well the stage is truly set for what should be a terrific night of football here at
anfield i'm derek ray in position to bring you live match commentary and my expert analyst as
always on these occasions is stuart robson and this is where it all starts in the uefa
champions league the group stage and match day one my goodness so much to look forward to
it is liverpool and they take on milan well the first game of the group is so vital
you just can't get off to a losing start this could be a tight battle today derek
here's the milan team mike menyon begins in goal teo hernandez starts with davide calabria in the
fullback positions and getting the vote of confidence in attack today olivier giroud
it's the opening match day champions league group stage match day one underway
andrew robertson
henderson has it
well in any game sadio manny is likely to be an important contributor
stuart what kind of display do you expect to see from here well he's the most creative player on
the field he can run with the ball he can get himself out of tight situations he can see a
pass he's very creative with his play i think he's going to be the outstanding player today
oh great vision the importance of that tackle cannot be overstated
not to be advised giving the ball away there oh that was a chance to give them an early advantage
well they should be off to a flyer here and that was a poor effort he must hit the target
jones
good visualization and execution
decent ball and he clears the danger well not the easiest of saves but you'd expect him to stop it
calabria care has it
given away by the rossoneri
firing it towards goal well the bar can be the goalkeeper's best friend
vigorous defending let's fly here well fantastic reflex action from the goalkeeper the crowd
sensing momentum is with them they've created chance after chance can they capitalize here
corner kick played in touched on to the woodwork that comes to nothing in the end
well you sense it's just a matter of time before they do score derek
they've been piling on the pressure now and as eyes for goal and a fantastic diving save
over it comes we'll dealt with that ball comfortably
firmino and that's some goalkeeping to hang on to the shot like that well as you can see they've
done everything in terms of creativity they've made opportunities but the finishing hasn't been
good enough at some point they have to finish one of these chances off while they're sitting ever
deeper can they get themselves in front here well he had a lot of ground to cover splendid say
filmino they were playing fluent football
but then the foul and now you would anticipate a yellow card well it was
apparently a bookable offense well no debate over that one it's a yellow card all day long
now the free kick taken but saved easily by the keeper
good pressure to win the ball back high up the pitch
a goal on the back of sustained pressure now they deservedly hold the advantage
well here it is again and it's a superbly weighted through ball to
break that defensive line and his movement's so clever once he gets
onto it there's only one thought in his head smash it as hard as possible what a good goal
back underway one nil it is
a good and fair challenge
pushing forward with options available
very good interception
and one minute of stoppage time has been added on and he might be through here and denied
by the keeper impressive and that brings to an end the first half here at anfield
can help the attack in so many different ways and really contributing in this game stuart
well i thought he had a really effective first half not only did he get the goal that gave them
the lead but his general play was really good he was a constant threat and i'm sure we'll see more
and so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
and waiting for teammates to arrive on the scene
slalom hackers well that's how to beat your opponent struggling to get it away
well threat over for now
fabinho
alexander arnold spring passes around almost waiting for the opposition to make a mistake
let's see if something comes to this
had to catch it perfectly and didn't he just
well i have to say this is a really good goal just watch his technique here
he just hits through the back of the ball with such power there's no stopping that
good looking ball
good work to win the ball back high up the pitch
well there's a keeper on well how did he stop that that's just unbelievable
substitution for the visitors they decided that now
any goalkeeper would accept corner kick deliveries like that every day
30 minutes left for play well there you have it liverpool have controlled
most of the possession and have used it really well today particularly in the
midfield areas and i expect more of the same as the game goes on possession one
from the right place to cut out the pass
roberto firmino fabinho oh that's an interesting pass
and how about that for a save
and the quality of past needs to be a bit better
well let's see what they have in store for them on the break oh a nice looking
pass but they had a bit of work to do and getting to that through ball the goalkeeper
henderson this is salah
fabinho and liverpool might be able to cash in now the flag has gone up here offside it is
well very close to the end of this game and a performance liverpool fans are going
to remember fondly well i think the scoreline reflects the difference between the two teams
for most of the game they've dictated the play and they've created some really good chances
i think it's been an excellent performance oh tight offside decision but the flag does go up
substitution then let's see how it affects the match
and acres of space out wide for milan
coming substitution time as is here superb defensive judgment to end the attack
then
and this might mean job done and slaughtered home
might have been fluttering but he didn't show it a goal from the spot
well as you can see the keeper makes no effort in the end he
was hoping it would be struck down the middle but it's an easy finish really
well if there were any lingering doubts about the outcome surely they now have been removed
he's given the ball away unnecessarily
jones has it well the referee has instructed the fourth official to put two minutes on the board
well it's a great advantage to any side when you're as comfortable on the ball as they are
so full time it is and the morale boosting three points on the board to begin the european campaign
yeah that's a good win and a vital three points
another win next time out and they'll be in a great position
will probably be smiling from ear to ear on the back of this
your verdict as regards manny well he scored a good goal he hit the woodwork
and was a constant threat so overall he should be really pleased with his display today you