Liverpool have only failed to score in four games this season, and three of them have been in Europe. Short-term it means they are going to have to do it the hard way when these teams next meet, on March 13. As a pattern of results, it suggests there is something still to be said for those crafty, resilient defenders, that populate this tournament like man traps.
Bayern Munich are not the quickest at the back, but they know the course and distance and it showed. This is a club that has missed two Champions League semi-finals since 2010; they’ve had more than a few nights like this and were rarely alarmed. They came, they saw, they did a job.
It was a throwback of a game, after Liverpool’s high octane encounters last season. Munich kept a full strength forward line at bay and frustrated the home crowd into a state of tetchiness.
Alisson managed to prevent an own goal from team-mate Joel Matip as Robert Lewandowski looks on at Anfield
The Brazilian goalkeeper was almost caught out in defence on a number of occasions as Liverpool looked nervy
Sadio Mane missed one of the clearest chances to score in the first half, screwing a shot wide from eight yards
Joel Matip reacts with anguish after slicing a second half effort over the bar on a difficult evening for Liverpool
FULL MATCH FACTS AND MATCH ZONE
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson 6; Alexander-Arnold 6.5, Matip 6, Fabinho 7, Robertson 7; Wijnaldum 7, Henderson 7.5, Keita 7 (Milner 76); Salah 6.5, Firmino 6 (Origi 76), Mane 7
Unused subs: Mignolet, Moreno, Shaqiri, Lallana, Sturridge
Booking: Henderson 57
Manager: Jurgen Klopp 7
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer 7; Kimmich 6, Sule 7, Hummels 7, Alaba 7; Thiago 7, Martinez 7; Gnabry 8, James 6 (Sanches 88), Coman 7 (Ribery 80); Lewandowski 6
Unused subs: Ulreich, Mai, Shabani, Rafinha, Davies
Booking: Kimmich 27
Manager: Niko Kovac 7
Referee: Paolo Valeri 7
Ratings by Dominic King. Read his full article here.
Serge Gnabry was a constant advanced threat for Bayern Munich down the right wing. For more stats, facts and graphics, check out our exclusive MATCH ZONE service here.
Anfield was its usual noisy self to begin with, but long before the end there was a sense of frustration, that their magic trio were being handled. Liverpool had decent possession and good chances and were the better team – but Roberto Firmino was replaced by Divock Origi with 15 minutes remaining, a sure sign the best laid plans were going awry.
They could have nicked it, had Manuel Neuer not made a save from Sadio Mane at the near post with four minutes to go, but Liverpool didn’t have a whole lot to show for rather a significant shift.
It is far from a lost cause, mind. Liverpool usually score and, every time they do in the return leg, Munich will have to match it with double. Even a goalless draw gives the visitors a puncher’s chance on penalties, and Virgil van Dijk will be back, too – although there was little wrong with Liverpool’s marshalling of Robert Lewandowski in his absence.
Mohamed Salah saw an early volley at full stretch saved by Manuel Neuer (not pictured) as the action went from end to end
Salah missed a few good openings in the first half, heading one chance wide of the goal at the far post
Sadio Mane had an acrobatic opportunity in the first half, but sent his overhead kick well wide of the target
Naby Keita also made an attempt at the spectacular, as the Bayern defence and an expectant home crowd looked on
Munich’s striker had outscored Liverpool on his own in the Champions League group stage, but there was scant sign of his status as the competition’s top marksman here. Quick feet, yes, wonderful movement, certainly, but scarcely a meaningful intervention in front of goal. His greatest contribution was the frissons of anxiety his very presence caused. He has a brilliant record against Joel Matip in Germany, too, but it did not show.
Jordan Henderson was outstanding but Fabinho was arguably the hero of the night, being a battlefield promotion due to Liverpool’s lengthy list of absentees at the back. He did not let the side down, even if Bayern Munich’s priorities lay elsewhere.
For Munich, the star turns were the men of experience: Mats Hummels, Thiago Alcantara, Javi Martinez. So many times they took control as Liverpool probed and found only dead ends.
It certainly put Tottenham’s three-goal winning margin over Borussia Dortmund into perspective. Dortmund lead Munich in the Bundesliga, but there was no sign Liverpool could slice through Germany’s second best team on current standings with Tottenham’s ease.
