Liverpool also won its second Europa League match of the season. At Anfield, manager Jürgen Klopp’s team beat Union Sint-Gilles 2-0 thanks to a good strike from Ryan Gravenberch and a goal from Diogo Jota. It was the midfielder’s first goal in a Liverpool shirt. The Reds lead Group E with six points, in which Touluse (four points) is second. Union is third with one point; the winless LASK Linz concludes the group.
Klopp chose to change his team in several positions compared to the lost Premier League match with Tottenham Hotspur (2-1). The injured Cody Gakpo was replaced in the striker position by Darwin Núñez, while Luis Díaz made way for Jota. The midfield consisted of Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliot. Virgil van Dijk got some rest.
Liverpool dominated throughout the first half, although Klopp’s team often lacked fortune and precision in finishing. Gravenberch already tried his luck in the fifth minute of play, when he shot at goal from the edge of the sixteen-meter area, but saw goalkeeper Anthony Moris make a save.
The home team then continued to keep plenty of pressure on the enemy goal, although Núñez, among others, was unable to force a breakthrough. The Uruguayan striker thought he could make it 1-0 in the tenth minute of play; However, he scored from an offside position: goal disallowed.
Union’s first sign of life came in the 26th minute of play. Although Gustaf Nilsson had the opportunity to head the ball towards goal from close range, his attempt narrowly went over the crossbar. It looked like the teams would go into the break with an equal score, but Gravenberch struck a minute before the half-time signal.
The former Ajax player took advantage of a big mistake by Moris, who failed to block a tenable shot from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Gravenberch scored from close range: 1-0. The midfielder had another good chance to score a goal after an hour of play. However, his attempt was tapped out of the top corner by Moris.
In the 86th minute of play, Curtis Jones hoped to make it 2-0; his effort from the edge of the penalty area went just wide of the left post. Ultimately, the final chord was played by Jota, who got the ball in front of his feet in the box and shot from close range: 2-0.