Welcome back Anfield European nights. We’ve missed you. This was actually very similar to the last one we had only this time the result went in our favour. The performance was similar to the Atletico one and we got sucker punched a couple of times just like in that game too.

I feel as though that was our last game in this competition even though it wasn’t. For me, it’s almost like last season’s Champions League campaign didn’t happen. Honestly, I’d forgotten about it completely to be honest. On the post match podcast John mentioned us being knocked out by Real Madrid and I almost corrected him to say it was Atletico. I’d just pushed it out of my mind completely.

All footy without fans was crap but Champions League nights without them were especially bad. Other than Real Madrid, off the top of my head I honestly can’t remember anyone else we played last season. Probably Napoli as we always play them, but I’m not even sure about that.

This year it’s entirely different. This group we’re in is fucking boss and every game is one to look forward to now that fans are back. I’m so glad Milan are back from seven years away and I hope we see them become a threat again over the next few years. 

Not too much of a threat, obviously, but European football needs the Italian teams to be strong. The balance is too far in favour of the Premier League. PSG and Bayern now. Nobody else is really a factor other than maybe Atletico.

AC Milan are probably the Italian club most like us and there’s a mutual respect there. The gap between the sides is massive though and losing only 3-2 is almost like a win for Milan because they got fucking battered here. We were so impressive for almost all of this game but we do have one glaring flaw, and that’s not turning dominance into goals.

To go in 2-1 after the way we’d played in the opening 30 minutes or so defied all logic. The opening quarter of an hour was unreal. Milan must have wondered what the fuck they’d stumbled into as they were getting steamrollered. The intensity we started the game with is impossible for any team to live with. You can’t do that for ninety minutes of course, so that’s why it’s so vital that you make it count when you are that dominant. 

We never did that. I thought we got a bit complacent. That’s maybe not quite the right word, but we definitely relaxed a little too much. It’s understandable to a point as it was so easy and we were in a completely different league to Milan. They couldn’t cope and were hanging on desperately.

What makes it all the more frustrating is that we did actually get the early goal. Sometimes you don’t get the reward for your good work and it can become a slog, but this was perfectly set up for us to twat them everywhere, especially when we were awarded a penalty and had the chance to go up by two. Not taking that gave them a lifeline but it was the way we just dropped the intensity in the 10-15 minutes before half time that really encouraged them.

Up until then though we’d been incredible. We were flying at them down both flanks and it was like the Alamo back there for Milan at times. Tomori and Kjaer were working overtime and I thought they were both very good. They needed to be as it was one way traffic. Milan couldn’t get out because we just smothered them. They’d try to pass it out from the back but it invariably ended with someone getting tackled or them just hitting it out for a throw in.

From the opening kick off we were just all over them, swarming. It had been 18 months since our last European night in front of a packed Anfield and the lads were clearly relishing it. The pace was blistering, it was fucking brilliant.

We had 13 shots in 15 minutes, which must be close to some sort of record. Only one of them went in, and that was a fluke as it deflected in off Tomori. The move was quality though and the little return pass from Mo to Trent was seriously good as that needed to be at the perfect pace to hit him in stride. 

The trio of Trent, Mo and Hendo and on the right were working brilliantly together, while on the left Robbo was just running by everyone and looked like someone had bumped up all of his physical stats on FIFA. Milan just couldn’t stay with him.

It was one of his charges into the box that won us the penalty. Initially I thought he was appealing for a corner, which I didn’t even think it was as it just looked as though he’d put one into there Kop as usual. Next thing the ref is pointing to the spot.

It was a penalty based on the rules as they currently stand. It won’t be given every time but if it’s given against you then it’s difficult to argue. I don’t like it though. If his arm had been outstretched and it hit his hand then yeah, no sympathy at all. Penalty. 

I don’t think that’s what this was though. The lad has tried to put his arm by his side but as he jumped and turned his back it’s come out a bit and the ball has hit him. I don’t really think that should be a penalty, but it is.

I wasn’t surprised Mo missed it because the law of averages says you aren’t going to just keep scoring over and over. He’d scored 17 in a row so he was always going to miss sooner or later. His pens have been getting better and better and the variety of them has been the most impressive thing. He mixes them up well now, but this was like the way he was a couple of years ago, just smashing it up the middle and hoping.

The keeper saved it and also kept out the follow up diving header from Jota. Still, we were so much on top it felt like only a matter of time before the goals came. But then the intensity dropped off and Milan were slowly able to get a bit of a foothold in the game. Nothing too alarming, but from not being able to get out of their own half they were beginning to put a few passes together and spend a bit of time in our half.

And then came the two minutes that turned the game in its head. They took their goals well but we just seemed to be all over the place. I don’t know exactly what went wrong but there was space that normally isn’t there. Milan were able to get between our defence and back four and sliced us open.

