Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the Champions League campaign with a crucial victory against La Liga strugglers Girona on Tuesday.
The Reds registered their sixth success on the bounce with a narrow 1-0 win at the Estadi Montilivi to pile the misery on a Girona side that have now lost five of their six Champions League games.
However, the Reds were far from their sparkling best, and BBC pundit Stephen Warnock believes Arne Slot’s side were lucking to come away with a narrow win.
“Not Liverpool’s greatest performance, but it is a job well done,” Warnock said on BBC Live.
“They were a little bit fortuitous with the penalty, but the same result as usual for Mohamed Salah. Liverpool get the three points.”
Both sides served up an end-to-end contest that could have gone either way, and Girona were guilty of spurning guilt-edged chances.
Slot would have been delighted at the timely return of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, who once again reaffirmed his world-class status by making five saves to keep Liverpool alive.
His exploits were matched by Girona stopper Paulo Gazzaniga at the other end of the pitch, with the former Tottenham Hotspur keeper making six saves to keep the rampant Reds at bay.
However, Gazzaniga was ultimately undone by a fortunate penalty decision that Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah expertly converted.
A scramble inside the Girona box eventually saw Andrew Robertson draw a save from Gazzaniga, only for VAR to spot a foul by Donny van de Beek on Luis Diaz in the melee.
Salah rose to the task and slotted home only his second goal of the Champions League campaign, ensuring Liverpool departed Catalonia with maximum points in the bag.
Liverpool must produce a significantly improved performance when they host Fulham over the weekend to tighten their grip on the Premier League title race.
Only four points separate the Reds from second-placed Chelsea, although Slot’s side have the benefit of a game in hand against Everton.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
