Ryan Gravenberch scores first goal for club as Liverpool get back to winning ways
Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game.
AFTER being in the eye of a footballing hurricane all week, Liverpool’s new Dutch international Ryan Gravenberch helped his team negotiate their opening home Europa League game of the season in uninspiring fashion.
The £34.3 million summer signing made the difference as Jurgen Klopp’s side was finally able two focus on on-field matters, rather than finding themselves at the centre of the furious debate over the Premier League’s handling of VAR technology.
Diogo Jota sealed the win in the 92nd minute when he raced clear on the break, capitalised on a defensive mistake, and finished impressively.
But it had needed Gravenberch to lift a moribund - by their standards - Liverpool crowd when he scored just moments before the interval although it was in keeping with the tone of the post-Tottenham evening that Klopp saw his team almost immediately equalise.
The visitors carved a chance through the middle of the Liverpool defence and, with Alisson rushing out, striker Mohamed Amoura might have forced the ball into the net before Ibrahima Konate made a fine covering challenge.
Fortunately, just seconds earlier, the Belgians had conceded, with the opening goal owing everything to a disastrous goalkeeping demonstration from Union’s Luxembourg international Anthony Moris.
Liverpool broke quickly from a Union set-piece into their area, with Alisson sending Trent Alexander-Arnold sprinting upfield. An exchange of passes with Darwin Nunez and the England full-back unleashed a 20-yard shot which Moris spilled, straight to Gravenberch who scored from four yards.
Liverpool finally had their rewards for a first half in which they had enjoyed 75 per cent possession without truly hurting an opponent who only returned to the European football last season after a 58-year absence.
But after the high-profile events since that VAR error in Saturday’s defeat at Spurs, the Anfield crowd acted and sounded as exhausted as their players looked.
The controversy has dominated the English football agenda, with Klopp earning general ridicule for his claim that Liverpool should be awarded a replay of the weekend game because Luis Diaz’s first half goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside.
And while Klopp would certainly not want to replay the first half against Union, his striker Nunez might beg for that luxury, given the way he missed the best chance of the opening half.
Harvey Elliott’s pass found Mo Salah who picked out Nunez in space six yards out, only for the striker to somehow slice his shot wide, with the goal at his mercy after 16 minutes.
Nunez also had an effort ruled out for offside - correctly this time, unlike at Spurs - as he netted a saved Gravenberch shot but after that early and bad Liverpool miss, visiting striker Gustaf Nilsson could have punished them, but headed over from a free-kick conceded by Kostas Tsimikas.
Salah had squandered a more difficult chance in the early exchanges, after more good play from Gravenberch who looks ready, willing and able to make up for his frustrating year at Bayern Munich in which he started just three Bundesliga games last season.
Klopp will certainly have appreciated his contribution although, having watched his side take the lead, he made three substitutes at half-time, presumably content that the game was under control, including the introduction of Alexis Mac Allister.
That put the Argentina World Cup winner on the same pitch as his brother Kevin for the first time in pro football and the Liverpool midfielder’s 52nd minute cross almost produced a second goal, with Jota’s header being tipped over by Moris.
Moments earlier, Alisson had sparked panic, dropping a corner which young home defender Jarell Quansah did well to hack behind to safety, and a corner.
The night was far more tense than it should have been: Amoura later raced into the box and wing-back Alessio Castro-Montes chanced his arm from distance while, at the other end, another shot from Gravenberch was tipped over as Liverpool crept home.
: Alisson 6; Alexander-Arnold 7 (Gomez 62, 6), Konate 6, Quansah 7, Tsimikas 6; Elliott 6, Endo 6 (A MacAllister 45, 6), Gravenberch 8 (Szoboszlai 79, 5); Salah 7 (Jones 45, 6), Nunez 5 (Diaz 45, 7), Jota 6. Substitutes (not used) van Dijk, Robertson, Matip, Chambers, Doak, Jaros, Mrozek.
: Moris 5; Castro-Montes 8, K Mac Allister 7 (Sykes 85), Burgess 7, Machida 6, Terho 6 (Lapoussin 68, 5); Amani 6 (Rasmussen 75, 5), Vanhoutte 6 (Sadiki 75, 6), Puertas 6; Nilsson 5 (Rodriguez 67, 6), Amoura 7. Substitutes (not used) Ayensa, Teklab, Imbrechts, Wenssens, Huygevelde, Leysen.
: M Krogh (Denmark) 7 Ends
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