By Victor Kanayo
Liverpool ended Napoli’s flawless UEFA Champions League record with victory at Anfield Tuesday night.
Despite the victory, the Jurgen Klopp-tutored side still settled for second place in Group A.
Goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez earned the reds sweet revenge against Napoli.
The victory also brought an end to Napoli’s 21-game unbeaten run – across all competitions.
However, the Italian side still finished top of their group heading into the next round of the UCL
Napoli Boss, Luciano Spalletti started Victor Osimhen, the Striker coming fresh off a brilliant performance, where he netted a hat-trick.
But, Osimhen couldn’t replicate that form, all through his 88th minutes on the pitch, the Nigerian was policed by Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
The 23 year-old has only three appearances in the UCL and a goal so far this season.
On the other hand, Liverpool’s form and approach have been questioned after defeats by struggling Nottingham Forest and Leeds United – criticism justified given just how poor they were, looking a shadow of the team that spent nearly all of last season in pursuit of a historic quadruple.
Klopp’s team will take great heart from beating Napoli, although context must be given in that the Italians knew only a four-goal margin of defeat would make any difference to the group standings.
Liverpool now face a serious test of their credentials when they travel to Tottenham, who savoured 2-1 victory in Marseille that saw them win their group, for a Premier League tie on Sunday.
With the win, Tottenham also guaranteed their place in the knockout phase of the European competition.
