ANFIELD Wrap contributors with talking points straight from the ground as Liverpool claimed a crucial win away at Hoffenheim in the first leg of their Champions League playoff.
Pre Match
7.31pm: @robbohuyton: “Loads of kecks shitting going on about tonight from Reds. I get it, sound, Hoffenheim had a good set-piece record last season. So did West Brom and we beat them twice. We’ve got weaknesses, we’ve also got good players. Up the every fucking chance of getting a good result Reds.”
7.40pm: @PhilBlundell: “How are people gonna cope when we’re playing someone really good? These came fourth last year and lost their two best players.
“Keep it tight and hit them on the counter. Three at the back they’re apparently playing which should give Sadio Mane and Mo Salah loads of room.”
7.41pm: @robbohuyton: “That’s the mad thing. It’s the Champions League. The whole point is the games are difficult!”
Kick Off
7.50pm: @jsexton24: “Think for all the stick he gets Emre Can is well better than Gini Wijnaldum at the dirty work in midfield.”
7.53pm: @PaulSenior1: “Class from Albie Moreno.
“Milner would be 30 yards away.”
7.54pm: @johngibbonsblog: “It’s almost like they are different players with different strengths.”
7.55pm: @PaulSenior1: “No doubt about that, John, but that’s the benefit of Moreno. His flaws defensively are a different point entirely.”
7.56pm: @robbohuyton: “Fucking hell.”
7.56pm: @PaulSenior1: “Yer, probably is a pen, that.
“Hope our penalty specialist can save it.”
7.56pm: @johngibbonsblog: “I don’t think it is. Not sure what he can do.
“Looked offside to anyone too?”
7.56pm: @PaulSenior1: “YES, SIMON.
“Worst pen I’ve seen.”
7.57pm: @robbohuyton: “Absolutely shite pen. Ta, lad.”
7.58pm: @jsexton24: “He that lad who couldn’t trap a bag of sand at Leicester? Absolute lolz.”
7.58pm: @PaulSenior1: “Their manager dresses like he’s working upstairs in Salt Dogs.”
8pm: @PaulSenior1: “If Salah is quick that centre half is unbelievably quick.”
8pm: @PhilBlundell: “Don’t reckon he realised he was there. Wasn’t going full pelt. Thought he was away and then panicked.”
8pm: @PaulSenior1: “Runs too straight — Michael Owen in his prime shifts one way. They can’t touch you.
“Cut across him and tempt him for the red.”
8.01pm: @johngibbonsblog: “They are leaving bear room in behind, though.”
8.01pm: @PhilBlundell “They just tried to play offside five yards inside our half, haha.”
8.10pm: @jsexton24: “Their manager looks like one of them activities fellas on school trips.”
8.10pm: @PhilBlundell: “These have only got energy. They’ll harass us all night, but they won’t open us up with slick passing or anything.”
8.19pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Mane’s boss tonight.”
8.20pm: @PaulSenior1: “TRENT.”
WHAT. A. GOAL! 😱
18-year-old @trentaa98 with a stunning free-kick on his Champions League debut for @LFC! 👏 pic.twitter.com/usl9B970vw
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) 15 August 2017
8.20pm: @PhilBlundell: “What a hit. My god, that’s unreal.”
“It’s outside the post until it’s three yards out.”
8.21pm: @jsexton24: “Mad how Trent’s better than Flanno and Cafu put together.”
8.21pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Great confidence to take it. Shows how highly he his thought of by his teammates.”
8.22pm: @robbohuyton: “Yes, you fucking beauty — 18, on your European debut, and you pull that one out for your first ever goal for The Reds. Go ‘ed, Trent.”
8.22pm: @PaulSenior1: “Mad how Trent has got more Champions League goals for Liverpool than Daniel Sturridge…”
8.22pm: @C_Hannan7: “Celebrated that about 10 times more than you would have going 1-0 up.”
8.26pm: @robbohuyton: “First Scouser to score for The Reds since Stevie.”
8.31pm: @jsexton24: “Reckon it says anything about Andy Robertson’s role this season that he’s not been in the squad for either competitive game so far?”
8.32pm: @PaulSenior1: “Think he’s being Origi’d.
“Getting him physically right first. Also think he’s very much our ‘Ben Davies’.”
8.33pm: @PhilBlundell: “Reckon Robertson is behind them all on fitness.
“Never signed till three weeks after they all started pre season. Then it was a week before he actually trained with all of them.”
Half Time
8.35pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Midfield shape really misses Adam Lallana; Bobby Firmino really misses Phil Coutinho. Not controversial either of those statements but the case.”
8.36pm: @jsexton24: “Midfield definitely short of a ‘number 10’.”
8.36pm: @PaulSenior1: “I think we arguably miss Lallana more than Coutinho.”
8.36pm: @PhilBlundell: “Can anyone remember a defender who’s walked off at half time and kept a clean sheet and nearly scored who has played worse than Dejan Lovren?
“Narrow criteria I know but whoever is on ratings doesn’t need any fingers for that half.”
8.37pm: @PhilBlundell: “Lallana sets the tempo of the side, doesn’t he? Becoming more and more obvious.”
8.37pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Think Moreno and Lovren next to each other is something dreadful. I can’t put up with it. Nathaniel Clyne to left back.”
8.37pm: @PhilBlundell: “Nah, get Robertson fit. I’m finished with Clyne.
“Alternatively, buy a centre back.”
8.38pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Can needs to put two good five minutes back to back as a starting point this campaign. Would help. Wijnaldum had best not be fit.”
8.40pm: @robbohuyton: “Intrigued to see if it enters anyone’s head that it’s the first leg of a European tie second half. Little sign of first leg tactics so far.”
