Liverpool was a bit chaotic here at times. It was a tougher night than many expected against Italy’s 13th best team.
But with Liverpool there is always the beauty within. Here it came from Mo Salah’s gilded left foot. What a shot with fifteen minutes to go. What a relief. What a goal.
Liverpool, who have looked largely confident so far this season under the guidance of their new manager Arne Slot, started well at Anfield. They almost scored in the second minute and nine minutes later they did so through Alexis Mac Allister. The pass came from Salah and was typical of his work. The 32-year-old remains a keen goalscorer, but also plays with his head held high these days. In that respect there has been a clear change.
It seemed straightforward for a while, but over time it became less so. Liverpool started making mistakes and Bologna grew in confidence and had opportunities. They hit the post and crossbar in the first half and Alisson made a good save early in the second.
The match remained in the balance for a long time, but in the 75th minute Salah opted to sit on his side of the seesaw and that was it. A pass to him from the right, a drive inside and then a left-foot shot so perfectly struck – high and over – that it would have hit the bull’s-eye of a dartboard.
Alexis Mac Allister celebrates after his eleventh-minute goal gave Liverpool the lead
Mohamed Salah cheers after his goal in the 75th minute that made it 2-0 for Liverpool
Arne Slot has now led Liverpool to two consecutive Champions League victories
And so Liverpool and Slot continue. Imperfect but winning and always, for many different reasons, a lot of fun to watch.
What do we think of it so far this season? They are leaders in the Premier League and two out of two in Europe. That in itself is a reasonable statement. Slot has recorded eight wins in nine games, with the only slip being the home defeat against Nottingham Forest in the middle of last month.
But to be honest, it hasn’t always been easy. There have been periods in many of their games when Liverpool’s football has looked somewhat uncertain. Apart from that 3-0 win over Manchester United, strangely enough, where they were pretty much playing with their slippers on.
You wonder how Liverpool will do against the really good teams. Where will the control come from? Maybe we’ll find out soon enough. They face Chelsea and Arsenal in a week’s time at the end of the international break, with a Champions League match against RB Leipzig in between. So maybe after all that we should talk.
As it is, this was another evening that was negotiated rather than entirely shaped at will.
They were excellent early on, but in the last fifteen minutes of the first half and in the first fifteen of the second half they coughed up the ball and as a result, chances were created at an alarming rate. Bologna hit the crossbar and post in this period, while Alisson Becker made two very good saves.
Before all that, Liverpool were impressive and looked deadly early on as they were able to play virtually undisturbed.
A super combination between Ryan Gravenberch and Trent Alexander-Arnold almost resulted in a goal for Luis Diaz in the second minute, but the low cross fell fractionally behind the Colombian. Shortly afterwards Liverpool took the lead.
Mac Allister scored from close range as Liverpool secured another Champions League win
Liverpool players congratulate Mac Allister on his goal against Bologna
Dominik Szoboszlai shot narrowly wide as Liverpool tried to extend their lead
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson appears to deny Bologna’s Thijs Dallinga during Anfield clash as Bologna grows into the match
Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez was less than impressive when he had the opportunity to do so
Darwin Nunez played his role well, holding off defenders on the edge of the penalty area to pass the ball back to Salah. His angled cross may have been aimed at Nunez, but as the striker fell to the ground, Mac Allister slowly moved into space close to goal and kicked the ball home.
Dominik Szoboszlai then fired inches wide of the far post after Salah set it up before Nunez struck straight at the goalkeeper and also fired a shot over 18 yards.
However, it was at that moment that Bologna suddenly found a bit of themselves again and, as strange as it sounded and felt at the time, had been able to score three times in about ten minutes.
Twice the Italians hit the frame of the goal and both times it was Dan Ndoye. A deflected shot on the crossbar and then a shot on the turn against the post. Then, in the 33rd minute, a mistake from Alexander-Arnold allowed Kacper Urbanski to fire across goal and Alisson dived to his left to save.
It had been an interesting period, with Liverpool suddenly seeking the consolation of a second goal. Nunez – less than impressive on a night when he had the chance to drop a point behind – headed over at the start of the second half, with goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski quick to smother Alexander-Arnold’s feet .
But it was the visiting team that still looked the most dangerous at the moment. Midfielder Riccardo Orsolini got behind Liverpool’s right-back to work Alisson low, before Urbanski, the Pole, fired a shot over 18 yards when he should have done better.
Bologna’s Riccardo Orsolini battles for the ball with Liverpool defender Andy Robertson
Salah’s strike flew straight into the top left corner and sealed the result for the hosts
Bologna honestly deserved to be level at this stage. A goal for the Italians would have been interesting.
But Salah’s intervention was as perfectly timed as it was exquisitely struck. With one shot in the 63rd minute he had put everything in order. He missed by a foot. His second was almost identical, except this one went in. A lot has changed at Anfield and there is a sense of evolution. However, some things remain beautifully the same.
