3 Goals & A Point Each In Seville

Sports - Football - Champions League - SFC 3:3 LFC

It was a Champions League group game of two halves in Seville, Liverpool bossing the first half going three goals up thanks to Roberto Firmino's double either side of Sadio Mané's header, but vanishing after the break letting the home side grab three goals and a point back, with Wissam Ben Yedder netting twice and Guido Pizarro equalising in the dying moments.

The Reds couldn't have asked for a better start, finding the breakthrough not even two minutes into the game, silencing the stunning Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where no visitors have won for over a year.

88 seconds gone, unmarked Firmino swept in Georginio Wijnaldum's flick-on off Philippe Coutinho's corner, LFC's second fastest goal in the competition.

Mané doubled the lead 20 minutes later, Firmino the provider this time off another Coutinho corner, the Senegalese striker powering home his first goal for the Reds since 27 August to make it 0-2.

Sevilla had a couple of chances, cup keeper Loris Karius did well denying Nolito before Ben Yedder put an easy chance wide.

And with just half an hour gone, man of the match Firmino made it 0-3 with an easy tap in after Mané's attempt deflected its way to the Brazilian, Liverpool completely bossing the show.

Whatever both bosses said at the break, it completely reversed the game.

Los Rojiblancos came out running all over Liverpool, holding their opponents back completely, pushing, pressing and were soon rewarded for it. The team was back. The fans were back.

Six minutes into the second half, Ben Yedder pulled one back for the home side, Alberto Moreno conceding a free kick which Éver Banega whipped in for the French striker to glance home. And it got much worse for the former Sevilla defender.

Just under an hour gone, the Spaniard conceded a very soft penalty, which had to be retaken to add to the drama, but eventually gave Ben Yedder the double and reduced the hosts' deficit to just one goal.

Jürgen Klopp tried to resuscitate the visitors with a double change, James Milner and Emre Can replacing Moreno and Coutinho respectively, and a bit more organisation did return, but no control.

Captain Jordan Henderson looked a very unhappy and frustrated figure throughout, getting nowhere near the opposition, just no control.

Defenders Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez did well under the circumstances, but the main culprit Moreno had already done the damage and was rightly taken off. Just. Not. Good. Enough.

Sevilla totally made the most of Liverpool's weaknesses, just like happened vice versa in the first half. And it could have been much worse.

Substitute Franco Vazquez fired straight at Karius before Sergio Escudero's smacker hit the underside of the bar before rebounding to safety after the Reds keeper got his hand to it.

But in the dying seconds Pizarro netted the equaliser and banked the point for Eduardo Berizzo's side, unmarked in the centre of the box off a corner.

So, the best and worst from both sides, three goals and a point each, a fair result in the end which keeps the Reds top of the group and Sevilla second, a point separating them with one final group game to go.

It was the first time since May 2014 Liverpool let a three-goal lead slip in a competitive match (v Crystal Palace in the Premier League, also 3-3).

37-18 attempts between the two sides in the two games, Liverpool recording more than double as many shots as Sevilla but scoring and conceding the same (5-5).

The Reds have scored as many goals in the last three Champions League games (13) as they have in the previous 14 combined.

Klopp said he doesn't doubt his side's mentality, calling what happened a misjudgement.

It's a bit more than a misjudgement to throw away a three-goal lead! And the contrast between the two halves was just too shocking to overlook.

Yes, a point at Sevilla is good, but the way the Reds dropped the two points was just shambolic!

Klopp cannot ignore that! Especially with Chelsea next on the fixture list, the German boss will have to fix the problem and fix it quickly, mental or not mental, otherwise they'll be in for another thrashing like against Tottenham!

Sevilla Goals: Ben Yedder 51' & pen 60' & Pizarro 90'+3.

Liverpool Goals: Firmino 2' & 30' & Mané 22'.

Sevilla Team: 1 Sergio Rico; 18 Escudero (c), 5 Lenglet, 12 Geis, 25 Mercado (booked 54'); 14 Pizarro, 10 Banega (booked 45'), 15 N'Zonzi (22 Vazquez 45'); 24 Nolito (20 Muriel 73'), 9 Ben Yedder (11 Correa 81'), 17 Sarabia. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 2 Corchia, 7 Krohn-Dehli, 13 Soria, 16 Navas.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 18 Moreno (booked 38') (7 Milner 63'), 17 Klavan, 6 Lovren, 12 Gomez; 10 Coutinho (23 Can 63' (booked 82')), 14 Henderson (c) (booked 68'), 5 Wijnaldum; 19 Mané, 9 Firmino, 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 15 Sturridge, 22 Mignolet, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

FT Stats: SFC 3-3 LFC
Possession: 70%-30%
Shots: 11-13
On target: 6-7
Corners: 6-7
Fouls: 10-19
Bookings: 2-3

Referee: Dr. Felix Brych (GER)
Man Of The Match: Roberto Firmino
Ground: Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Attendance: 39,495

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and beIN Sport match coverage.

Shaky Defence Costs Reds Again

Sports - Football - Champions League - LFC 2:2 SFC

Liverpool's leaky defence cost them two points as they drew their opening Champions League group game 2-2 against Sevilla at Anfield.

After being thrashed 0-5 by Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday, confidence was low for the Reds, their weaknesses bared for everyone to see.

