Liverpool player ratings vs AC Milan: Destructive defenders Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk lead from the front while Cody Gakpo repays Arne Slot’s trust in Champions League comeback
The centre-backs proved too much to handle in the opposition penalty area as the Reds picked up a win at San Siro
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate proved vital at both ends as they guided Liverpool to a 3-1 win against AC Milan in their opening Champions League game of the season on Tuesday.
The Reds found themselves on the backfoot early on as Milan saw a dangerous attack flagged for offside following Van Dijk’s last-gasp clearance. Almost immediately afterwards, Kostas Tsimikas was left hapless to let Christian Pulisic break down the left side, and the United States winger left Van Dijk in his wake before he fired past Alisson.
Liverpool soon grew into the game despite the early shock and looked set to pull level when Mohamed Salah was found in a dangerous position, only to strike the bar, which he did again later in the first half, too. The Reds continued to push and eventually earned a dangerous free-kick that Trent Alexander-Arnold placed onto Konate’s head for the equaliser. From then on, it was all Liverpool and a dangerous attack saw Salah earn a corner which was crossed in for Van Dijk to nod home from close range.
Midway through the second half, Liverpool put the game to bed when Ryan Gravenberch passed to Dominik Szoboszlai, who unleashed Cody Gakpo down the wing. The Dutch winger cut into the Milan box, shook off a challenge and squared for Szoboszlai to finish.
