Jurgen Klopp’s tactical tweak earned Liverpool a welcome 2-0 Champions League win and only Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor prevented a greater margin of victory in a one-sided affair at Anfield. The 40-year-old former Scotland international was by far the busiest player for the visitors, who even against out-of-sorts opposition struggled to bridge the gulf between the Scottish Premiership and Premier League.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side arrived on Merseyside encouraged by Liverpool’s inconsistent form and incoherent defending but Klopp’s decision to switch formations in order to solve a mini-crisis of confidence had the desired effect. That they did not score more than Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick and Mohamed Salah’s penalty early in each half owed plenty to McGregor, who made four first-half saves from Darwin Nunez alone.
The victory, coupled with Ajax’s defeat to Group A leaders Napoli, opened up a three-point cushion for Liverpool to the Dutch side and a win at Ibrox next week would go a long way to securing their progress to the knockout stage.
