Suicide at Anfield!

(Baonghean.vn) - Defensive mistakes and wastefulness in attack prevented Liverpool from taking all 3 points against Sevilla at Anfield on the opening day of the 2017/2018 Champions League group stage.

When the Champions League group stage draw results were announced, Liverpool fans breathed a sigh of relief as their team only had to face three underrated teams: Sevilla (Spain), Spartak Moscow (Russia), and Maribor (Slovenia).

One of the two tickets to the knockout round seems unlikely to escape the hands of coach Klopp and his team. That is not surprising given the reputation and strength of the team that has won this tournament 5 times.

Hosting Sevilla at Anfield, Liverpool proved their status as a giant in the most prestigious European club tournament. Right after the opening whistle, the home team immediately put pressure on the opponent's field with excitement and squad quality. However, when the attack line had not found a way to enter Sevilla's goal, the back line made a serious mistake.

Sevilla's opening goal came from a mistake by centre-back Lovren. Photo: Internet

Just in the 5th minute, Liverpool's net shook in the first clear attack of the away team. From a cross by Escudero from Sevilla, center-back Lovren missed the ball, creating an opportunity for striker Ben Yedder to easily defeat goalkeeper Karius to open the score of the match.

On the pitch, coach Klopp could only express his dismay at his favorite player's foul handling. He could no longer remember how many times Lovren and his teammates had given away a goal to the opponent.

Right from the start of the match, the port city team made things difficult for themselves. It didn’t stop there, in the 72nd minute goalkeeper Karius had to go into the net to pick up the ball after a decisive shot from striker Correa.

It is worth mentioning that Liverpool's defenders were very poor in blocking and stopping the attack with only 2 Sevilla players participating. Even before launching the shot, Correa let the ball bounce quite far out of control, but no red shirt was able to rush in to save the home team's goal in time.

The defense was poor, and the attack was not blameless in Liverpool's defeat. 2 goals (Firmino, Salah) were too few compared to the opportunities that the Anfield team created.

The hasty, inaccurate shots by Mane and his teammates contributed to the "Red Brigade" being unfortunately divided points. If Liverpool's strikers had not wasted the good opportunities they had, Sevilla would have had a hard time avoiding a heavy defeat, let alone a draw.

Striker Firmino's missed penalty kick at the end of the first half. Photo: Internet

Statistics show that Liverpool had a total of 24 shots, 7 of which were on target and 2 of which were against goalkeeper Rico; while Sevilla only had 7 shots, 2 of which were on target and 2 of which forced Karius to pick the ball out of the net.

Proving their efficiency in finishing, the Spanish visitors did much better than Klopp's students. Firmino must be the one feeling the most regretful about his missed penalty kick.

Obviously, Liverpool committed suicide right at home, from defensive mistakes to wastefulness in attack. In order to avoid the pain of being eliminated in the group stage like in the 2014/2015 season, the Anfield team needs to quickly fix the existing shortcomings in the team.

It seems that coach Klopp still has a lot of work to do to help Liverpool return to its past glory./.

Thanh Hung