Liverpool 3-2 AC Milan: Three Things We Learned

For the first time ever, Liverpool and AC Milan squared off in a Champions League game that wasn’t a final as they battled in a fascinating clash at Anfield last night. It was a game that went back and forth between the two iconic European juggernauts and in the end, it was the Reds who managed to come away with an enthralling 3-2 win.

The scoreline alone suggests it didn’t go all their way but in the end, it was another famous night in Europe under the lights on Merseyside – something these fans have become pretty used to seeing over the years.

Cocky Liverpool?

While they may have missed a penalty early on, it still seemed as if Liverpool were in cruise control at 1-0 up with a whole lot of confidence in their game. They were dictating the pace against a Milan side who were seemingly quite overwhelmed by the scale of the occasion. Alas, instead of withering away, Milan waited for the opportune moment to strike by pouncing on a real lapse in concentration at the back from the hosts, leading to the Italians going in with a pretty shocking 2-1 lead.

Captain Hendo

Jordan Henderson put in a measured and mature performance against AC Milan during the week and he did so in the midst of great adversity given how much Milan were throwing at them at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. Really, though, ahead of what he did in the middle of the park, the real headline maker was the fantastic strike he scored that sealed the win for the home side. The timing, poise and concentration required to score a goal like that just goes to prove that everything we’ve all been saying about Hendo for so long is, in fact, true.

Group B excitement

Liverpool, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Porto. We all knew this was likely to be the group of death and after just one set of fixtures it’s already turning out to be that way. Jurgen Klopp’s men were able to somewhat “get away” with one by winning this but they’ve got five more absolute slogs ahead of them – and only two of the remaining five are going to take place at Anfield. They’re still more than capable of getting the win away from home but this should serve as quite the wake up call for those thinking they’ll walk it.