In a thoroughly pulsating Champions League tie in Milan that simmered and occasionally crackled for the better part of 80 minutes, Inter and Liverpool produced a first leg in keeping with the competition’s legacy.
It wasn’t a score fest like we have almost come to expect in recent seasons, but it was a tense and tactically astute affair, with quality from both sides.
But where the quality from Inter that really was lacking was in the final third. Simone Inzaghi’s side huffed and puffed, but the lack of genuine moment of brilliance effectively hurt Inter the most, especially when they were on top of proceedings and had Liverpool on the ropes in the period at the beginning of the second half.