At a mid-point in the first-half Jurgen Klopp turned to the crowd around him and made the universal gesture – in these parts, at least – to calm down. He may have been better served giving the same advice to his goalkeeper, Alisson. Three times in the first 17 minutes he was guilty of a less than composed clearance, and had Bayern Munich been sharper to react they could have been ahead.
Alisson and Fabinho of Liverpool clear the ball during the early stages of the Champions League round of 16 clash
Lewandowski tangles with Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson as the Bundesliga champions faced the Premier League side
Lewandowski attempts to reach the loose ball as he leaps over Alisson as Liverpool and Bayern did battle in the knock-outs
Georginio Wijnaldum and Thiago Alcantara compete for a header during the first half of the Champions League clash
Joshua Kimmich picked up a yellow card after 27 minutes, which will keep the full back out of the second leg
Alisson’s first clearance of the match was unconvincing to say the least, played straight to Kingsley Coman in the Munich midfield, although his response amounted to nothing, Soon after, there was a poor punch to clear a cross from former Arsenal man Serge Gnabry – one of those ex-Premier League players who turns up looking comfortable in an elite European starting line up, to the surprise of all – before a state of complete confusion between Alisson and Matip let in Coman again. He was put through by Lewandowski but shot into the side-netting,
That was the story of the match, largely. Munich did not create much of their own, but looked dangerous when capitalising on Liverpool’s mistakes. This is what happened after 37 minutes when Trent Alexander-Arnold came haring out the back only to be calmly dispossessed by Thiago Alcantara as Munich quickly countered. This time it was Gnabry on the ball, his shot diverted round the far post by Alisson’s fingertips.
Before the game there was great confidence in the streets around Anfield, with locals predicting an emphatic victory – three, maybe four goal margins, were not uncommon estimates. Soon, adjustments were being made.
The experience of high end elite clubs in this competition counts for so much. Yes, Munich’s defenders will never be confused with F1 testing, but they are solid citizens, good defenders, and have been around the block.
Liverpool got near to goal on a number of occasions, but Munich always repelled them. They made blocks, they got a foot in, nicked a vital touch, a smart interception, a diverting header. When Liverpool did get beyond them, finishing let Klopp’s side down.
Keita attempts a shot on goal as Liverpool struggled to break down the disciplined Germans in their home fixture
Former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry was a constant threat for Bayern as he attacked the Liverpool defence
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gathers the loose ball under pressure from Mane as Bayern’s defence held firm
Henderson, as so often happens on big European nights, was outstanding. He raises his game in matches like this, and did here. In the 12th minute, it was his neat through ball that put Mohamed Salah through, the striker getting a touch on the volley as the ball came over his shoulder, but not enough to defeat Neuer.
Naby Keita looked lively, too, and in the 17th minute Mane should have done better from his pass, shooting wide from a strong position.
Might Liverpool have had a penalty after 33 minutes? Referee Gianluca Rocchi did not think so and as VAR is now in place for Champions League games, his team of assessors must have agreed.
Firmino, passed fit prior to kick-off, found Keita whose shot was blocked by a desperate lunge from Niklas Sule. Replays showed it struck an arm, but in such close proximity to the shot it is hard to see how he could have avoided contact. The ball went loose to Mane in a fabulous position, but he made a poor show of his effort on the turn.
Keita had a shot deflected high in the 38th minute and Mane had more time to take control than he understood. Instead, he tried a hurried overhead kick that sent the ball wide. Equally, Matip should have done more to capitalise on a cross from Henderson after a lovely backheel from Salah.
It meant the best chance of the game actually fell to a Liverpool player – but at the wrong end, In the 13th minute, Gnabry crossed and Matip, in a rare flap about the nearby presence of Lewandowski, leathered the ball against the chest of his own goalkeeper. It was the save of the night; not that Alisson knew too much about it.
So to Bavaria, where Munich have lost two of their last 26 games in Europe. By worrying contrast, Liverpool’s last five Champions League games outside Anfield have ended in defeat.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp cut an increasingly frustrated figure as his side failed to break through in the second half
The Liverpool starting XI gather before kick-off, with the banners of the Kop visible in the background
Bayern supporters showed their displeasure at ticket prices with large banners in the away end of Anfield
First choice centre back Virgil van Dijk was suspended for the game, and only got on the pitch for a presentation
