Key events
90+1 min Baumgartner puts Openda right through on goal with a glorious pass. He inexplicably declines to shoot and tries to square the ball to Poulsen. It’s a dreadful pass, well behind him, though as it transpired Openda was again offside. He’s missed the chance to complete his hat-trick!
90 min Liverpool are five added minutes away from their 11th victory in 12 games under Arne Slot.
89 min Gakpo cuts inside from the left and scorches a rising drive that is tipped over one-handed by Gulacsi, leaping to his left. Excellent save.
87 min “If Openda gets a third disallowed goal,” says Ian Copestake, “then Liverpool will probably sign him.”
85 min: Leipzig substitution Eljif Elmas replaces the impressive Amadou Haidara. Time to go for broke.
84 min It feels like Liverpool have been comfortable for most of the game, yet Caoimhin Kelleher has made three vital saves in the second half. I guess it’s because Leipzig have played in moments; at no stage have they had Liverpool under sustained pressure.
Henrichs did brilliantly, collecting Konate’s headed clearance before surging round the outside of the Liverpool defence. Then he struck a fierce cross-shot that was pushed away superbly by Kelleher. Openda had an open goal but he had gone too soon and was clearly offside.
83 min: Openda has another goal disallowed!
81 min Szoboszlai’s sweet chest-volley is well blocked by Bitshiabu.
80 min One impressive thing about Liverpool under Arne Slot is their ability to manage the tempo of a game. They still have the capacity to overwhelm teams in a five- or ten-minute period but they can also slow things down and keep the opposition at arm’s length. That’s what they’re doing right now.
78 min: Another Leipzig substitution Yussuf Poulsen replaces Xavi Simons, who appears to have turned his ankle and needs help leaving the field.
77 min Gakpo has gone to centre forward for Liverpool, with Diaz on the left and Szoboszlai (I think) playing from the right.
Gakpo belts over the bar from distance.
75 min: Triple substitution for Liverpool Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez and the in-form Curtis Jones come on for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kostas Tsimikas and the excellent Darwin Nunez.
74 min: Triple substitution for Leipzig Christoph Baumgartner, Kevin Kampl and El Chadaille Bitshiabu replace Arthur Vermeeren, Benjamin Sesko and Lutsharel Geertruida.
73 min: Another good save by Kelleher! Simons’ shot from the edge of the area takes a nasty deflection and loops over the head of Kelleher, who jumps backward to tip it over the bar. The first save was the better of the two but it was another piece of excellent, assured goalkeeping.
72 min: Fine save by Kelleher! Leipzig almost equalise out of nothing. Konate lost the ball in a dangerous area to Haidara, whose tackle diverted the ball to Simons. He moved the edge of the area and played an angled pass to Sesko, whose low shot was kicked away by Kelleher. Excellent reflexes.
70 min: Mac Allister hits the bar! Lovely play from Liverpool. Mac Allister plays a nice pass to Szoboszlai, who drags his studs over the ball to return it to Mac Allister. He curls a fine shot from 25 yards that beats Gulacsi and hits the top of the bar.
68 min Openda gets behind Konate on the left side of the area, chops back outside onto his right foot and hits a shot that deflects off Konate and spins not far over the bar.
The flag then goes up against Openda, though the replay suggested he might have been onside.
66 min Nunez receives a short pass from Gakpo on the edge of the area, opens his body and pings an awkward, dipping shot that Gulacsi saves at the second attempt.
63 min: Liverpool substitution Luis Diaz replaces Mo Salah, who isn’t happy about being taken off. Liverpool visit Arsenal on Sunday, hence the management of his minutes.
62 min In other news, Barcelona lead Bayern Munich 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Robert Lewand- Raphinha.
The Barcelona team includes four 21-year-old and two 17-year-olds. Is something brilliant happening?
60 min “The travesty of the Champions League is not the format,” says Krishnamoorthy V, “but the fact that you mislead so many teams about winning this trophy which is then collected by Real Madrid come May. (Doubters may please talk with BVB Dortmund.)”
The format doesn’t make football any more undemocratic, does it? Please don’t make me shout at that cloud again.
59 min Salah controls a crossfield pass, shuffles infield and wafts a trademark curler over the bar from 20 yards. Liverpool look very comfortable at the moment.
58 min As things stand – I know, I know – Liverpool are second in the Champions League table, behind Aston Villa on goal difference. A 2-0 win would send them top.
57 min “I reckon Kári Tulinius is onto something with a fully Swiss-system Champions League,” writes Andy Flintoff. “We just need a venue which has 16 pitches in close proximity, such as Hackney Marshes, and each round could be held there. Solves the logistics instantly (aside from about a million fans descending on East London every week). Do the same in two other locations for the Europa League and the Conference League. Or you could rotate between the three venues each matchday.
“PS I am not mad.”
Couldn’t we just play the whole thing on Football Manager?
