Amsterdam (AFP)

For his entry into the running in the Champions League that he won two seasons ago, Liverpool managed to win by the smallest gap against Ajax on Wednesday night at the Amsterdam Arena (1-0 ).

This narrow success, acquired thanks to a goal against his camp at Tagliafico (35th) and combined with that won at the same time by Atalanta in Mydtjylland (4-0), already places the Reds in a good position in this group F.

Weakened on paper by the combined absences of Joël Matip, Thiago Alcantara, goalkeeper Alisson and especially Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, seriously injured in the knee by Jordan Pickford last Saturday, the English champions benefited from a little bit of success in dictating their law in the Netherlands.

However, the Reds' start to the match was sluggish, at times provoking the legitimate wrath of Jürgen Klopp along the sideline.

Badly supplied with good balls at first, the attacking trio Mané – Firmino – Salah only too rarely put pressure on the Dutch double defensive curtain.

Shortly after a huge opportunity from Neres brilliantly diverted by Adrian, Liverpool nevertheless found the net following a completely missed shot from Salah, then twice deflected, by Blind then Tagliafico, in the nets of the unfortunate Onana (1 -0, 35e).

Ajax, who had reached the last four of the 2018-19 edition of the C1, obviously did not hear it that way.

If a daring lob from Tadic was saved almost miraculously by a return from Fabinho on his line (44th), the Dutch club missed even more success when Klaassen sent a dry shot that landed on Adrian's post, as soon as he returned from the locker room (47th).

Lacking both ideas and daring, Liverpool made up for their shortcomings of the day with their experience and commitment, then contenting themselves with managing this advantage in any way.

Half an hour from the final whistle, Klopp surprised by deciding to simultaneously replace his entire attacking trio with Jota, Shaqiri and Minamino, just to give his team a little boost at the end of the match.

The Japanese alerted Onana to a long shot, then Wijnaldum lost a face-to-face with Cameroonian goalkeeper Ajax, but Liverpool failed to double the lead.

And most of it has been preserved, three points on Dutch soil.

© 2020 AFP