Not for the first time this season, Liverpool had Mohamed Salah to thank as he put his side on the verge of a place in the Champions League’s last-16.
The Egyptian’s penalty was enough to secure a 1-0 win in Girona, and maintain the Reds’ 100 per cent record in Europe which all but guarantees a top eight finish in the league phase. The visitors though did have to rely on the returning Alisson Becker to show his class on a few occasions as Arne Slot was left less than pleased with his side’s performance.
Nevertheless, Liverpool’s job in the opening stage of its return to the top table of European football is almost done, meaning it can begin to look ahead to a push for domestic and continental success in the New Year.
As usual, the UK’s media was out in force in Spain to give their verdict on Liverpool’s latest triumph – here’s what they made of the 1-0 win over Girona.
Richard Jolly, The Independent
The mathematics of a complicated competition may remain unclear but one element is apparent. Liverpool will skip the Champions League’s inaugural knock-out play-off round and head straight for the last 16. They in effect booked their place, and a top-eight finish in the group stages, on a night decided by two men who won them the competition in 2019.
Mohamed Salah scored a penalty, as he did in the final then. Alisson Becker saved plenty of shots, as he did on that Madrid night. Now Liverpool have a Spanish double in a couple of weeks, even if Girona acquitted themselves better than Real Madrid did at Anfield, even if Arne Slot was delighted with their efforts against Carlo Ancelotti’s side and critical of the display in Catalonia. But the outcome was the same and they have 18 points. Such are the peculiarities of the format that their reward will be fewer games. Liverpool should now have a midweek off in February, a few days before they visit Manchester City, who could be in the play-off round. That may be the ultimate reward for victory.
Lewis Steele, Daily Mail
We are not even a fortnight into December and Arne Slot has already toppled Guardiola and City twice this month.
After getting one over on Pep Guardiola and champions Manchester City with a convincing 2-0 win 10 days ago, this time it was the turn of his little brother, Pere Guardiola, to be left humbled by Liverpool and the Slot machine.
Pere is the president of City Football Group-owned Girona, who are one of the new guests at Europe's top table on their inaugural Champions League campaign. But the gulf in quality from these gatecrashers to the very elite sides was highlighted on Tuesday night as Liverpool beat them 1-0.
Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the opening goal for Liverpool against Girona.
Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the opening goal for Liverpool against Girona. (Image: JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
You need not be a fortune teller to predict the protagonist. As it always seems to be, Mohamed Salah was the man with the golden keys to turn a draw into victory, taking his goal tally for the season up to 16 and registering his 50th Champions League strike in the process.
Even though he arguably looks better than ever at 32, climbing up the ladder for most goals in this showpiece competition looks a tall order given three man have already reached triple figures: Cristiano Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (129) and Roberto Lewandowski (101).
Reaching his half-century, though, still represents an almighty fine knock and uber-professional Salah does have a couple of more realistic records in his sights between now and New Year. He is currently on a seven-match scoring run in the league and will fancy Jamie Vardy's 11 in a row.
Sid Lowe, The Guardian
Liverpool’s perfect Champions League continued and a new record was completed with a sixth win and a fifth clean sheet. Arne Slot’s side have now not conceded since the third minute of the opening night at San Siro, their best ever run in Europe. They also have their goalkeeper back, and on a cold night at Montilivi those things were related. Mohamed Salah’s penalty secured a 1-0 victory against Girona, but this was also about Alisson who made five saves on his return to help virtually secure a place in the last 16 with two matches to spare.
If the record is perfect, the performance was not. “If you ask me about all the six games, I’m really pleased with all the results,” he said. “I’m really pleased with the five games, the way we played. I am far from pleased about the performance tonight.”
In the end, though, it was enough: routine and maybe a bit bureaucratic, the coach complaining at a lack of intensity. The penalty that won it certainly was, decreed by the video assistant referee, a magnifying glass held over a minor misdemeanour. Luis Díaz went down under a challenge from Donny van de Beek, his boot lost. “When I saw that, I thought: ‘He’s going to give it,’” the Girona coach, Michel Sánchez, admitted. “It’s not the kind of penalty I like but it is where we are with VAR.”
Chris Bascombe, The Telegraph
Darwin Núñez remains the great Liverpool enigma, the arguments still raging as to whether Slot’s side can maintain their dominance at home and in Europe without a free-scoring No 9.
Arne Slot and Darwin Nunez during Girona 0-1 Liverpool in the Champions League.
Arne Slot and Darwin Nunez during Girona 0-1 Liverpool in the Champions League. (Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
No Anfield striker has embraced the phrase ‘hit and miss’ so prolifically as Núñez, his moments of quality so often caveated because of his propensity to squander routine chances while taking the spectacular.
In any normal season, a central striker scoring just three goals heading to Christmas would be a cause for concern. The issue has been camouflaged by the reliability of others, especially Salah who continues to press home his case for that new deal. Dioga Jota has more goals than Núñez in this campaign and he has not played for six weeks.
Nothing has happened in Jota’s absence to suggest he will not assume senior status when he returns in the coming weeks. But such problems will seem minor to the fixer Slot as Liverpool marched on. It will need a miracle to prevent them qualifying directly into the round of 16 now.