The Reds welcomed Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen to Anfield Tuesday night for Matchday 4 of the Champions League. Luis Díaz was preferred to Darwin Núñez through the middle of the park—something we haven’t seen thus far. He was joined on the wings by Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah. The midfield consisted of Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, and Ryan Gravenberch; in defense, Trent and Kostas occupied the fullback positions, with Big Ibou returning to partner Virgil following an injury scare at the weekend. Caoimhin Kelleher retained his place between the sticks.
Going into the match, I honestly wasn’t all too sure what to expect. As we all know, Leverkusen have been flying over the past 18 months, winning the Bundesliga, while maintaining an unbeaten record in the league for the entirety of last season. With 3 wins from our first 3 in the UCL so far, a win wasn’t necessarily vital. However, I did believe that this game would prove to be a relatively strong marker of where Slot’s side currently stands in comparison to other top sides around Europe. Virgil led the lads onto the pitch, the Kop belted out Gerry’s anthem, some lads behind the Kop broke open an endless supply of firecrackers, and away we went.
There wasn’t a great deal to shout about in the opening 45 minutes, to be completely truthful. The majority of the half was played at a walking pace, with both sides trying to feel each other out as the half wore on. Leverkusen briefly thought they had gone ahead through Jeremy Frimpong, before the winger was rightly adjudged to have punched the ball around Kostas and fired past Kelleher in the latter stages of the half. While Liverpool did not create a great deal, Luis Díaz was causing Leverkusen problems when allowed to float through the middle of the park—and when the Reds upped the tempo, primarily through the use of cross-field switches of play (albeit this was done sparingly in the opening half), Leverkusen struggled massively to deal with it. The half ended 0-0, but I really did get the sense that Leverkusen would be there for the taking in the second 45.
While the Reds may have started a touch slowly in the first half, the second half was the polar opposite. From the first kick of the second half, Slot’s men seemed to be at the throat of the German side—and Anfield responded. After spurning several big opportunities to open the scoring early in the second half, the Redmen found the breakthrough right on the hour mark. Curtis Jones was allowed to find space between the lines in the Leverkusen half, receiving a pass from Trent, before turning and weighing a Xabi Alonso-esque pass through to Luis Díaz. The Colombian received the ball with a touch before delivering a sumptuous chip from the penalty spot over the bewildered Lukas Hrádecky. 1-0 to the Reds, and you just got the feeling that the floodgates may open.
Again, like the weekend, the Kop only needed to wait about 100 seconds for the second goal to come. Another blinding break saw Salah and Díaz combine on the left wing, with Díaz playing the Egyptian into space on his right foot just outside the Leverkusen area. The King then fired an inch-perfect cross to the forehead of a diving Cody Gakpo at the far post of the Kop End net, leaving the goalkeeper no chance. In the blink of an eye, the Reds were 2-0 to the good, and Leverkusen seemed to melt within the cauldron of noise that the Kop had once again become. Gakpo was briefly judged offside, but after a VAR check and Darwin telling the linesman that he was wrong from the technical area, the goal was rightly given.
The final 25 minutes were purely poetry in motion, Liverpool Football Club in full flow at its peak. After another period of sustained pressure from the Redmen, with 8 minutes to go in the 90, Salah was again given the freedom of the wing to pick his head up and deliver a cross into the Leverkusen penalty area—this time on his left foot. Another tantalizing cross was met by the cushioned in-step of Díaz at the far post, nearly inside the 6-yard box. The South American brought the ball down with a ridiculous first touch before firing between the legs of Tapsoba from close range to make it 3-0. Two assists for the Egyptian King, a brace for Lucho, and a roaring Anfield on a European night—it was only going to get better though.
With 2 minutes left of added time, Darwin found himself leading a 4v2 break. Side note: the game is dead and buried, and we are still flying forward—fucking love that. Darwin, somewhat astoundingly (given the passing options), decides to take the shot on himself. Not a terrible effort in the end, but well blocked by the retreating Hincapié just outside the 6-yard box. The loose ball then caromed to a completely free Díaz, who for the third occasion on the night slotted past Hrádecky—a Bobby Firmino-style no-look finish nonetheless. 4-0 to the Reds, Lucho Díaz hat-trick (the first in a European game at Anfield since Coutinho in 2017—fact check me, go on), and the Redmen continue to roll.
We’ll be back in action Saturday night under the lights again at Anfield against Villa, and it feels as though something special may just be beginning to flourish in L4. I was cautiously optimistic going into tonight, and this may have now been turned into reckless optimism. I’ve got a good feeling, and I don’t think I’m the only one. Up the Pissboiling Redmen.
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