence of number six for Jürgen Klopp. His European champions were vastly improved on the game they played here last season and on top when José Callejón darted into their penalty area in the closing stages. Carelessness at both ends of the pitch, and from VAR, combined to inflict familiar pain.
Andy Robertson was adjudged to have fouled Callejón and Dries Mertens converted the resulting penalty through the despairing grasp of Adrián. It certainly looked a foul to the naked eye – and to the two belonging to German referee Felix Brych – with the Liverpool left-back hanging out a leg into the run of the Napoli midfielder. And it certainly looked a dive by Callejón on review. VAR decreed otherwise. Not a clear and obvious error, apparently. “The game-changer,” said Klopp. In the desperate push for an equaliser Virgil van Dijk played a hasty back-pass straight to Fernando Llorente and the former Tottenham striker sealed Liverpool’s fate by prodding home his first Napoli goal.
Written by Andy Hunter at the Stadio San Paolo
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/sep/17/napoli-liverpool-champions-league-match-report under the title “Liverpool make bad start as Napoli’s Fernando Llorente rounds off win”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
