RB Leipzig v Liverpool: Six things you might have MISSED | OneFootball

Liverpool's 1-0 win over RB Leipzig ensured they took three wins from their first three Champions League games this season.

It was a hard-fought victory in a week where they have been stretched significantly, having played Chelsea on Sunday prior to tonight's fixture, while the club's visit to Arsenal looms next weekend.

Leipzig play You'll Never Walk Alone before kick-off

While many teams try to present the opposition with an unnerving atmosphere, Leipzig took a different approach tonight.

Playing YNWA before the game, both Liverpool's players and fans felt right at home in the Red Bull Arena in Saxony, Germany, much to many people's surprise.

As ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp recently took on the role of Red Bull's Head of Global Football, the two moves could conceivably be linked, but most likely the gesture was made as a sign of respect.

Nonetheless, it was well received on social media.

Konate and Szoboszlai return to their former club

After the line-up was released for tonight's fixture, ambitions of a rotated team were quickly extinguished as Arne Slot only made changes he was forced into - bringing in Kostas Tsimikas for Andrew Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister for Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez for Diogo Jota.

While Tsimikas' inclusion is for an out-of-form Robertson, Mac Allister was very clearly preferred over Jones after being declared fit and Nunez was destined to play tonight after Jota suffered a rib injury against Chelsea on Sunday.

But this meant that Ibrahima Konate played once again instead of Jarell Quansah and Dominik Szoboszlai was given the go-ahead despite a below-par performance in Liverpool's last outing.

However, both were in turn given the opportunity to return to the field of play that they used to call home. Konate played at Leipzig for four years prior to making the move to the Reds in 2021, meanwhile, Szoboszlai made the move to Merseyside from Leipzig in 2023.

Darwin Nunez's Leipzig form continues

Tapping in Salah's goal-bound effort in the 27th minute, Nunez marked his third start of the season with a goal after a brilliant performance against Chelsea last weekend, where he came on for the injured Diogo Jota.

His goal was his fifth in six away Champions League starts for Liverpool, as per Squawka.

In addition, Nunez added to the four goals he scored against Leipzig when the Reds played against the German club in the 2022 pre-season tour - his first initial appearances for Liverpool before he made his competitive debut for the club.

While many will criticise the Uruguayan for his lack of goal contributions, he has made use of the limited minutes he has played so far this season, working really hard to help the team tick in the meantime, and it appears as though Nunez just has a favourite team to play against.

In Jota's absence with a rib injury, the striker has more than impressed as he feels his way into the season.

Fans outraged after BLATANT penalty appeal dismissed

Having scored his goal to give Liverpool the lead at Leipzig, Darwin Nunez made a clever run to get his foot on a ball that the Leipzig defence had purposefully left to drift out of play.

While not managing to get a shot off, Nunez raced to the ball, made clear contact with it and was subsequently wiped out by the hosts' captain Willi Orban.

The team was in defiant appeal to referee Sandro Scharer, who automatically dismissed the claims.

And while many assumed VAR would quickly step in to overturn the decision, the words "check complete" were uttered by TNT commentator Darren Fletcher, much to the bemusement of everyone watching the match.

Nunez, winning the ball, was clipped, in the Leipzig penalty box, and yet no foul was deemed to have occurred.

On what proved to be a victorious evening for Arne Slot's men, the incident will undoubtedly fade into insignificance eventually, but while many fans have an issue with referees in the Premier League, it will not be long until UEFA's refereeing reputation starts receiving similar negative coverage.

Openda's offsides ensure another clean sheet

While Liverpool's defence dealt with Leipzig relatively well throughout the game, particularly Tsimikas who was given a rare start ahead of Robertson, the game was not without its chances.

Leipzig striker Lois Openda had the ball in the net twice, both for very standard offside calls.

And so even though Liverpool managed to successfully notch their seventh clean sheet in 12 matches this season, the win was far from straightforward.

Although the chances are of little significance in the end, as Leipzig struggled to create enough while staying onside, Liverpool managed to be warned sufficiently without needing to go a goal down in a match where legs would've been weary.

Liverpool played on Sunday against Chelsea, in what many considered to be their first major test of the season, and they face title rivals Arsenal this upcoming Sunday, in a crunch match at the top of the table.

Records continue to tumble for Arne Slot's Reds

Arne Slot's side are the first Liverpool team in the club's history to win 11 of their club's opening matches to a season after 12 games.

This is throughout a 132-year history for Liverpool and so regardless of how the remainder of the season unfolds, Arne Slot will have successfully etched himself into a little bit of club folklore.

In addition, this season's side are the first Liverpool team to win their first six away fixtures in a campaign across all competitions.

While many will have voiced their concerns ahead of the season's start about what life might be like away from Jurgen Klopp's management, Slot is continuing to silence the doubters in what has been a phenomenal effort thus far.

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