So, the Kop was extra loud, wanting and urging their side to bounce back in style on their European return after three years absence.

Click here to read my ByTheMinute match coverage.

But it took only five minutes for those dreams to be shattered.

The first attack for the visitors, a fine counter, Wissam Ben Yedder gave the visitors the lead with an easy tap in.

There was no one covering him, too much space, an easy conversion after Dejan Lovren missed and messed up his interception to block and clear the pass from the left in the buildup.

Liverpool pushed and pressed well at the front and on the counter with some great team play, but shaky and dodgy every time the ball came to their back line or anywhere near the box.

Reds attack Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino came close a couple of times, Sevillistas keeper Sergio Rico doing well in denying and frustrating both.

21st minute, finally the Reds got the breakthrough to level the score, Firmino netting after quality interplay and connections in the buildup with Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson.

All the pushing and pressing and breaking payed off again after 36 minutes when Mohamed Salah gave the Reds the lead thanks to great running and crossing by Wijnaldum again.

The couple worked well together throughout the match. It was an evil deflection off defender Ever Banega though that took the ball up and over keeper Rico to make it 2-1, but it was just what the Red doctor ordered.

And just a couple of minutes before the break, the home side won a penalty after Mané was brought down by Sevilla skipper Nicolas Pareja.

However, LFC failed to take advantage and build on their lead, seeing Firimino's spot kick come off the right sidebar.

Liverpool finished the first half on top, Alberto Moreno seeing his shot saved by Rico after another lovely counter.

That first half showed signs and shines of the Red side that thrashed Arsenal 4-0 before the international break.

Ups and downs, tops and flops, shining at the front, shaking at the back, the first half showed some lovely football with the odd cringe at the back.

And the second half grew more and more frustrating with cringe after cringe, Sevilla blocking out Liverpool again and again, whilst stretching and shaking the Reds at the back creating more of a threat.

With an hour gone, Sevilla boss Eduardo Berizzo was sent to the stands after throwing the ball away from Joe Gomez. Needless, childish stuff.

Reds boss Jürgen Klopp grew more and more frustrated, too, seeing chance after chance go to waste.

Just under 20 minutes to go, the Spaniards levelled the score out of nowhere.

Off a throw-in, sub Luis Muriel passed to Joaquin Correa who smashed in the equaliser with his right foot, again not much defence threatening either of them.

The Reds were like frozen. A couple of minutes later, Philippe Coutinho was brought on for Emre Can.

The want-out Brazilian was met with cheers and applause all round Anfield, but did not make any difference.

Quite the opposite, every time the wannabe-Barca-man got the ball, he lost possession, adding to the frustration for the home side.

The only other chance of note came in injury time, Wijnaldum heading the ball into Rico's gloves.

On the other side, Liverpool were lucky to see Muriel's shot go wide after the defenders were again unable to recover or cover.

And then to add to the Reds' misery, Gomez was sent off seeing a second yellow card in the 94th minute.

Loris Karius easily caught the high curled free kick just before the full-time whistle.

The under-fire keeper actually had an all-right game and is not to blame for either goal.

Klopp had a shout-out with the opposition's staff on the sideline. He was not happy. Nein! Nicht gut!

The HT and FT stats show the dominance, but not the edgy nerves and shaky slips at the back. The score reflects less the prior, more the latter, sad but true.

In the other Group F game, Maribor came from behind with five minutes to go to draw 1-1 against Spartak Moscow. So it's all even to start off with.

Liverpool goals: Firmino 21' & Salah 36'.

Sevilla goals: Ben Yedder 5' & Correa 72'.

Liverpool line-up: 1 Karius, 12 Gomez (booked 64', sent off 93'), 6 Lovren, 32 Matip, 18 Moreno (booked 39'), 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can (10 Coutinho 76'), 14 Henderson, 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 88'), 19 Mané (15 Sturridge 82'), 9 Firmino. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 22 Mignolet, 7 Milner, 17 Klavan, 26 Robertson.
Manager: Jürgen Klopp

Sevilla line-up: 1 Rico, 25 Mercado (booked 35'), 21 Pareja (c) (booked 41'), 4 Kjaer, 18 Escudero, 15 N'Zonzi, 10 Banega (booked 42'), 14 Pizarro (17 Sarabia 45'), 16 Navas (2 Corchia 82'), 11 Correa, 9 Ben Yedder (20 Muriel 70'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 13 Soria, 6 Carrico, 7 Krohn-Dehli, 22 Vazquez.
Manager: Eduardo Berizzo

HT stats: LFC 2-1 SFC
Possession: 51%-49%
Shots: 14-2
On target: 5-1
Corners: 5-1
Fouls: 5-6
Yellow cards: 1-3

FT stats: LFC 2-2 SFC
Possession: 49%-51
Shots: 24-7
On target: 7-2
Corners: 10-3
Fouls: 14-9
Yellow cards: 10-3
Fouls: 14-9
Yellow cards: 3-3
Red cards: 1-0

Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistants: Mario Diks (NED) & Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Additional assistants: Kevin Blom (NED) & Kamphius Jochem (NED)
Fourth official: Joost van Zuilen (NED)
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
Ground: Anfield

Click here to read my ByTheMinute match coverage.

Click here to read my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, UEFA.com and beIN Sport match coverage.