Liverpool had to come from behind to hold Napoli to a draw in their Champions League clash at Anfield last night, and will need at least a point in their final group game at Red Bull Salzburg to guarantee advancing to the last-16 despite currently topping Group E.
Having picked up 10 points from their opening five games, the Reds are still far from securing a place in the knockout stages, with Napoli on nine points, while RB Salzburg have seven points.
Liverpool fell behind to Dries Mertens’ 21st-minute opener, but felt the goal shouldn’t have stood after the Belgian shoved Virgil van Dijk.
VAR checked for a potential foul and offside, and the goal was given in the end.
Here is how Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker reacted to the composed finish of the Napoli forward:
Belting finish from Mertens gives Napoli the lead: pic.twitter.com/st6iUFb85L
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 27, 2019
Liverpool kept knocking on the door and finally got an equalizer through Dejan Lovren who headed in from James Milner’s corner, with Mertens’ appeals for a foul falling on deaf ears.
Anfield remains a stronghold for the Champions League defending champions, and they are unbeaten in their last 16 UCL games on Merseyside (W11 D5), last tasting defeat in October 2014 against Real Madrid.
Lineker summed up their fighting spirit at the ground with this tweet:
Cracking header from Lovren and @lfc are back on level terms. They don’t lose at Anfield.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 27, 2019
Jurgen Klopp’s men, Napoli and Salzburg all have a chance of securing a place in the knockout stages on the last day of the group stage, and the Reds would be out if they lose and the Italians beat Genk.
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