Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a stunning free-kick as Liverpool beat Rangers 2-0 at Anfield to earn an important three points.
Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor was the busiest player for the visitors as they struggled to bridge the gulf in quality between the Scottish Premiership and the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp’s decision to switch formation had a positive effect as Liverpool were able to pick up all three points.
They were undoubtedly helped by a team who struggled to retain possession let alone make any progress in the attacking third but were never under the kind of pressure which saw Brighton score three here at the weekend to prompt Klopp’s change of plan.
That they did not score more than Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick and Mohamed Salah’s penalty early in each half owed plenty to McGregor, who made four first-half saves from Darwin Nunez alone.
Liverpool’s Uruguay international has not scored since the opening day of the Premier League season but after a pep talk from Klopp and his coaching staff he was restored to the focal point of the attack and did a good job of reacquainting himself with the competition in which his performances for Benfica last season contributed to his £64million summer transfer.
The victory, coupled with Ajax’s defeat to Group A leaders Napoli, opened up a three-point cushion to the Dutch side and a win at Ibrox next week would go a long way to securing their progress to the knockout stage.
For Rangers, however, their wait for a first Champions League goal in 12 years goes on having registered just one shot on target at Anfield – in the 86th minute.
Klopp’s quick-fix solution to their defensive issues appeared to be to go more offensive, with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz playing behind Nunez in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The echoes of fans booing the Champions League anthem in protest at UEFA’s handling of May’s final in Paris had barely died down when Nunez, after an early effort was parried by McGregor, drew a foul from former Liverpool defender Ben Davies – making his first appearance at Anfield.
A free-kick 28 yards out and left of centre was prime Alexander-Arnold territory and the right-back, under scrutiny for his defending, curled a shot into the top corner.
McGregor then denied Salah, released by Nunez who was given free rein to roam across the forward line, and the Uruguayan a further three times before the break as Liverpool created regular chances without looking…
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