8.41pm: @PaulSenior1: “See Joel Matip get bullied for that Mignolet save. Literally gets thrown off the ball.”
![LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, October 29, 2016: Liverpool's Joel Matip [R] and Dejan Lovren [L] arrive at Selhurst Park ahead of the FA Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)](https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/uploads/2016/11/161029-006-Crystal_Palace_Liverpool-1.jpg)
8.41pm: @jsexton24: “Think Matip could be more of a bully, to be fair.
“Him and Lovren so different in so many ways though, mad watching them together.”
8.42pm: @C_Hannan7: “You’re out for Matip, Paul. He had a good half.”
8.42pm: @PaulSenior1: “His lack of aggression is what annoys me most.”
8.43pm: @jsexton24: “And on the flip side it’s Lovren’s aggression which can make him look so clumsy and then absolute mustard at times.”
8.44pm: @johngibbonsblog: “You’re the bully.”
8.45pm: @PaulSenior1: “You need to be able to be dominant as a centre half. Dan Agger wasn’t a last-ditch centre half but had a touch of aggression and strength, Matip just gets launched.
“I’d be embarrassed as a centre half being bullied like that.”
8.45pm: @C_Hannan7: “But he’s done well so far this game.
“Lovren hasn’t covered himself in glory.”
8.48pm: @johngibbonsblog: “We’ve not conceded in the first half but more luck than anything. If the back seven try and be more disciplined the front three will create anyway.”
8.49pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Jordan Henderson and Can having a chat, there. Which can only be a good thing.”
Second Half
8.50pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Haha, how open are we already. Fucking hell.”
8.54pm: @PaulSenior1: “Mane is so, so good.”
8.55pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Amazing tonight.”
8.55pm: @PhilBlundell: “Is this how John Barnes skinned people?”
8.55pm: @robbohuyton: “Brilliant swagger about Mane. Knows he’s having anyone off one on one.”
8.58pm: @johngibbonsblog: “He needs to get Moreno off. He’s looking at planes or something”
9pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Moreno and Wijnaldum could both do with being replaced by Milner.
“Wijnaldum doesn’t look fit at all.”
9.17pm: @PaulSenior1: “FUCKING GET IN.”
9.18pm: @jsexton24: “James Milner’s boss, yer know.”
9.19pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Absolutely marvellous. Great ball from Firmino.”
9.19pm: @PhilBlundell: “Laced Mane for taking that quickly.”
9.19pm: @PaulSenior1: “Brilliant from Firmino.”
“Salah probably gets the original cross.”
9.19pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Milner does good work.”
9.25pm: @Knox_Harrington: “Salah gambles on everything.”
9.25pm: @PaulSenior1: “What’s Salah doing?
“Don’t do that in a two-legged game, lad.”
9.30pm: @PaulSenior1: “Fuck off.”
9.30pm: @PhilBlundell: “You dickheads.”
9.30pm: @PaulSenior1: “Game on now.”
9.30pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Balls. What happened there?”
9.30pm: @PhilBlundell “What’s Trent doing?”
9.30pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Trent just needs to try and get it.”
9.30pm: @PaulSenior1: “Play the whistle.”
9.31pm: @PhilBlundell: “Yup. Played the appeal.”
9.35pm: @jsexton24: “Think the away goal is crucial here no matter what happens.”
9.36pm: @johngibbonsblog: “Boss that from Marko Grujic.”
Full Time
9.39pm: @jsexton24: “Hiya, Twitter. The Reds are boss and Hoffenheim are shite xox.”
9.40pm: @PhilBlundell: “Being able to play on the break at home should help.
“You’d like to think we can’t lose by two goals at home, wouldn’t you?”
9.45pm: @PaulSenior1: “Good result. Another game that reminds you of all the positives and negatives this side has.
“Tremendous on the break but some serious flaws at the back.
“Two away goals makes the tie very, very difficult for Hoffenheim.”
9.45pm: @PhilBlundell: “We’d all feel better if the pen went in and we won 2-1 that way, wouldn’t we?
“Nervy for the most part and not the best performance but sooner that in this kind of game than playing well and getting beat.
“Need to manage Salah and Mane on Saturday I think. Maybe even give one of them the day off. Can’t just keep hammering them. Without me being all fitness egg.”
READ: Hoffenheim 1 Liverpool 2: Match Ratings
READ: Hoffenheim 1 Liverpool 2: Match Review
LISTEN: Hoffenheim 1 Liverpool 2: The Post-Match Show
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Squeaky Bum Match from start to finish.
Positives: Migs was huge!!! Keep slating him and he will continue to produce, TAA can take free-kicks, Moreno is better in the attacking half, Mane-Firmino-Salah can attack, we had luck this evening thank goodness, and we won? Sure 2-1 which should have been 5-2.
Negatives: Lovren, Gini, Henderson, Matip, Moreno in defense though I thought he tried better than his other defensive counterparts.
Klopp has built fuck-all since being here as the defense still needs sorting. We miss that creative midfielder besides a host of defenders, and someone who can take on captain duties. Henderson is not up to task.
Brendan Rogers also had an attacking team remember? So what happened to him when he decided Defending is not for us? Anyone who thinks we are going to beat the likes of Barca, RM, add your CL team after tonight’s defending well think again.
Still we have this to throw away now. 2-1, and we can beat them if we Klopp can figure out the defense by next week(end).
My mind is still reeling from such a poor defensive show.
Thought Matip did well but I can’t go through another season watching Lovren and Moreno in our defence.
Too right Michael. I mean win aside I saw the bench and was wondering if I was transported back to watching LFC circa Feb 2017.
What has happened to undo all that hard work at the end of last season?
Hi Lads….we did win you know….
Best comment:
8.21pm: @jsexton24: “Mad how Trent’s better than Flanno and Cafu put together.”