Liverpool 2-0 Bologna: Mac Allister and Salah strike as Slot's side stay perfect

By Sports Desk October 02, 2024

Liverpool made it two wins from two in this season's Champions League following a 2-0 victory over Bologna at Anfield.

Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah were on target for Arne Slot's side, who maintained their perfect start to the league phase, having also beaten AC Milan 3-1 on matchday one.

The Reds broke through after just 11 minutes when Mac Allister timed his run perfectly to steer Salah's teasing cross beyond Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Liverpool thought they had doubled their lead six minutes later when Darwin Nunez fired home, only to be denied by the offside flag, while the woodwork thwarted Dan Ndoye at the other end.

The visitors looked to hit back after the break and went close in the 56th minute as Riccardo Orsolini forced a strong save from Alisson Becker, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday.

However, the hosts gave themselves breathing space - and eventually the three points - with a quarter of an hour remaining, when Salah brilliantly curled into Skorupski's far corner of the net.

Data Debrief: Salah makes more history as Reds continue to enjoy home comforts

In wrapping up the victory, Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in five successive home Champions League games.

The Egyptian is also only the third player to achieve the feat for a Premier League side, following in the footsteps of Thierry Henry with Arsenal (seven) and Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy (six).

Also assisting Mac Allister's opener, Salah has now been directly involved in 14 goals (eight goals, six assists) in his last 11 home European appearances, as many as in his 20 previous such games.

It helped Liverpool record their 11th straight group/league win at Anfield in major European competition, while they have now scored at least twice in each of their last 10 such games. 

Related items

  • 'It's a great night for everyone' - Genesio revels as Lille shock Madrid 'It's a great night for everyone' - Genesio revels as Lille shock Madrid

    Bruno Genesio revelled in "a great night for everyone", as "incredible" Lille stunned Champions League holders Real Madrid 1-0 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

    Jonathan David's first-half penalty - after Eduardo Camavinga handled from Edon Zhegrova's free-kick - ended Madrid's 14-match unbeaten streak in this competition, while condemning them to a first reverse overall in 36 games.

    Genesio also had Lucas Chevalier to thank after the Lille goalkeeper made a string of superb saves to keep Carlo Ancelotti's side at bay, including a wonderful instinctive stop to thwart Antonio Rudiger right at the death.

    Indeed, Madrid simply had no answer to their stubborn hosts, despite the introduction of a fit-again Kylian Mbappe during the second half.

    And Genesio saluted his players for their efforts in delivering a memorable result.

    "What this team did is incredible," he said. "We try to put things in place, but you need the players to believe in the plan for this kind of upset to happen.

    "You have to do everything perfectly, you need a keeper who makes the decisive saves, a striker who scores, and a bit of luck.

    "We played a very good first half, we played together. It's a great night for everyone.

    "We saw that Real like to cut inside, so we put intensity in that sector - even if we had to abandon possession sometimes.

    "Then, it was all about pressing when it mattered. Everything worked perfectly, it was an ideal scenario - even if we suffered a lot in the last 25 to 30 minutes, but Lucas made the saves we needed."

  • Motta praises Juve spirit after thrilling fightback at Leipzig Motta praises Juve spirit after thrilling fightback at Leipzig

    Thiago Motta hailed Juventus' team spirit after they shrugged off two injuries and Michele Di Gregorio's red card to secure a thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over RB Leipzig.

    Juventus, who are yet to concede a goal in Serie A this season, twice had to fight back from a goal down before securing the win with a late goal from Francisco Conceicao.

    They endured a nightmare start as captain Bremer and winger Nicolas Gonzalez were both withdrawn after suffering injuries. 

    They then went down to 10 men when Di Gregorio was dismissed for handling outside his area, but Dusan Vlahovic's brace had them level before Conceicao showed great feet to tuck home an 82nd-minute winner. 

    "It was a good match, even in the first half where we made some mistakes in the details," said Motta. 

    "In the second half, we did better, even playing with 10 men. It was a great performance and a great win.

    "Courage from the boys, they were determined to push forward and hurt the opponents.

    "Even with a man down, we had that feeling, so why step back? We kept pushing, and we did it well right until the last minute."

    Two-goal hero Vlahovic echoed those sentiments, saying: "I'm really happy, especially for the team. We are becoming a real unit.

    "We fought together, kept pressing even when we were down to 10 men, and in the end, we deserved to win. It was a great match, and fortunately, we came out on top."

     

  • Dinamo Zagreb 2-2 Monaco: Zakaria snatches point at drenched Stadion Maksimir Dinamo Zagreb 2-2 Monaco: Zakaria snatches point at drenched Stadion Maksimir

    Monaco came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League at a rain-sodden Stadion Maksimir, with Denis Zakaria equalising with an 89th-minute penalty.

    Petar Sucic put Dinamo ahead in first-half stoppage time with a delightful chipped finish, later doubling their lead in 66th minute when Martin Baturina rifled home from outside the area.

    Having been crushed 9-2 at Bayern Munich in their opening game, it looked like the Croatian side would bounce back in style, with Monaco struggling to get going on a sodden pitch.

    However, Mohammed Salisu headed in from a corner with 16 minutes left to provoke a Monaco onslaught, and Maxime Bernauer fouled Folarin Balogun to concede an 89th-minute spot-kick.

    Zakaria converted to put Monaco on four points after they beat Barcelona in their first match, with Dinamo defender Nenad Bjelica subsequently sent off when he picked up a second booking for dissent.

    Data Debrief: Monaco show fighting spirit

    Monaco looked set for a demoralising defeat in Croatia when they went 2-0 down, struggling to get their slick passing style to work on a pitch that was close to waterlogged.

    However, they showed great resilience to fight back in the latter stages, avoiding defeat from two or more goals down in a Champions League match for the first time since May 2004, when they earned a 2-2 draw versus Chelsea en route to making the final.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.