Liverpool 1-0 Ajax: Three Things We Learned

Liverpool maintained their hopes of winning the Champions League for the second time in three years with a narrow 1-0 win against Ajax on Tuesday evening.

The defending Premier League champions won Europe’s premier club competition in the 2018-19 campaign, and they remain on course to do the same this season as well.

On Tuesday evening, Jurgen Klopp’s side got the better of Ajax 1-0 at Anfield in Group D to book their place in the last-16 stage.

Curtis Jones took advantage of a goalkeeping error from Andre Onana to turn home a cross from Neco Williams from close range in the 58th minute.

The result means that Liverpool have secured top spot in Group D with 12 points from five matches and are now rated at 6/1 by Betfair to win the Champions League this season.

Here are three things we learned from Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Ajax at Anfield in the Champions League on Tuesday evening:

Perr Schuurs would star for Liverpool

Liverpool have been linked with Perr Schuurs, with the defending Premier League champions having reportedly identified the 21-year-old central defender as a potential transfer target. Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are likely to miss the rest of the season, and the Reds could do with a new centre-back. Schuurs may have ended up on the losing team on Tuesday evening, but he showed what he is capable of. The youngster gave a very accomplished and mature performance at the back, and there is no doubt that he would make the current Liverpool defence better. According to WhoScored, the Dutchman took one shot which was not on target, had a pass accuracy of 84.1%, won one header, took 83 touches, and made three tackles, one interception and five clearances.

The kids are all alright

Liverpool had as many as three young players in the starting lineup against Ajax, and all of them did well. Curtis Jones was brilliant in midfield, and he could have actually added to his tally if his two shots before his goal had gone in. The 19-year-old was a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park. Caoimhin Kelleher, 22, looked very solid and assured between the posts in his first Champions League game for Liverpool, while Neco Williams did well at right-back.

Worrying for Adrian

Adrian is Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper behind Alisson, but the former West Ham United star did not start against Ajax. The Spaniard has made mistakes from time to time, and it seems that Klopp is moving on from him. Kelleher’s performance between the posts was very encouraging, and perhaps he will now established as the back-up to Adrian, who may now become the third-choice custodian at Anfield. Adrian not starting against Ajax will be worrying for him in regard to playing time at Liverpool in the coming weeks and months.