Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret highlighted the set-piece threat of Virgil van Dijk after two corner kick goals made the difference during Liverpool’s 2-0 Champions League win on Tuesday night, speaking to Area Napoli.
After damaging defeats to relegation-threatened Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, Jurgen Klopp would have ripped your arm off at the elbow for a morale-boosting victory against the most in-form team on the continent.
And while Liverpool were far from convincing – riding their luck against a Napoli side who saw an opener narrowly ruled out by VAR – two late goals in front of their own supporters could do wonders for their increasingly-brittle self-confidence.
Mo Salah scrambled home in the 85th minute after Meret failed to hold a Darwin Nunez header. Liverpool’s second, deep into stoppage time, was remarkably similar in style and execution; Van Dijk this time denied on the line before Nunez did his best Salah impression by tapping in the rebound.
Liverpool beat Napoli 2-0 in Champions League group-stage
“On their two goals, there was a bit of inattention. They are excellent jumpers. It is not easy to stop people like Van Dijk in the penalty area,” says Meret, Napoli’s £30 million goalkeeper.
“Our great performance remains, but we knew that, in this stadium, it would be difficult. This defeat hurts us little. We have to think about starting again from the next match.”
The most hard-fought of wins sees Liverpool take some semblance of revenge for September’s 4-1 thrashing at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, though Napoli had more than enough chances to complete a famous double over the six-time European champions long before Salah’s opener on the night.
The Italian giants, at least, can console themselves with top spot in Group A.
“We produced a great performance,” adds manager Luciano Spalletti (Mediaset). “Because, for most of the match, we kept the ball well. We created situations, then we kept the game in total balance without ever losing breath.
“But it didn’t help because they were very good.”
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