MILAN, Italy — Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-1 in the opening match of the new, expanded competition in the Champions League, but Arne Slot’s team had to defend against a fine third-minute strike from Christian Pulisic to claim victory at the San Siro.

With seven-time European champions Milan facing six-time winners Liverpool, it was the perfect glamour clash for UEFA to launch their new phase of the competition. While Pulisic’s goal gave Liverpool an early scare and gave Milan hope of a surprise victory, the reality proved otherwise as Liverpool made light work of the home side.

Mohamed Salah hit the crossbar twice before defenders Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk both scored headers from set pieces to give Liverpool a 2-1 lead at the break. A 67th-minute goal from Dominik Szoboszlai secured the match for Liverpool, but their victory was never in doubt after they cancelled out Pulisic’s opener. –Mark Ogden

Liverpool’s threat from set pieces is clearly visible under Slot

It’s still early days for Slot at Liverpool, but his team’s first two goals against Milan showed a subtle change in approach the former Feyenoord manager has taken compared to his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp’s Liverpool have relied on goals from their attacking players and midfielders rather than relying too much on the training ground work of capitalizing on set pieces. But goal-scoring headers from Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk in the first half underscored Slot’s willingness to capitalize on the physical attributes of his defenders, both of whom stand well over six feet tall.

First, Konate headed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick powerfully past struggling keeper Mike Maignan from inside the box, before Van Dijk did the same from a Kostas Tsimikas corner. Both goals were simple and direct, further evidence of Slot’s work with this team.

It’s also worth noting that as impressive as Liverpool were in their execution, Milan were abysmal when it came to defending. Centre-backs Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic were far too passive in dealing with both deliveries, and Konate and Van Dijk won’t get any easier chances all season. Their aerial threat is unquestionable, and Liverpool will score more goals from set-pieces by exploiting those strengths this season. –Ogden

“Captain America” ​​Starts Off Well Before Milan Disappears

Christian Pulisic’s night couldn’t have started better. A lay-off from Álvaro Morata, a no-show from Tsimikas’ defence and there he was, blazing down the right flank and firing a diagonal finish past Alisson, dodging the recovery challenge of a desperate Alexis Mac Allister.

From then on, however, things went downhill, partly because Milan couldn’t give him the ball and partly because, with Liverpool in charge, Pulisic spent a lot of time running back to help Davide Calabria stop Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota on the left side of Liverpool’s attack.

Pulisic and Morata’s chemistry is also something coach Paulo Fonseca wants to work on. Apart from the opening goal, the US and Spain internationals failed to connect, especially when Morata dropped deep from his central striker position. Off the ball, he was his usual industrious self, but more threat on Alisson’s goal would have been welcome. — Gab Marcotti

Alexander-Arnold and Leão show their good and bad sides

The head-to-head clash between AC Milan striker Rafael Leão and Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold perfectly summed up the strengths and weaknesses of two of the most talented, yet frustrating, players in football.

Leão’s performance was simpler, as he showed only glimpses of his best side for Paulo Fonseca’s team. The Portugal international has pace and tricks — enough to beat any defender on his day — but there was no end product against Liverpool. At one point in the first half, Leão ran 40 yards with the ball to get the crowd excited, but instead of spotting the unmarked runners either side of him, he got into trouble and lost possession. It summed up his evening until a rare flash of his talent when he hit the post in the 96th minute.

Alexander-Arnold made more good contributions than bad, but there is no doubt that he remains a defensive problem. More than once, centre-back Konate had to urge his team-mate back into position after straying into midfield or staying forward after an attacking move. If Leão had been more aware of his surroundings, he would have addressed the gaps left by Alexander-Arnold and hurt Liverpool, but that did not happen.

The England star also lost the ball too often, but he did score the opening goal for Liverpool for Konate with his famous free-kick.

It’s the same as always with Alexander-Arnold, he’s great at what he’s good at, but his weaknesses can be bad and ugly for Liverpool. –Ogden

Maignan injury could hurt Milan in the long run

The sight of “Magic” Mike Maignan thrashing about on the grass in frustration after sustaining an injury in a collision with Fikayo Tomori early in the second half was heavy for Milanists to take, perhaps even more than the defeat.

The French goalkeeper, who had already requested treatment three times in the first half, was in visible pain as he left the field. At best, he is doubtful for this weekend’s Milan derby; at worst, we are talking about a longer stay on the sidelines.

It is worth noting that he has been struggling with a calf problem in recent days, but assured the team that he was ready to play. If Sportiello, who injured himself in pre-season and is likely to be out until January, had been fit, he might have started. As it turned out, Maignan’s fitness probably did not help with any of Liverpool’s standard targets.

To make matters worse, his backup, former Atalanta keeper Marco Sportiello, is currently injured, which explains why Fonseca had to opt for 19-year-old Lorenzo Torriani — who has never played a minute for the first team — to replace Maignan. In fact, Torriani was only third-choice keeper … for Milan’s under-21 team last year.

What a hassle to be thrown in at the deep end.

There wasn’t much Torriani could do about Szoboszlai’s goal, and he certainly looked confident on the pitch. He wasn’t afraid to play out from the back like Maignan likes to do, and at one point he ran out of his penalty area to fire a long ball over the top. All in all, it wasn’t a bad debut, but probably for the best for Milan if they don’t have to see him for a while. –Marcotti

Why such a subdued crowd?

On Saturday, 71,273 fans — a near-sellout — filled the San Siro to see Milan take on newly promoted Venezia in a Serie A match, with the hosts winning 4-0. Four days later, just 59,826 turned up for the visit of six-time European champions Liverpool in the Rossoneri‘s opening match of the revamped UEFA Champions League.

How do you explain the missing 11,000+ fans? It is clearly not the prestige of the venue or the opponent; instead, a clue could lie in the prices being charged.

The cheapest tickets available cost €74 ($82), while the cheapest in the lower tier cost €124 ($138). For comparison, Liverpool’s most expensive Regular adult seats cost £61 ($80). This led to backlash from fans on social media and, unsurprisingly, several empty seats on Tuesday night.

The Champions League is obviously a cash cow for clubs in terms of ticket prices, but of course you have to make sure you get those backsides in the stands. –Marcotti

Milan too soft for Zlatan’s taste

They waited, as they always do, until deep into injury time and then gave up.

The Milan players lined up for the Southern bendostensibly to thank the club’s black-clad hardcore Ultras fans for their support, but in reality to let them vent. And they did, chanting “Let’s see some b—s!” and “We’re sick of this!”

Obviously no fan will be happy with a 3-1 home defeat on the opening day of the new Champions League, but the manner in which the match was handled highlighted a much more complex problem facing the club: the idea that manager Paulo Fonseca is too nice, that some players are too soft and that there is a need for a tough man – a ‘football man’ – to bring discipline.

That man is of course Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is on the board of RedBird, the club’s owner. No one doubts that he is a tough guy and a winner and his arrival in the summer was hailed as a coup. Finally a former player who could command the respect of everyone and be a link between the dressing room, the coach, the board and the owners.

Ibrahimovic was absent (“personal reasons,” he said) ahead of this match and before kick-off he immediately went into Zlatan mode. Referring to his absence, he said: “When the lion goes away, the cats come out. When the lion comes back, the cats disappear.” He added: “What is my role? It’s simple. A lot of people talk, but I’m the boss. I’m the boss and everyone works for me.”

If that’s the case, he’ll have his hands full, as Milan have won just one of their first five games in all competitions this season. Time will tell if he’s the boss who gets everyone on his side, or if he’s more like that old “Saturday Night Live” sketch. –Marcotti