56 min A fierce long-range shot from Henrichs hits Mac Allister flush in the masculinity. That looks seriously painful, and he’s lying on his back receiving treatment. Not sure you can really treat that; he just needs a bit of time to get his breath back.
54 min Alexander-Arnold farts around near the byline and is dispossessed by Simons. The attack peters out but Simons continues to look Leipzig’s biggest threat. Aside from one spectacular effort apiece, Openda and Sesko have been quiet.
51 min “Will Darwin’s strike mean survival of the fittest” wonders Peter Oh. “Or will Red Bull roar back and ensure survival of the fizziest?”
Hang on, Red Bull is fizzy? I am so out of touch, I don’t even know which one’s Dec.
50 min Good defending from Gravenberch, who slides to concede a corner and stop Simons’ low cross reaching Sesko in the middle. Van Dijk embraces him like a goalscorer.
49 min: Big save by Gulacsi! Nunez goes after another lost cause, this time down the right. He screws a cutback that is cut out at the near post, only for Vermeeren and Geertruida to make a complete Horlicks of the situation and present the ball to Gakpo six yards out. His shot is stopped by the outstretched right leg of Gulacsi.
49 min A scruffy start to the second half, nothing to report except that there’s nothing to report.
47 min “Just looked up Malcolm Macdonald’s career stats, mighty impressive they are too,” says Simon McMahon. “And he was outstanding in A Clockwork Orange.”
Ah, a bit of the old ultrabanter.
46 min Peep peep! Leipzig begin the second half.
“Not to get into the weeds, I say while getting into the weeds, but Uefa chose to use a Pots System rather than a Swiss System,” writes Kári Tulinius. “If it were truly a Swiss System, then teams would face an opponent with the same number of points, or as close to as possible, each round. It would ensure a lot more matches between the big clubs, and fewer meet-ups between sharks and minnows. Of course, that would mean more actual jeopardy, so that won’t happen, unless UEFA does a bait and switch next year and says the clubs had agreed to a Swiss System, so there. It would be logistically difficult, but a lot more fun to watch.”
Half-time reading
Half time: Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool started slowly and looked susceptible to counter-attacks, but Darwin Nunez’s 27th-minute goal, nicked from Mo Salah, changed the game. It was one-way traffic after that: Peter Gulacsi saved brilliantly from Nunez, who might* have had a penalty after a dodgy tackle from Willi Orban, and the impressive Cody Gakpo flashed a shot just wide.
* Edit: should have had a penalty. We’ve just seen a few replays and it looked a clear foul.
45 min “Glad to see Nunez bring his traditional touch of chaos to Salah’s effort,” says Matt Dony. “Stealing goals is a dangerous game. I have rarely found anything on a football pitch funnier than Nani trying to steal Ronaldo’s goal against Spain, only to be flagged offside. Ronaldo ‘scored’ an outrageous outside-of-the-boot chip from a preposterous position, and Nani sauntered in to ruin it. Cue the Look Of Death. Magnificent stuff.”
Oh yes! Had totally forgotten that. Ronaldo’s reaction is marvellous.
44 min Gakpo moves infield with purpose, gives the ball to Szoboszlai and makes for the penalty area. Szoboszlai plays a cute return pass and Gakpo sweeps a first-time shot just wide from about 15 yards. He’s been full of menace.
43 min Haidara’s deflected long-range shot is held comfortably by Kelleher, diving to his right.
41 min Football is rarely dull when Darwin Nunez is on the pitch. He’s been a persistent pain in Leipzig’s derriere in the last 20 minutes or so, and the penalty appeal came from a typically determined pursuit of an apparently lost cause. Everyone, including Orban, thought the ball was going behind for a goalkick.
40 min Leipzig are hanging on to a 1-0 deficit. A very dangerous cross towards Nunez is cleared either brilliantly or fortuitously by Orban, who was facing his own goal and pulled down a ball that came towards him at a very awkward height.
39 min: No penalty Hmm, Orban’s a bit fortunate there. Nunez definitely got to the ball first and, though he was happy to run into Orban’s leg, ultimately he didn’t initiate the contact. We’ve only seen one replay though.
38 min Nunez goes flying in the area after scooting past Orban near the byline. The referee isn’t interested but this may well be overturned by VAR.
37 min Tsimikas’s corner from the right is met at the near post by Van Dijk, whose header is tipped over by Gulacsi. That was a more comfortable save than the one from Nunez.
36 min Liverpool have been well on top since the goal. Alexander-Arnold receives possession 25 yards from goal, walks past a defender and rakes a shot that deflects behind for a corner.
34 min “This might be too old for most of your readers,” says Espen Bommen, “but that’s a Malcolm Macdonald goal from Nunez if I’ve ever seen one.”
32 min: Terrific save by Gulacsi! Alexander-Arnold sprays an effortless crossfield pass out to the increasingly influential Gakpo. He flicks a lovely cross towards Nunez, whose powerful close-range header is tipped over acrobatically by Gulacsi; that’s a brilliant reaction save.
29 min Imagine if Nunez had been offside though.