The first goal was well worked but our defensive line was a bit all over the place. Gomez and Robbo were deeper than Matip and Trent but it was a result of us having to scramble because they got in between people. Klopp referenced it and said Fabinho couldn’t cover all of the space because others weren’t where they were meant to be. I assume it’s Hendo and Keita but I can’t pretend to know.

Having conceded one, we then committed the cardinal sin and made the same mistake again. Too much space, they sliced through us and despite the best efforts of Robbo on the line, it’s 2-1. How the fuck did we find ourselves here? Simple really. Not clinical when we needed to be and then took our foot off the gas.

Honestly though, I wasn’t even the least bit concerned at half time. I’d seen enough to know we were miles better than them and what happened before half time was a kick up the arse more than anything else. We’d still win, I was relaxed about it.

And then seconds after the restart it looked like they’d scored again and for a moment I was worried. But it was offside, so panic over. A few minutes later Mo equalised after collecting a nice chipped ball by Divock and finishing expertly.

Div will get a lot of plaudits for the pass, and Mo for the finish, and rightly so. Have to say though, as good as the pass looks now, in reality it should have ended up comfortably in the arms of the keeper. Look at it again, and the spot where Mo eventually scores from is the exact position the keeper was occupying when the pass was played. 

All he had to do was take a few steps forward and pick the ball up, but he froze and then went backwards. It’s horrific goalkeeping but I’ll take it.

At 2-2 we were always going to go on and win it. It was just a matter of when the winning goal would come. The source was an unlikely one though as Hendo doesn’t get many. Hell of a strike though. Great technique. Reminiscent of his predecessor actually, as was the celebration.

Klopp used his full quota of subs, sending on Sadio for Divock (who had cramp), Thiago for Keita, Jones for Jota, Milner for Hendo and Ox for Mo. Despite the changes we still looked the more likely to score and Milan never really threatened.

Not sure where the ref got five minutes stoppage time from but Milner managed to waste most of that so it wasn’t a problem. The foul he committed was sensational. That lad wasn’t going past him under any circumstances. The Didi Hamann impersonations to try and win free-kicks were admirable too.

It was a lot more comfortable than the scoreline made it look and all in all it was an extremely satisfactory start to what is going to be a tough group. It’d be nice if just once we qualified early and didn’t have to win the final game, but that probably won’t happen as it’s just not how we roll.

I’m giving Joel the star man even though I expect most will disagree. I don’t care though, I thought he was sensational and his passing into the front players is not talked about enough. Actually, everything he does is not talked about enough as he’s just world class. Love him.

You could easily talk me into Hendo, Fabinho or Robbo as the star man too, but Big Bird is my guy so I’m rolling with that.

Keita seems to have split opinion again. Loads of people are saying he was shite but he’s still getting the customary hipster treatment from some who think they can see something the rest of us plebs can’t.

For what it’s worth, I thought he was fine. Not good, not bad, just ok. He did very little wrong and he was neat and tidy. At times he was quite purposeful and positive, but mostly he was safe and a bit passive. In other words, standard Naby stuff.

The thing with him is even when he plays ‘well’ it’s not really enough as I’m always underwhelmed. It’s partly about him not living up to initial expectations, but it’s also a case of me not really seeing him do anything to justify his selection over people like Milner Jones and even Ox. Naby’s doing alright, but he needs to be better than ‘alright’.

As for the others, it was nice to see Gomez back after his long layoff and he played well. There were some moments in the first half when he maybe wasn’t quite on the same wavelength of Matip but overall he was good.

Finally, Divock. He’s getting a lot of praise for his performance but he’s another that was just alright. Ok, that might be underselling it a bit so I’ll say he played quite well. I think the low bar he’s set has maybe caused some to go a little overboard but I’m happy to see him making a contribution and getting some praise, because it’s been a while.

Here’s the thing. We all wanted him gone this summer and replaced by somebody that can put pressure on the other four forwards. He’s never putting pressure on anybody, realistically, so fans weren’t being unreasonable in hoping he moved on. It never happened though so the fact is while he’s still here we’re going to need him to contribute. If he does that, it helps everybody, as it did two years ago when he was instrumental in what we did.

So if we can get this level of performance or hopefully better from him when he’s called upon, great. Maybe that’s why Klopp was talking so much bollocks about him afterwards and complaining that “people have forgotten how good he is”. Yeah, well you not deeming him worthy of a place on a nine man bench might be contributing to that too. Just a thought.

But anyway, good for Div and if this kick starts him into being at least a semi-useful asset from the bench then great, because we need it. I’ll need to see a lot more than this before I’m convinced though.

Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson (Milner), Keita (Thiago); Salah (Oxlade-Chamberlain), Origi (Mané), Jota (Jones):