As it happened: Midtjylland 1-1 LFC

Champions League Group Stage Game 6
Wednesday 09 December 2020 - 5:55 pm
MCH Arena
Midtjylland1
1Liverpool
Show Match Events
1'Salah ⚽️
Onyeka9'
Cools32'
45'↔️ Fabinho off, Koumetio on
61' Kelleher
⚽️ Scholz62'
64'↔️ Keïta off, Henderson on
64'↔️ Tsimikas off, Robertson on
68'↔️ Origi off, Firmino on
86'↔️ Jota off, Mane on
Evander off, Madsen on ↔️90'
Hide Match Events

Let's cut straight to the chase.

Liverpool have won the group and FC Midtjylland are finishing bottom.  It should, in essence, be a midweek off for many of Liverpool's senior players ahead of a demanding Premier League December.

Both teams have pride to play for but from a competitive point of view it is Ajax and Atalanta that will be battling for second place and advancing to the last 16 of this season's Champions League.

Caoimhin Kelleher, if selected, could be looking for a third consecutive clean sheet but without the usual suspects in defence then that might be an even tougher job.

This game goes ahead in Denmark after initially looking like it might need to be moved to another European country.

We will have a large eye on the action from what might be a youthful looking Liverpool side.

As it happened...

16:33 UK
Liverpool seeking clean sweep away

The reds have not been particularly efficient away from home in Europe in the past 18 months (and have struggled recently in the Premier League).

But they have won both of their away games in the group so far at a trickier Atalanta and Ajax.

Can they get the hat-trick tonight?

16:38 UK
Midtjylland players return

The Danish side are welcoming a couple of players back from injury this evening and also their club captain who was unavailable for the last Champions League game due to a suspension.

Erik Sviatchenko scored in a league game at the weekend but missed his side's impressive 1-1 draw away at Atalanta last Tuesday.

16:40 UK
8 changes for Liverpool

Klopp makes 8 changes to the starting line up from Liverpool's win over Wolves at the weekend.

19 year old Leighton Clarkson makes his debut in the Champions League and it his third ever appearance for the reds senior team.

Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, R. Williams, Fabinho, Tsimikas, Clarkson, Keita, Minamino, Jota, Origi, Salah.

Subs: Adrian, Jaros, Wijnaldum, Firmino, Mane, Henderson, Jones, Robertson, Matip, Cain, N. Williams, Koumetio.

17:23 UK
Our opponents

The home team's line up for tonight.

Centre-back Alexander Scholz was their early goalscorer last midweek in Italy.

17:52 UK
Captain Trent

Trent Alexander-Arnold, local lad, 22 years of age, making his 147th appearance for Liverpool wears the armband tonight for the first time.

17:55 UK
KICK OFF

Underway at the MCH Arena.

18:01 UK
GOAL!!

2' Mo Salah scores just after the opening minutes is completed.

He beats the defender to the ball - theres a chase and he kind of stumble walks the ball into the back of the net.

Bit bizarre but we'll take it.

A very early lead for Liverpool 1-0.

18:05 UK
Salah breaks record

He is now Liverpool's top goalscorer in the Champions League.

22 - Mohamed Salah (39 apps)
21 - Steven Gerrard (73)
17 - Sadio Mane (37)
15 - Roberto Firmino (38)

18:05 UK
Yellow card

9' Frank Onyeka booked for a foul on Divock Origi.

Liverpool's Belgian forward doesn't look too happy after that challenge.

18:19 UK
Clarkson looking bright

19' Clarkson spraying some very aggressive balls forward.  He finds Minamino on the wing who crosses in and it's a very good save to deny Diogo Jota.

Liverpool very much on the front foot.

18:26 UK
Ambition.

30' We all like to see it.

Kostas Tsimikas attempting a rather fanciful bicycle kick.  Would have been an amazing goal but sadly... it was the bicycle kick of a defender.

18:28 UK

32' Good sweeping move from the reds.  Origi's shot is at a bad angle and it goes wide.

YELLOW CARD: Dion Cools, who was involved in Mo Salah's opening goal, is booked for a foul on Jota.

18:29 UK
Cleared off the line

33' Fabinho clears off the line after a good chance for the Danes.

Cools crossed and it's headed in but Fabinho's legs appear for nowhere.

A glance at the goalline alerts on the referee's watch and Fabinho did enough.

18:36 UK
Danes ending half well

41' Good period now for Midtjylland.

They're trying to ping crosses and shots to try and level things before the half time interval.

They have seen a lot of the ball in the last ten minutes or so.

18:42 UK
Kelleher looking good (again)

44' That's a good stop by Kelleher - smashed towards goal and he reacts to take the sting out of that.

He comes out seconds later to claim a cross.

Seems to have extraordinary confidence for an inexperienced keeper at this level.

18:43 UK
Chance, and half time

45+2' Good save at the end of the half - shot coming from Naby Keita.

And that's the last action of the half.

Liverpool lead through that first minute goal.

HT: Midtjylland 0-1 Liverpool

 

18:58 UK
SECOND HALF

18 year old Billy Koumetio comes on to replace Fabinho at half time.

19:01 UK

STATS: With an average age of 24 years and 26 days, Liverpool have named their youngest ever starting XI for a UEFA Champions League game, with this their 128th match in the competition proper. Opportunities.

Liverpool now have an 18 year old and 19 year old in central defence.

19:06 UK
Pressure on

53' Liverpool are under some pressure now.  Midtjylland hit the woodwork and then Kaba has a good chance that requires a very good block by Tsimikas.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah now the only two players on the pitch who started against Wolves at the weekend.

19:07 UK

19:09 UK

57' Some concern over a knee injury to Tsimikas here.

19:15 UK
Penalty - Goal - 1-1

62' Interesting couple of minutes. 

Dreyer chance flagged offside but reviewed.  Review dismisses the offside and Kelleher did catch the player after he had kicked it. 

Referee looks at the monitor, awards a penalty, books Kelleher and Alexander Scholz steps up to score the penalty.

1-1.

19:17 UK
LFC Subs

64' Henderson and Robertson on, Keita and Tsimikas off.

19:24 UK
LFC Sub

68' Divock Origi replaced by Roberto Firmino.

19:33 UK
Loooong VAR check....

79' A couple of minutes there looking at a goal from Alexander Scholz.  Didn't look offside to me and it took them about 2 minutes of analysing before they disallowed the goal.

It remains 1-1.

19:38 UK
Final LFC Sub

86' Jota replaced by Sadio Mane.

19:39 UK
Great save

86' Kelleher with a great save from a decent header by captain Erik Sviatchenko.

19:45 UK
Disallowed goal

90' Another lengthy VAR check as Minamino puts the ball into the net.  Was he onside or offside.....

Doesn't matter.  Mane handled it in the build up.

8 minutes of added time.  VAR checks had a lot to do with that.

19:57 UK
FULL TIME

Liverpool have still won the group.  Midtjylland have still finished bottom of the group.

Midtjylland 1-1 Liverpool

VAR involved in some lengthy decisions although, according to the RULES of the game, probably got them right.  Just added about 9 minutes on to the game though.

Back to the Premier League now for the reds for the next few weeks.

20:04 UK
Elsewhere...

And it is Atalanta who progress to the last 16 alongside Liverpool.

They beat Ajax 1-0 in Amsterdam to progress.  Ajax join the likes of Man Utd in the Thursday night Europa League.



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