LIVERPOOL – Lacklustre Liverpool beat Midtjylland 2-0 on Tuesday to make it two wins out of two in the Champions League but their defensive problems mounted as Fabinho limped off injured.
The Premier League champions were toothless in the first half but finally clicked 10 minutes after the break when the impressive Trent Alexander-Arnold set up Diogo Jota for a tap-in.
A late penalty lashed home by substitute Mohamed Salah gave the scoreline unwarranted gloss as Liverpool went to the top of Group D.
"It was a tough night," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport. "It's a bit like in a marriage, there are good and bad times. It's not a bad time but it's a tricky time. A hundred percent we have to stick together and fight harder and that's what the boys did tonight."
The German boss said Fabinho's injury was "exactly the last thing we needed".
"He felt his hamstring so that's not good," said Klopp. "He didn't feel it that much -- he said he could've played on -- but not sprinting so that doesn't help. We will see, we will have to do a scan and see but clearly it's not good."
Klopp left his first-choice attack of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino on the bench against the Danes, giving his second string a chance to shine.
But Liverpool, lacking urgency and fluency at an empty Anfield, struggled to break down the hard-working visitors, who had lost their Champions League opener to Atalanta 4-0.
Midtjylland had a chance to take a shock lead in the opening minutes when a long clip down the middle sent Anders Dreyer in on goal and Alisson Becker had to make a smart save.
Liverpool, who beat Ajax away in their Champions League opener, dominated possession but struggled to create clear chances. – AFP, October 28, 2020
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