Liverpool secured a confident victory against AC Milan in their return to the Champions League, recovering strongly from Saturday’s unexpected loss to Nottingham Forest.
The match started with an early shock for Liverpool when AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic scored within three minutes, delivering a powerful shot across the goal.
Liverpool quickly responded with a dominant performance. Mohamed Salah hit the crossbar, and in the 23rd minute, Ibrahima Konate equalized with a header from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick.
Salah hit the bar again before Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead with a close-range header from Konstantinos Tsimikas’ corner shortly before halftime.
The match was sealed in the 67th minute when Cody Gakpo set up Dominik Szoboszlai for a simple finish after a strong run.
Federico Chiesa made a brief debut for Liverpool, coming on as a substitute for Salah in the 93rd minute.
Slot's First European Win for Liverpool
This was Liverpool’s first Champions League match in 18 months after playing in the Europa League last season.
Despite conceding an early goal, Liverpool regained control and responded well to their weekend defeat. Salah twice came close to scoring, hitting the bar, while AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan denied Cody Gakpo’s efforts.
Liverpool capitalized on Milan’s poor set-piece defending, with their central defenders scoring the key goals. Maignan was forced off in the second half due to a knee injury sustained after a challenge from Diogo Jota.
Liverpool dominated possession and secured their third goal through Szoboszlai, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker made a crucial save, tipping Rafael Leao’s shot onto the post in the final minutes.
The win gives Liverpool a strong start in a challenging Champions League group, with upcoming matches against Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen in October.
During the game, Liverpool players wore black armbands in tribute to supporter Philip Dooley, who was fatally struck by a vehicle in Italy. Representatives from both teams placed flowers at his seat.
This was Liverpool’s first European victory without Jurgen Klopp since Brendan Rodgers led the team to a 1-0 win over Besiktas in February 2015.
Further Information
Champions League match highlights will be available from 22:00 BST on Wednesday via BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and the app. A "Champions League Match of the Day" will also air on BBC One from 22:40 to 00:00.
