Liverpool bounce back with late Matip goal against Ajax

Arguably Jurgen Klopp’s first great European night at Anfield culminated in a late winner from a centre-back sent up for a setpiece.

- RICHARD JOLLY

If Ajax in 2022 may not yet belong alongside Dortmund in 2016, Joel Matip’s decider here might rank alongside Dejan Lovren’s against Klopp’s old employers six years ago in terms of its importance.

After the worst display of his reign and the nightmare in Naples, Liverpool required a response and a win.

In their energy and their organisation, in the individuals and the collective, they had improvement. But as long as Ajax were on course to take a point, there was a case for arguing the result could be still more damaging than their statutory setback in Naples... until Matip met Kostas Tsimikas’s corner to plant a header beyond Remko Pasveer and frustration was replaced by celebration.

Matip’s Champions League campaign had begun with a damagelimitation exercise, sent on at 3-0 down in Naples to try and prevent a still more embarrassing scoreline. Now, and at the other end, he saved Liverpool from dropping two points.

Vindication for Klopp, perhaps. He had brought four players into the side. Each played his part. Matip scored, Tsimikas and Diogo Jota earned assists and Thiago Alcantara lent class in possession. Just as pertinently, each played well. So did Liverpool, albeit imperfectly. On a day when they had 23 shots, they eventually mustered a second goal to ensure shortcomings in either box did not cost them.