Milan have room to grow after valuable lesson in Liverpool loss – Pioli

Stefano Pioli insisted Milan learnt a “valuable lesson” following their entertaining 3-2 defeat to Liverpool upon the club’s return to the Champions League.

Milan were featuring in the Champions League for the first time since 2014 and the seven-time winners threatened an upset at Anfield, where the visitors surprisingly claimed a 2-1 half-time lead.

Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz both scored within two minutes of each other on the stroke of half-time to stun Liverpool, who had Mohamed Salah’s penalty saved by Mike Maignan following Fiyako Tomori’s ninth-minute own goal.

But Salah redeemed himself with an equaliser three minutes into the second half before Jordan Henderson’s first Champions League goal in seven years settled the Group B thriller on Merseyside.

Despite leaving England empty-handed, Milan head coach Pioli – whose Rossoneri have won their opening three Serie A games this season – was relatively upbeat post-match.