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.”
When Girona threatened, the Brazilian held them at bay, showing no sign of inactivity having been out since October, although it would be a step to far to cast him in the role of saviour. And then, not for the first time, Liverpool took a small step up in the second half, the penalty eventually securing victory that should see them directly into the last 16, earning that February break. For Girona, their first ever season in this competition is almost over already, left with just three points after six games.
“I almost feel sorry for them because they deserve so much more in this campaign than the three points they have now,” said Slot. “And every time we lost the ball we were not aggressive enough, almost every time they just went all the way to our goal. We had hardly any control in the game, maybe the second half was better – I’m trying to be positive.”
Alisson’s was the second touch of the game, the kick-off sent his way to allow him to familiarise himself with the ball once more, and his would be the most decisive touches of the first half too. They were 11 minutes in when he made the first of four saves in the opening period. It had begun with Bryan Gil dashing through the middle and spreading the ball to the left for Miguel Gutiérrez. His cross escaped its initial target, Daley Blind, but it came to Ladislav Krejci whose side-footed effort was stopped by the goalkeeper.
That was the first time that Girona had crossed the halfway line and Liverpool had already seen a headed opportunity for Joe Gomez turned away by Paulo Gazzaniga, but it seemed to awaken something in them. Liverpool were made aware that they were in a game, certainly. A moment later, Gil was in behind, all alone. It surprised that the flag had not gone up; even more unexpected was that Gil would slip over inside the area. From the floor, he did manage to scramble a shot away, but Alisson saved. The noise level rose; Girona had arrived. Another shot came, hit by Gutiérrez, and Alisson flung out an arm.
Liverpool had more of the ball, it was true, and there were opportunities for them, Darwin Núñez heading one just wide. But Girona were going for them. Ryan Gravenberch and Andy Robertson blocked successive shots from Arnaut Danjuma and Alejandro Francés before Alisson’s throw set Liverpool racing away for a move that ended with Núñez heading a long, deflected and looping cross into his own feet. The Uruguayan was then slipped in by Salah’s angled ball only for Gazzaniga to stop with his right foot.
That this was still 0-0 owed much to the two keepers. Alisson closed the first half with a fourth save, diving to deny Yáser Asprilla, and opened the second with a fifth, from Danjuma.
This was different now, Liverpool taking control. Yet if Girona were pushed deeper towards their own area, they seemed comfortable enough holding their opponents at that point. With little space to run into, Liverpool struggled to get through. The hosts formed a wall that stood firm, the ball was moved from side to side across the front of the area and back again but most moves ended with low crosses to no real destination, easily headed away. When a gap did open, Gazzaniga saved from Robertson.
Michael Olise produced a moment of magic to set the seal on Bayern Munich's demolition of Shakhtar Donetsk and ease them towards the knockout stage.
Olise's brilliant stoppage-time run and finish capped a 5-1 victory for the Germans, in which he had also scored from the penalty spot, in Gelsenkirchen.
Kevin's fifth-minute strike had given the home side the perfect start, but Konrad Laimer levelled before Thomas Müller's 55th goal in the competition sent the visitors in ahead at the break and set the stage for Olise's double either side of Jamal Musiala's strike.
Goals from Gonçalo Ramos, Nuno Mendes and substitute Désiré Doué – his first in the competition – handed Paris Saint-Germain a much-needed three points from a comfortable 3-0 win at RB Salzburg.
Nordi Mukiele left it late to end Inter's unbeaten Champions League record as Bayer Leverkusen claimed a dramatic 1-0 victory at the BayArena.
Mukiele struck in the 90th minute to inflict a first defeat across six games in this season's competition on the Serie A champions – it was also the first goal they have conceded.
Casper Nielsen came off the bench to fire Club Brugge to a 2-1 home victory over Sporting after Eduardo Quaresma's own goal had handed them a way back into the game following Geny Catamo's early opener.
Julien Le Cardinal's first-half strike was enough to earn Brest a 1-0 victory over Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven.
Then, on the hour, it happened. Another ball in, low again, came to Díaz who went down. There did not appear to be much in it and there were few real appeals, but the forward stayed down. And, with Liverpool preparing to take a corner, Benoît Bastien, a finger in his ear, signalled for them to pause. Eventually, he was called to the screen to have a look. There still wasn’t very much to see but he had seen enough, the Colombian’s boot, taken off in the challenge, providing sufficient evidence.
Three Champions League penalties had been missed here this season but Salah was not going the way of Bojan Miovski, Cristhian Stuani and Ayase Ueda, scoring his 16th of the season. Of Liverpool’s last 23 goals it was the 20th scored in the second half and it was done.
