Darwin Núñez strike sinks Leipzig to maintain Liverpool’s perfect start

It is too early to pass judgment on Liverpool’s credentials or the new Champions League format according to Arne Slot. It is not too early to pass judgment on Slot’s start to life with Liverpool. Remarkable, with the new head coach racking up yet another victory on a difficult night in Leipzig.

For the first time in their rich history Liverpool have won 11 of the opening 12 games in a season and their first six away matches from the start of a campaign. Their latest came courtesy of a Darwin Núñez tap-in against the club that will soon be looked over by Jürgen Klopp, Red Bull’s incoming head of global soccer, and a few escapes against a Leipzig team without a point in the Champions League. Liverpool, with three wins from three in the competition, are almost through. Probably.

Leipzig have made a fine start to the Bundesliga season, unbeaten and second on goal difference behind Bayern Munich after seven games, but the Champions League has proved a trickier affair. Marco Rose’s side were handed a difficult introduction to the new long-winded format in fairness but defeats to Atlético Madrid and Juventus upped the ante for the visit of the Premier League leaders. They started impressively here and created enough openings to have taken the lead before conceding to Liverpool’s first meaningful attack of the night.

There were parallels to Sunday’s Premier League win over Chelsea in Liverpool’s performance. For 25 minutes Slot’s team were passive, careless in possession and dominated. Leipzig carried a greater threat than Chelsea too, with Xavi Simons firing wastefully over in the second minute and Benjamin Sesko steering a free header straight at Caoimhín Kelleher moments later. Amadou Haidara also tested Liverpool’s stand-in goalkeeper from a short corner routine and Sesko curled an ambitious attempt wide after keeping Kelleher’s weak headed clearance in play. Lois Openda did find the top corner with a thumping drive on the turn but was clearly offside when receiving Simons’ pass.

Then Liverpool struck, the quality of their front line impossible to contain for too long, and the balance of the game switched in an instant. Cody Gakpo kept his place ahead of Luis Díaz and vindicated Slot’s selection with a fine display. The Netherlands international was involved in the breakthrough, exchanging passes with Kostas Tsimikas who floated a cross from the by-line over Castello Lukeba and onto the head of Mohamed Salah. Salah’s placed header was destined for the far corner but Núñez did what any goalscorer should and made sure with the finishing touch on the line.

Liverpool immediately took control. Núñez should have had a second shortly afterwards when Gakpo, released by a superb cross-field ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold, curled a perfect cross towards the Uruguay international with the outside of his foot. The centre-forward connected cleanly but former Liverpool keeper Peter Gulacsi tipped away his header at point-blank range. Gulacsi also tipped over a glancing header from Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool captain was left unmarked at a Tsimikas corner.

Leipzig captain Willi Orban was extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty moments before the break when he caught Núñez as the striker darted into the area. Orban appeared in two minds whether to commit as Núñez sprinted in from the left but finally stuck out a leg and caught the forward, who went tumbling off the pitch. Swiss referee Sandro Schärer rejected the penalty appeal, however, and was backed up by VAR. Maybe they thought Núñez had initiated contact. If so, he should have booked the forward, having earlier shown a yellow card to a disbelieving Alexis Mac Allister for an apparent dive. Both Núñez and Mac Allister made their feelings clear to the referee when leaving the pitch at half-time.

Gulacsi rescued Leipzig again early in the second half following more good work by Núñez, clearly an angry man on a mission. Seizing on a loose ball by Benjamin Henrichs, the centre-forward burst to the by-line before scuffing a cross that should have been dealt with by Arthur Vermeeren and Lukeba. They made a hash of it and allowed the ball to run between them to the unmarked Gakpo. He seemed certain to score only for Gulacsi to save with an outstretched right leg. Liverpool were creating, and missing, clear chances to double their lead.

Mac Allister was denied by the crossbar after a smart exchange with former Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai created space for a shot from distance. Leipzig’s threat was frequently undermined by a poor final ball but, with Simons’ influence growing, the threat of an equaliser persisted. Kelleher was finally called into action twice inside a minute and repelled the hosts on both occasions. Alisson’s deputy saved with his legs when Simons presented Sesko with a glorious opportunity to level then acrobatically tipped over when Simons’ shot almost looped in off Núñez.

Leipzig’s most creative outlet soon departed injured but the home side almost levelled when Henrichs broke through on the right and forced Kelleher into a low, finger-tip save. Openda tapped in the loose ball only to be denied by an offside flag for a second time.