Liverpool drew 1-1 at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday night.
Liverpool’s goalkeeper from Germany Loris Karius fails to save Fernando’s free kick
Pundit Phil Thompson has told Sky Sports that he thinks Loris Karius should have saved Fernando’s free kick in the 1-1 draw with Spartak Moscow, disagreeing with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool travelled to Moscow for their second Champions League group stage game, having drawn 2-2 with Sevilla at Anfield in their first game two weeks ago.
Jurgen Klopp needed to build on Saturday’s 3-2 win at Leicester City on Saturday evening, but it proved to be a frustrating night in Russia for his side.
Phil Thompson
Fernando struck Spartak in front with a powerful free kick, but Liverpool did hit back through another Brazilian, as Philippe Coutinho scored the equaliser.
That proved to be the end of the scoring, and whilst Liverpool missed a whole host of opportunities to win the game, much of the focus will be on Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius.
The German was handed a start for his vital match, but he showed more shaky goalkeeping for Fernando’s goal, with the free kick seemingly central enough for Karius to make a routine save, but he didn’t appear to move his feet quickly enough.
After the game, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying he thought it was a good free kick, defending his goalkeeper by suggesting that his view may have been obstructed by the wall.
“It’s over the wall, it’s the corner of the wall,” said Klopp. “If you want to talk about this, do it really. I don’t understand how you can talk after a game like this about this one situation but I’m not sure, I have to see it again. It was a very good free kick. It was in the corner of where the wall protects the corner so I don’t know. I don’t think so but probably you have another opinion.”
However, pundit and former Liverpool favourite Phil Thompson told Sky Sports that he disagreed, believing that Karius should have done ‘much better’ for the goal, criticising him for not moving his feet quickly enough in another mistake from the 2016 signing.
“They’ve had two attempts, one from the free-kick which they scored, and one from another shot which Karius blocked. But for the goal, the goalkeeper should do much better,” said Thompson. “Fernando puts it over the wall, yes with pace, but it’s not even at the side, it’s gone sort of four yards inside the post. I think he moves his feet far too late, so you’d have to say it’s a goalkeeping error yet again,” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
