Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Champions League this season, beating Bologna 2-0 in an entertaining match at Anfield.

Arne Slot had demanded that his players ‘show the competition what they had been missing’ after Liverpool’s absence last season and they played as if with that instruction in mind during a smooth opening half-hour, which saw Alexis Mac Allister deliver a well-crafted competition completed. goal to make it 1-0. But Bologna grew into the match as the first half progressed, hitting the woodwork twice in front of the Kop.

Mohamed Salah – the opener’s creator – made it 2-0 in the second half with a stunning finish, a score that means Slot has become the first Liverpool manager to ever record eight wins from his first nine games in charge.

Gregg Evans and James Horncastle analyze the talking points from the match.

Not a perfect display, but another victory for Slot

Should Liverpool be happy about that? Well, it’s another win and it adds to that fine start of eight wins in the first nine games in all competitions. But it didn’t go as smoothly and smoothly as Slot had hoped.

Speaking ahead of the match, Slot said he wanted his players to show hunger in their return to the Champions League after missing out last season.

That message was repeated from the sidelines in the early stages when he asked his midfielders to increase the pace. After scoring the opener, Liverpool started to express themselves and responded well. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before more goals followed, but they were cut back midway through the first half by Bologna’s brave attack. The visitors pushed high and that caused the defense to get misplaced passes, especially through Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

(Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Crucially, though, Liverpool survived and the second half was a different story, even with the late changes.

Through ruthless finishing and continued hard work without the ball, Liverpool got the job done once again and while this result or performance will not define the season, the early signs remain positive for a group that is steadily becoming a winning machine.

Greg Evans

Mohamed Salah: Still setting records

Even at 32 years old, Mohamed Salah still shows no signs of letting go.

It was a thrilling start to a new season for the Egyptian, highlighted by his crucial goal contributions in these early months of the season.

By superbly setting up Alexis MacAllister for Liverpool’s early opener, he became the fastest player to score five goals and five assists in a season for Liverpool in 35 years. The last player to do this after nine games was John Barnes in the 1989-1990 season. season.

John Barnes was the last Liverpool player to start a season so quickly in the autumn of 1989 (Ben Radford/Allsport/Getty Images)

Salah’s creativity has helped Liverpool get off to a good start under Slot and he looks fresh on the right wing. In the Premier League win against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, he was excellent and became a surprisingly useful defender in the closing stages after converting the match-winning penalty. But tonight it was all about his quality in the final third – something he demonstrated even more clearly in the second half with a stunning bending finish to make it 2-0, a goal that means he is the first ever Liverpool player who scores. in five consecutive Champions League/European Cup matches at Anfield.

Those records just keep coming.

Greg Evans

Another missed opportunity for Darwin Nunez?

That’s three starts in the last four games in all competitions for Darwin Nunez, but his goal return is simply not high enough to convince Slot to use him more often.

Yes, his hold-up was impressive at times. The Uruguayan showed strength, control and skill to play an important role in the opening goal, but again, his name was not on the scoresheet.

(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Instead, when Nunez was in the perfect position to get through on goal and use his speed to drive away from Bologna’s backline, he mistimed it and was caught offside. That was the big chance that went begging and with the right move he would have added to his tally for the season; only one goal in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

This was a missed opportunity. Nunez got good service from those around him and three shots on target, but only one found the target. Inevitably, he was the first player to be substituted early in the second half when Slot wanted a change in the forwards. If Diogo Jota stays fit, he will continue to play the big games, with Nunez limited to a supporting role.

Greg Evans

Bologna shows that they belong on this stage

Vincenzo Italiano is characterized online as a leading fundamentalist. His teams often dominate. They stand out in statistics when it comes to high intensity pressing and pitch tilting, and are excellent at winning the ball back in dangerous areas. But when they give up opportunities, they’re usually big opportunities.

Now it’s one thing to execute this style well on the way to back-to-back Conference League finals, as was the case with Fiorentina. It’s a completely different thing to do it in the Champions League at Anfield.

(Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Italiano showed his willingness to compromise against Liverpool while still staying true to himself. He did not insist, as Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers appeared to do in Dortmund on Tuesday night, on going all-in on his style. Bologna sometimes played a middle and low block. They let goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski kick long and were not afraid to let central defender Sam Beukema come behind them, so that the attackers could also give chase. Nevertheless, Bologna chose the moments to press and did quite well. They ended the first half 1-0 behind, but in confidence; grow in confidence.

Italiano left his full-backs and fastest centre-back Jhon Lucumi one-on-one against Liverpool’s front three. He pushed Lucumi’s partner Beukema onto Dominik Szoboszlai and let Remo Freuler chase Ryan Gravenberch. Liverpool’s quick goal kicks and build-up almost paid off as the lively Dan Ndoye hit the woodwork twice after dangerous recoveries. Alisson also did an excellent job, putting a good shot wide of Kacper Urbanski after another giveaway forced by Ndoye.

Last year, Bologna only dreamed of qualifying for the Conference League this time. But the flashes they showed at Anfield suggested they wouldn’t look out of place in the Champions League either.

James Horn Castle

What did Arne Slot say?

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, the Liverpool manager acknowledged that it had not been a comfortable evening for his side. “It was not an easy victory in my opinion, Bologna made it difficult. They marked the whole field and we had to wait for the right moment because when you play through it it is completely open, and often it was open, but the last pass could have been better.

“We worked very hard today to keep a clean sheet, but we needed our goalkeeper a few times.”

Slot also thanked his players and staff for helping them achieve an eighth victory in nine games. “It is almost impossible to do something special at this club. It says a lot about how much the players want it, how much effort they put into it and how the staff helped me create this start.

“There are even more difficult matches to come, starting with kick-off on Saturday at 12.30pm after a Champions League match. But it’s nice to start this way. That is clear.”

What next for Liverpool?

Saturday October 5: Crystal Palace (away), Premier League, 12.30pm UK, 7.30am ET

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(Top photo: Getty Images)