81 minStephen Odey replaces Paul Onuachu forGenk. In the other game, Napoli are leading 3-2 in Salzburg.
(minDivock Origi, who came through the ranks atGenkbefore leaving for Lille, is warmly applauded by both sets of fans as he comes on to replace Roberto Firmino.
GOAL! Genk 0-3 Liverpool (Mane 77 )
That defeat has been confirmed. Firmino finds Salah, who stabs a dainty through pass on the turn towards Mane. He charges onto the ball and lifts it confidently over Coucke. Lovely goal.
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76 minThat second goal flattened Genk’s morale. They look resigned to defeat now.
(min) Gini Wijnaldum replaces the matchwinner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
(minThe Norwegian Sander Berge has had a quietly impressive match in theGenkmidfield. He reads the game really well for a 21 -year-old, with and without the ball.
70 minGomez shows impressive pace to beat Ndongala to a through ball from Ito – and then gets himself booked by stopping Ndongala taking a quick throw-in.
69 min“Hi Rob,” says Drew Gough. “From the Fun Fact Department: I’m watching this game in Turkey on a Turkish BeIn Sports feed, and the announcer calls every player by his last name except for James Milner, who is called by both names every time. Hashtag respect hashtag legend. ”
I’d like to hear commentators double down and call him James Philip Milner.
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(minOxlade-Chamberlain’s deep, floated corner is headed over by van Dijk.
67 min“Millings!” says Matt Maradony (sic ). “Millings has made my heart grow two sizes. I’m only just catching up with the action, as I’ve been puffing and panting around a five-a-side pitch. (One screamer off the post and in, and one goal conceded via a big ol ‘annoying nutmeg. The beautiful game.) Two-nil up against the mightyGenk. Number seven in the post. ”
(min) A change for Genk: Dieumerci Ndongala replaces the relatively anonymous Theo Bongonda.
64 min“Does this mean Oxlade-Chamberlain is hitting pre-injury form? ”says Roger Theberge.
I actually thought he was better in general play when he came on at Old Trafford, but the second goal tonight was a timely reminder of his class. At his best, he’s certainly good enough to be a regular starter forLiverpooland England.
63 minAndy Robertson, who has had a fairly tricky night defensively, is replaced by Joe Gomez. James Milner will move to left-back.
62 minIt’s been a good week for the forgotten midfielders ofLiverpool.
(minA good inswinging corner from the left is flicked on and wide of the far post by Samatta. That was half a chance.
That’s one of the most stylish goalswe’ll see in this season’sChampions League. Firmino played a simple pass back to Oxlade-Chamberlain, lurking inside the D, and he stabbed an insouciant first-time shot with the outside of the boot that curved around Coucke, hit the underside of the bar and dropped into the net. Glorious stuff.
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GOAL! Genk 0-2 Liverpool (Oxlade-Chamberlain 57)
It is now! This is an outrageous goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain!
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55 minLiverpool are still looking unusually sloppy, and Van Dijk administers a rollocking to someone after heading Ito’s cross behind. Their away form will determine what they win this season, because they should win at least 90 per cent of their home games. At the moment it’s not great.
52 min“Klopp’s Liverpool v Houllier’s Liverpool sort of happened in 2001, ”Says Niall Mullen. “Old Ged cannily predicted a goal glutbefore parking four buses and an oil tanker. ”
I remember rushing home from work to watch that first leg. It reminded me of the film Human Traffic: the worse it got, the more determined I became to finish it. I was finally driven to a Twin Peaks VHS after about 70 minutes.
50 minIto, whose movement is giving Robertson a few problems, wins a corner for Genk. Nothing comes of it, but they have picked up where they left off in the first half. Liverpoolneed to be careful.
(min) “I have been watching the rugby World Cup – why does the review process work so well in rugby?” Writes US 01. “Why can we not have the same level of professionalism and respect in football that we see from the excellent people who referee and play the rugby games?”
I don’t know enough about rugby to comment, though I’m sure the culture of accepting the referee’s decision is one of the biggest reasons.
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46 minPeep Peep!Genkbegin the second half.
Ah, it seems Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal took a slight deflection, which might explain why the keeper Gaetan Coucke was flat-footed.
Half-time chit chat“The downside to getting rid of VAR is dealing with actual violent conduct, ”says Joe Harvey. “It was only four years ago when Deli All punched someone behind the ref’s back. I wouldn’t be too bothered with getting rid of it except in the case of Zidane-level stuff. ”
The problem withthatis that people would have a different view on what constitutes Zidane-level stuff.
Half time: Genk 0-1 Liverpool
Peep Peep! Sometimes, despite all the noise and nonsense, football is good, old-fashioned fun. That was a life-affirming – okay, gently uplifting – 45 minutes, with both sides playing with playground enthusiasm and intent. Liverpooldeserve their lead, provided by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s early goal, but Genk have had chances and their captain Mbwana Samatta had an immense header ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
(min) Two minutes of added time.
44 min“Liverpool really need to find a way to win away from home against limited opposition who play defensively,” says Niall Mullen, lining up his punchline with tender loving care. “But enough about Sunday; how are they doing tonight? ”
I’d love to see Klopp’s Liverpool v Houllier’sLiverpool.
(min) Liverpool’sChampions Leaguegroup has been a whole heap of fun this season.
(min) Ito’s brilliant low cross from the rightjustevades the stretching Samatta in the middle. The ball runs beyond Bongonda, who retrieves it and hits a shot that is blocked by Milner. I think Ito might have been offside, had they scored, but it was another exhilarating moment.Genk, and their Tanzanian captain Samatta in particular, have attacked with infectious intent.
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(min) “What strikes me as strange about VAR is this emphasis on a clear mistake by the ref,” says Drew Gough. “You’d reckonLiverpoolmight have had a penalty and that wasn’t checked. Then the ref disallowed a goal for a shove that was overturned for an offside. Then you’d have hoped VAR could have shown there was no contact on Keita and our poor ref might correctly have shown a yellow for the ol’ simulation. But here we are, hey? To summarize, the trouble with all authoritarian surveillance systems is that technology tends to show that the people meant to be making smart decisions are a bunch of ding dongs but we persist with trusting in the correctness of their decisions. ”
Problem is, if you review everything then matches will last four days. I would get rid of it, but that will never happen, so we might as well just grin and bear it.
33 minSalah misses a great chance, heading wide from six yards after Lovren flicked on a right-wing corner. He mistimed the header completely.
(min) This is a very entertaining game. The indefatigable Robertson storms onto Mane’s clever flick and hits a shot from a tight angle that is beaten away by Coucke.
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31 minSalah curls a good free-kick just over the bar. We’ve now seen a replay of the disallowed goal, and it was unquestionably the correct decision: Ito was marginally offside in the build-up.
30 minKeita dives to win a foul in a good position, 25 yards from goal and to the right of center.
29 min“Bobbie dearest,” says Mac Millings. “Liverpool-supporting Regular Contributor, Matt Dony, should be pleased with things so far, but not as pleased as with the fact that he has an entire World XI inspired by his name:
- Andony Zubizarreta
- Fernandoñyho
- Diego Maradony.
(Dony Rose) (Wilfried Dony) Doneil Lennon
Nordin Amramatt Shaun Mattdoney (Matt Le Donier) (Malcolm Macdonyald) Edson Arantes do Nyscimento
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