Christian Pulisic scored in the third minute for AC Milan, signaling a difficult match for Liverpool, especially after they lost to Nottingham Forest last weekend. However, Liverpool did not collapse. Instead, they scored 3 goals through Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai, to win their Champions League opening match.
“It was a great way to celebrate my birthday. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Forest was a big blow for us and I always wondered how they would cope when they went behind. The lads did really well today.
“I think Liverpool played well when they had the ball. It’s a bit of an exaggeration to say ‘embarrassing’, but the defeat to Forest was an unbelievable defeat for Liverpool, because the whole team played very well,” said Arne Slot after the match against AC Milan.
Slot handed Cody Gakpo his first start of the season and the Dutchman was rewarded with an impressive performance. According to Slot, Gakpo performed exactly as he expected. It was Gakpo who assisted Liverpool's third goal.
"I'm really happy that I showed myself with the assist and especially to help the team win," added the Dutch winger.
The match against AC Milan also marked a special milestone for Liverpool captain Van Dijk, who made his 50th appearance in the Champions League. At the same time, he also made his mark by scoring 3 goals in this competition.
"Obviously I'm very happy with the win today and I'm pleased with the way the team responded after a difficult start. Overall, Liverpool had a very good performance with and without the ball.
When we had a set piece, we saw it as an important play to take advantage of. We played well and AC Milan only created two big chances.
Liverpool have been very successful over the years and I am always grateful for that. Things have changed, the new coach is here and he has different principles. We are still working hard every day and there are still many areas to improve.
- Liverpool have won five of their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions, while winning just three of their first 14 away games.
- Three of the last four Champions League matches that Milan lost despite leading were against Liverpool.
- Trent Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was his 80th for Liverpool, since his debut in October 2016. Only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and Mohamed Salah (90) have more assists than Arnold in all competitions among Premier League players.
- With Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool have had two defenders score in the same Champions League match for the first time.
