A soft penalty no doubt, but you take them when given, and Mo Salah made no mistake from the spot. A 1-0 away victory at Girona, surely enough to ensure qualification for the knock-out phase of the Champions League.
Not at their best, after the weekend’s enforced mini-break, Liverpool did enough to win in Spain, though the hosts were not without their chances. Alisson Becker, playing his first game since October, was a little busier in the first half than he’d have liked. Girona were taking pot shots from the edge of the box, but ultimately lacked the quality to score on the few occasions they broke Liverpool’s defensive line.
Liverpool, though, faced a low block and struggled to break down a disciplined and stubborn defence. They were also reluctant to shoot, as are so many teams. The modern trend being to constantly recycle the ball, until a better opportunity arises, but surely, just sometimes, if only for the sake of variety, it’s worth taking a punt from the edge of the box.
The stalemate of the first-half however, was soon broken by Mo Salah’s 50th Champions League goal – a penalty being awarded for a foul on Luis Diaz, that frankly only VAR was aware of. To say the decision was soft would be generous. Had such a call gone against Liverpool, the players would surely have been furious. As it was, Girona accepted the decision without too much complaint.
The goal seemed to sap some belief from the Spanish hosts, with Liverpool going on to dominate possession. Cody Gapko and Harvey Elliot providing a little more energy in the closing stages as changes were made, whilst the threat from Girona waned. Alisson had little to do in the second half as Arne Slot secured maximum points after six games.
