SAN FRANCISCO, December 10, (THEWILL) – Jurgen Klopp, with an eye on the injury list and a packed Christmas schedule, rotated his squad in a tie that brought Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign to a close with a 1-1 draw against Midtjylland at the MCH Arena in Denmark.
There were eight changes from the team that defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend in the English Premier League. With that many changes, the visitors might have been expected to make a slow start to proceedings.
Rather, Liverpool scored the quickest goal ever in their Champions League history. Pacy forward Mohamed Salah latched onto a loose backpass from Midtjylland’s centre back Alexander Scholz and fending off two defenders, poked home under an onrushing Jesper Hansen with 55 seconds gone.
Not long after Nigerian central midfielder for the hosts Frank Onyeka got into the referee’s book for an infringement on forward Divock Origi, Diogo Jota very nearly doubled Liverpool’s lead but an instinctive Hansen save kept the forward’s close-range effort out.
Unfazed by the early setback, Midtjylland responded well. Striker Sory Kaba forced a goal-line clearance from centre back Fabinho with a back-post header in the 34th minute then tested Liverpool goalie Caoimhin Kelleher with a powerful shot from a tight angle.
They continued with this attacking intent in the second half. Left winger Anders Dreyer met a dropping ball to smash the crossbar from 15 yards out five minutes after the restart.
The pressure paid off as they were given a deserved route back into the game on the hour mark. Following a lengthy VAR check, the referee decided an onrushing Kelleher brought down Dreyer in the box, allowing Scholz to score from the spot and atone for his faulty backpass.
Scholz, who was at the heart of key points in the fixture, thought he had grabbed his second after a fine finish from a tight angle following a set-piece delivery. But, VAR intervention went against the hosts this time.
Then, centre forward Takumi Minamino believed he had scored the winner at the death when he poked home after latching onto Sadio Mane’s header. Again, VAR struck it out for a handball from the Senegalese.
Midtjylland were already out prior to this tie and the result here did not affect Liverpool’s qualification as group leaders but the hosts gave a good account of themselves even after the very early goal they conceded. Frank Onyeka was solid for the 63 minutes he played and disturbed the visitors gameplay in the midfield.
Salah’s goal was his 22nd in the UEFA Champions League for Liverpool. He overtakes Anfield legend Steven Gerrard, who scored 21 times for the Reds in Europe, to become their all-time leading European competition scorer.
Liverpool are back to defending the Premier League title when they face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Midtjylland, meanwhile, visit Odense as they look to maintain their lead in the Danish Superliga on Monday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
