well the stage is truly set for what should be a terrific night of football here at anfield
i'm derek ray getting ready to bring you all the action accompanied by my broadcasting partner
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 facing porter well derek although the hosts are clear favorites
this could prove to be a tricky game for them unless they score an early goal because their
opponents will sit deep remain compact and defend with determination they also pose a
threat on the counter-attack and are really good at set plays it's going to be an interesting one
well this system gives them a good defensive base a well drilled back four
a solid midfield with wide players tucking in and two forwards who can press the ball
but does it provide enough fluidity going forward i'm never sure
it's the opening match day champions league group stage match day one underway
tony martinez and on the ball sergio oliveira
mateo suribe sergio oliveira plenty of forward momentum here but can they produce
henderson
roberto firmino
a gift for any goalkeeper
now what can they do to stop them running at them sadio manet
at the back post making sure nothing came of it
when you see this again the defending just isn't good enough the clearance doesn't get enough
height on it doesn't get enough distance on it and suddenly the ball is being played back into their
danger area and they don't reorganize themselves and that's why the ball's in the back of their net
and the ball moving again what sort of response will we see from them now
we need to get tighter here
but it fizzles out thanks to that piece of defending
jones
to stop it
and now the delivery well they couldn't take advantage of the chance
being pressed and pressed high
great pressure to win the ball back and the
keeper making sure there were no scraps for them to feed on
tony martinez
octavio
the attack looks promising but they dealt with the threat post
alexander arnold
liverpool have given us away
well liverpool haven't dominated possession as you can see but their counter-attacking has been
really good particularly in the wide areas it's been an excellent performance from them so far
plenty of players waiting in the middle and the danger still on
well they can keep possession of it
now might be able to get in behind the defense
oh great attacking play it'll be a corner
now sending it in you can't really head them any better than that
but the goalkeeper was up to the task growing pressure here and another corner
played over well nearly shaving the post with that header
henderson roberto firmino won it back
luis diaz
martinez oh moving it nicely
surely the equalizer oh and a wonderful stop but now we find out it was offside
so
not a huge chunk of added time one minute and that brings to an end the first half here at anfield
in many ways the ultimate team player pressing machine roberto firmino
assessment of his performance well it was certainly a good first 45 minutes for the lad
obviously he got his goal to put them in front but he's looked lively throughout too
hopefully we see more of him in the second half
and so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
andrew robertson
manny
sadio off the flank has eyes for goal and he's farted against the post
i think you've got to conclude that was good refereeing a free kick in the end
after initially playing advantage but it just wasn't there uh
can they extend their lead and it goes in
well here it is again great composure to send the keeper the wrong way
before striking it into the opposite side that's an excellent penalty
now the second goal for them here
november
can they trouble the opposition this time
but nothing comes a bit
that navigator
and space to attack
can he take advantage of as they accelerate away from the opposition
well here it is again he goes past his marker so easily with just a drop of the
shoulder but he's still got so much work to do just look at the strength he shows
to hold off the defender and still get his shot away that's a really good finish
and the substitution will occur now
three goals without reply
well nicely cut out
sergio oliveira
it might be a really sound goalkeeping well that's such
a good save isn't it how did he keep that one out
who can he pick
and out time for calm on the ball and breaking at pace with menace
jones has it and space here on the flank roberto firmino
henderson has it well we have 20 minutes left in this game
potential danger
there it is a fantastic goal and no wonder he's off celebrating
well here's the goal again and it's a great ball to put in through
good vision to set up the chance but i don't think the keeper should
be beaten in his near post quite so easily i thought that was stoppable
and time for the change now
so the ball is moving again we've been treated to four goals three won the score
jones
monet
no luck for sadio mane
can they do something positive on the counter attack
and on the ball sergio oliveira
and dispossessed a real opening now can he finish there it is victory more or less guaranteed now
well it's a goal you'd expect him to score but he
kept his call and he put it away nicely he'll be happy with that
it's a massive lead and it's very hard to imagine them losing it now
well let's see what they have in store for them on the break
who can do better than that
well here's the replay and it's a really inviting ball played into
the box begging players to attack it and it makes the striker's job so easy
all he has to do is make the right connection it's a lovely goal
full time it is under morale boosting three points on the board to begin the european campaign
well you always want to get off to a good start and that's exactly what they've done here
now they can look forward to the next game they're in a great position
does things to please as manager and quite the handful on this occasion stuart
well that was a great performance his understanding of how to find space was
brilliant today and of course he scored two really good goals