Liverpool ends Napoli’s perfect record

 

Liverpool ended the perfect record Serie A leaders, Napoli, by defeating them 2-0 in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday night.

The Italian team had scored, but the goal was canceled after a VAR intervention.

The defeat have now ended Napoli’s 13 matches winning run.

If not for the right VAR calls, Napoli would have gone ahead and held out for a win against a Liverpool side battling to confirm.

 Although it was not an important result for Napoli, having secured a spot in the last 16 of the tournament as group winners.

The Partenopei we’re already guaranteed the top spot unless losing here by four clear goals. 

Liverpool started brightly, having the first chance when Curtis Jones turned over from a tight angle after an inspired Mohamed Salah slide-rule pass.

The in-form visitors had a penalty appeal rejected after Kvicha Kvaratskhelia was nudged in the back by Konate.

On loan, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele saw his shot smothered, and on the counter from that move, Thiago Alcantara stung Alex Meret’s gloves.

 Jones had another chance to score but nodded over from a cheeky Bobby Firmino aerial back-heel flick.

Meret stopped Salah from scoring as he stayed on his feet. The goalie got a touch to the Salah shot one-on-one, though the former Roma man was offside anyway.

 

After clashing heads with Andre-Frank Zambo, Anguissa left him with a cut to the forehead, James Milner went off within seconds of the restart fit Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Napoli thought they had taken the lead in 53 minutes through Leo Ostigard, who met a Kvaratskhelia free kick with his diving header.

 However, the goal was ruled offside after a VAR delay of over three minutes.

Napoli continued the push for the goal when Kvaratskhelia’s volley took a slight deflection off Trent Alexander-Arnold to allow Alisson to smother.

From a chaotic move, Liverpool broke the deadlock. Meret parried Darwin Nunez’s header from a Tsimikas corner on the line, and Salah made sure.l it entered the line.

Moreover, another very lengthy VAR occurred when Meret saved the Virgil van Dijk header on a corner. Darwin Nunez turned in the rebound from point-blank range. 

The VAR at this time ruled that Piotr Zielinski was keeping him onside, and so the final score was 2-0.

Written by Oladipupo Mojeed