Two Leipzig Player Blunders Helped Liverpool To Win UCL's Last 16 First Leg

Sadio Mane (Twitter @lfc)

JAKARTA - Liverpool beat RB Leipzig 2-0 thanks to two errors by the opposing defender in blocking the ball when the two met in the first leg of the Champions League at the Puskas Arena Stadium, Budapest, Hungary, Thursday morning WIB.

The blunder that created Liverpool's first goal was born in the 53rd minute when Lukas Klostermann slipped while receiving Kevin Kampl's pass. Mohamed Salah grabbed the ball and finished with a measured kick.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's second goal came when Nordi Mukiele failed to sweep Curtis Jones' long ball to Sadio Mane. Mane, who only faced one on one with Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulasci, had no problems tearing his opponent's net.

This fella 👑 pic.twitter.com/eNyYo454JG

- Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 16, 2021

According to Antara, since the beginning of the match the two teams played at a high tempo. Relying on the speed of both sides and the fast flow of the ball colored the first 15 minutes.

Liverpool have a dangerous opportunity through Thiago's fast-paced pass to Salah. Unfortunately, the player from Egypt still hit the shoulder of goalkeeper Gulasci. Salah also had the option of passing Mane who was standing level, but he chose to finish alone.

Leipzig responded to the attack by applying tight pressure to the heart of the Liverpool defense. They try to reclaim the ball quickly by placing up to five players against the opposing players.

That way, creating a difficult situation for Robertson and Alexander-Arnold to exert pressure. The two of them couldn't freely stab the defensive heart like they usually do.

In the 32nd minute, Andy Robertson sent Gulasci into a frenzy. Starting from Gulasci's sweep that came out of the penalty box, Robertson who controlled the ball immediately fired a long-distance shot, but the ball was only narrowly wide over the crossbar.

Although Leipzig also applied open play and high pressure, they had difficulty dismantling the Reds' defense. The ball sent directly to the Liverpool penalty box is often easily broken.

24 'Brilliant football between Salah, Firmino and Mane. Eventually, Bobby's chipped cross picks out Sadio but his header is directed over the crossbar! [0-0] #RBLLFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/lCjWpQS8uQ

- Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 16, 2021

At the start of the second half, Leipzig almost surprised Liverpool, lucky that Alisson performed brilliantly by shaking off Christopher Nkunku's shot.

After the attack, Salah put the visitors ahead in the 53rd minute after taking advantage of a Kevin Kampl pass that intended to give Luke Klostermann a Backpass. But Klostermann slips and the ball is controlled by Salah to finish off perfectly.

Only five minutes later, Liverpool scored their second goal through Sadio Mane which again started with a Leipzig defender's mistake. Nordi Mukiele, who intends to sweep Curtis Jones' pass, he failed to grab the ball which was then controlled by Mane and only faced one on one with Gulasci.

Leipzig tried to respond to the goal with two consecutive attacks through Angelino and Daniel Olmo, but both did not meet the target and only narrowed the goal that Alisson was guarding.

After winning 2-0, Leipzig continued to press but Liverpool also played more relaxed and thickened the defense. Meeting the Reds rearguard made it difficult for Julien Nagelsmann's team to create open opportunities. They do a lot of speculation kicking and the direction is often unclear.

The only dangerous chance for Leipzig was created at the end of the match. Receiving a breakthrough bait from Tyler Adam, a player who just entered in the second half, Hwang Hee-chan, fired a shot that was directed sideways to the left side of the Liverpool goal.

With this 2-0 advantage, Liverpool have a great opportunity to move on to the next round, especially as they will host the second leg on March 11.

𝐁𝐈𝐆 European night. 𝐁𝐈𝐆 performance! ✊ #YNWA

- Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 16, 2021