LIVERPOOL MADE it a perfect six Champions League wins from six on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory at AC Milan which knocked one of Europeโs most storied clubs out of the Champions League.
Fikayo Tomori had given Milan hope they could make the last 16 with his tap-in just before the half hour mark at the San Siro but a quick reply from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origiโs nodded finish 10 minutes after the break ensured Jurgen Kloppโs side finished Group B on 18 points.
Serie A leaders Milan, who were missing half their starting back four and three other first team players including forwards Rafael Leao and Ante Rebic, failed in ther attempt to make the last 16 for the first time since 2013.
Stefano Pioliโs side have looked an accomplished side domestically this season but were punished for picking up just one point from their first four group matches.
Klopp made a raft of changes from the Redsโ side which squeezed past Wolves at the weekend but there was still a obvious gulf in class between the two teams.
Milan struggled to put a second-string Reds outfit under much pressure in the tame opening stages.
The closest either side came to scoring was a Tomori header in the eighth minute that Alisson Becker had no trouble saving, while Neco Williamsโ shot two minutes earlier dribbled into Mike Maignanโs arms.
Out of nowhere the San Siro exploded into life thanks to Tomoriโs 29th-minute opener, which fell to him on a plate after Alisson could only pat the ball out to the England international.
However their joy only lasted six minutes as Salah netted his 20th goal of the season, pouncing after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain did brilliantly to wriggle free and fire a stinging shot at Maignan.
And Milanโs hopes of making it through all but vanished 10 minutes after the break as Origi looped home Liverpoolโs second on another rebound, this time from Sadio Maneโs shot after Tomori gifted the Senegal forward possession on the edge of his own box.
From there Liverpool easily held off the home side, with Alisson rushing out to block Franck Kessieโs finish when put clean through the only real danger Milan managed to pose with five minutes remaining.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid grabbed a place in the last 16 of the Champions League as Antoine Griezmann scored one goal and had a key role in the two others as the Spanish side beat Porto 3-1.
The win in northern Porto coupled with AC Milanโs 2-1 defeat to a second-string Liverpool side at the San Siro was enough to send Diego Simeoneโs side through as the second-placed team in Group B despite starting the day bottom.
Yannick Carrasco complicated Atleticoโs task by getting sent off with 20 minutes to go for grappling Otavio to the ground in a touchline melee.
Three minutes later, the numbers were evened up as Porto had Wendell red-carded after French referee Clement Turpin adjudged he had struck an Atletico player.
Porto had two golden chances to score, but Mehdi Taremi wasted both. First he was denied by a brilliant one-handed save by Jan Oblak in the first half and then he side-footed over the bar in the second from a good position.
After a largely sterile first half, all the goals came in a frenetic second period.
Against the run of play, Atletico went ahead on 56 minutes when Griezmann was left unmarked by Otavio and nonchalantly tapped in at the back post from an in-swinging corner.
Ater the bad-tempered period that produced two red cards, Griezmann created the second goal by drawing two Porto defenders on the touchline before brilliantly slipping the ball to the charging Angel Correa who kept his head to slide a shot past โkeeper Diogo Costa.
Griezmann was involved again as Porto, with players committed in attack, were caught out and the French striker scuffed his shot but Rodrigo De Paul made no mistake two minutes into stoppage time.
Sergio Oliveira scored from the penalty spot for Porto in the sixth minute of injury time but the long faces on the Portuguese sideโs bench told the story of the match.
From the group of death to the first English team to win 6 group games. NICE.
@Paul Gorry: plus shout out to them young liverpool players tonight.
@Paul Gorry: Fair play to Ajax as well. Should be a good draw on Monday.
@Paul Gorry: I hate it when youโre happy. Donโt forget about covid and the storm
@Hugh Morris: I love it when youโre sad hugh. Not forgetting how could I?
@Paul Gorry: youโre old and senile
@Hugh Morris: fair point hugh Iโll give you that one. I think.
Everton have 18 points in PL.
Liverpool have 18 points in the CL.
@kenny mcgrath: your observational skills are impeccable, may I suggest a career as a statistician?
@kenny mcgrath: Looking at those figures people might think Liverpool were the Merseyside team spending like drunken sailors on shore leave.
Well done Conor bradley making his champions League debut #UPTYRONE
Not to put a downer on Liverpoolโs win be jasus I was disappointed with AC, was expecting them to really go for it especially with the Liverpool line-up but they actually couldnโt get near Liverpool for long periods of that game. They look a very average side and yet they top Serie Aโฆ
@Ottomaaan: award two assists to that goalkeeper
@Ottomaaan: Commentators on both BT & RTE made the same point. Didnโt really seem that interested till about the 85th minute. Winning Serie A their main target or manager reckoned Athletico would find a way to win?
@Ottomaaan: Kind of all reverts back to the main issue in football. Money. The CL has become a competition where only those with the strongest financial backing will win it. Gone are the days of a Porto, Ajax, Marseille or Dortmund winning it against the odds. The past 2 decades of it comfirm only City, Chelsea, Liverpool, United, Bayern, PSG (and usually Barca, Real, Juve too despite being poor now) contest the semis onwards โ the commonality being big financial backing. No hate either to any side, just reality.
@Ultan Corcoran: To be fair, the teams you mentioned are always there or thereabouts with regards to the last stages of the competition and money plays a big part of that. Over the last 2 decades though, 11 of the 20 finals in question have featured teams outside of the ones you mentioned.
@Ultan Corcoran: history or finances of the clubs winning or being in the final doesnโt back your statement.
@Ultan Corcoran: maybe surpass sporting Lisbon before you start with the finances of teams ahead of you
Konate is one cool customerโฆclass act tonite!
@Hear me now: deffo he looked huge in that defence. At the same time I love Phillips nuff said lol.
@Paul Gorry: Phillips muff?
@Paul Gorry: nothing but love for this group of players
@Hugh Morris: whaaa?
@Hear me now: Everyone of them on the same page. A joy to watch isnโt it.?
@Hear me now: Said from Day 1 he was and is the better option to buy than Upamecano. Underrated > Overrated.
@Hear me now: Jesus he was marking a 40 year old steady on!
@Philip Mckenna: That 40 year old has 6 goals in 9 games for AC at the top of Serie A
Record makers record brokersโฆUp the Mighty RedsโฆKeep it going lads!!!
The quality around Europe is dropping on previous years.
@ChadChaderson: Agreed and have done for some time now, but one has to remember the financial backing isnโt the same as it is for the top 6 odd sides in the competition.
@ChadChaderson: The Italian teams are mostly gone to feic.
I know most people in Ireland love English teams and the premier league but money is really talking here. European competitions were great before where anyone could win. Aberdeen, Malmo, Red Star, then we had an era where is was predominantly fought our between the English, Spanish, Italians and Germans. The richest leagues. Still a degree a number of teams with genuine ambitions of winning the competition though.
The English premier league is now streets ahead of the other three financially and we are starting to see that on the pitch. Of course there will be the odd maga rich continental club like PSG who may intervene from time to time but the falling away of the Spanish and Italians is not a good thing for the game. I suppose a lot of people here will hardly notice given their primary focus is who ends up champions of England.
The only blot on an otherwise perfect night was that dreadful away kit. It looks like a McDonalds outfitโฆ