Liverpool’s Dutch masters outclass Chelsea rejects
A Liverpool comeback against AC Milan with Rafael Benitez watching on? Who says the burden of Anfield’s European glories will weigh heavily upon Arne Slot?
There are no Champions League miracles required against the Rossoneri when Liverpool play like this, Slot’s side outclassing the Italians to such an extent the San Siro crowd turned on their own.
“Fuori coglioni!” was the chant amid the full-time jeers, translated loosely as “show some cojones”. The fight soon went out of them after Liverpool recovered from an early Christian Pulisic goal.
Ninety minutes earlier the most vocal stand had launched fireworks and unveiled a banner full of bravado. “Fearless,” they promised.
The Liverpool players embraced the description and ran with it. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk’s first-half headers were emblematic of a game played almost entirely in Milan’s half, Dominik Szoboszlai adding the necessary gloss with a third.
Liverpool should have had much more, the woes of their first defeat of the season last weekend banished.
AC Milan’s most glorious decade was built around their Dutch masters; Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Clarence Seedorf and Frank Rijkaard. They were taken on a trip down memory lane as Liverpool’s imposed themselves, compatriots Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo joining their captain Van Dijk and coach leading the way.
Slot acknowledged the point, although the comparison between his new-look elegant midfielders and the “dogs” of previous years may have been lost in translation.
Slot hails midfield ‘dogs’
“I was standing next to [Clarence] Seedorf and he also asked about Gravenberch and Gakpo,” said Slot. “They were not the only ones who played well.
“It’s a combination of energy and quality on the ball. I think the most successful team of Liverpool in recent years had three “animals” or “dogs”, or however you want to call it, very hard-working players in the midfield.
“These three work very hard in midfield as well and they don’t fight with the ball so it means they are quite comfortable on it. That’s what you like to see as we like to press high, but we also like to play out from the back and create our chances.”
Gravenberch, a bit-part player in his debut season under Jurgen Klopp, seems to be channelling his inner Patrick Vieira under Slot, gracefully pirouetting through midfield and treating three surrounding opponents like a challenge to be easily overcome with a mazy dribble or clever pass.
While he ran midfield, Gakpo – preferred to Luis Diaz – picked up the theme which began at the end of last season and continued into the European Championship for his country. He was rewarded with the assist for Szoboszlai.
Men against Pensioners
Milan are one of just two clubs with more Champions League wins than Liverpool. But it was evident why they have struggled to live up to that status recently, piecing a side together from outcasts, most notably from a corner of south-west London in the form of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Alvaro Morata, Pulisic, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham.
Such a collection of Stamford Bridge old boys is usually the preserve of the Chelsea Pensioners. Sadly for the hosts, they might have shown more dynamism, especially in the second half. Only Pulisic left an impression.
Slot had spent the past few days repelling criticism of his lack of rotation, so there was a cruel irony that one of those made in Italy initially backfired. Andy Robertson was rested after the toll of carrying the Scottish captaincy wore him down physically and mentally, and Kostas Tsimikas did not so much stride forward to fill the left-back vacancy as stumble into it.
The Greek left-back dreadfully mistimed an attempt to win possession on the edge of the Milan penalty, allowing Pulisic the freedom to demonstrate how rapid he is on the counter-attack. Before the exposed Liverpool defenders could intervene, the American dashed into the penalty area and smashed past Alisson Becker.
But if a side are a reflection of their coach, there is more poise in this Liverpool side when reacting. Mohamed Salah struck the bar with two near-identical attempts before Milan keeper Mike Maignan made it a hat-trick of near-misses for the Egyptian before half-time.
By then, Liverpool were ahead thanks to the lethal strike pairing of their centre-backs. Konate was imperious at both ends, his 23rd-minute equaliser the first evidence of Milan’s Achilles’ heel – being hopeless at defending set-pieces – as Trent Alexander-Arnold clipped a free-kick into the danger zone to be met with an unchallenged header.
Tsimikas made amends for his early mistake by providing likewise for Van Dijk to make it 2-1, this time from a corner.
Liverpool created opportunities at will, Slot’s primary frustration being they did not secure a two-goal cushion until the 67th minute. Gakpo’s pace and power was too much for Davide Calabria, and Szoboszlai responded to his manager’s plea for more goals.
And so a new European adventure begins for Liverpool, Slot following the heritage trail with a tour of one of the greatest football cathedrals his first stop. No one asked Slot about Istanbul in the build-up to the meeting with Milan. Just as well. He does not need a history lesson before every fixture. There is no marquee opponent about which Liverpool do not have a story to tell.
Now Slot is on a mission to start writing his own and has already planted a flag in one of the most celebrated venues. He could not have picked a better way to start the opening chapter.
10:27 PM BST
And finally, Virgil van Dijk speaks to Amazon Prime
I should have had more [than 50 Champions League games but] I’m proud to be standing here with 50 appearances, a goal and win here in San Siro after a difficult start. The weekend was disappointing in so many ways. I was very frustrated to witness and be part of the last part of that game.
The goal we conceded [tonight] we were late [to the ball] in every part. We stayed calm.
All credit goes to the delivery not the finish [on his goal]. We worked on that for Forest but tonight it was bingo!
We all know what Jürgen means to the club and the city over the years and what he brought to the Premier League. There are small, subtle changes with the new manager with our positioning, and we enjoy that
He inherited a very good squad, talented and experienced. With the amount of games we play now, you have to be consistent. If we have the kind of blips we had at the weekend we can’t win things. But we reacted well today.
10:19 PM BST
A word from Arne Slot
The fans were singing for my birthday [he is 46 today]. What a great way to celebrate. That was the positive thing. After losing on Saturday that was a blow for us and then to be 1-0 down, how we react. I won’t say it’s a disgrace but it is unbelievable to lose to Forest when you can play this well. I would have played Cody on Saturday but he played two games for the Dutch team for the first time and [Diaz] was more fit.
Gravenberch took the occasion to play outstanding in a place where many great Dutch players have played, Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard and others. We had other outstanding players, too.
10:13 PM BST
Cody Gakpo speaks to Gabriel Clarke
We had more chances but they were dangerous. It was a fair result, we controlled the game pretty good. We stayed calm and remained focus. We have to thank our centre-backs for two great headers. We work on set-pieces for every game and we’re happy it worked out today.
Every player wants to play and I got my moment. I really wanted to show myself and I’m really happy with the assist but also for the win. It’s important after we lost the last game to give a reaction and a good start in this campaign.
10:07 PM BST
Today’s results
Juventus 3-1 PSV
Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa
Bayern Munich 9-2 Dinamo Zagreb
Milan 1-3 Liverpool
Sporting 2-0 Lille
Real Madrid 3-1 Stuttgart
That means Bayern are top, top, top, top, top of the league. And will almost certainly stay there with a +7 goal difference.
10:03 PM BST
Full time: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Liverpool started slowly but were dominant for the last 75 minutes. Milan lost their way when they lost their midfield control. Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Gakpo were very good as the catalysts of the turnaround.
10:01 PM BST
90+7 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
The referee stops the game thinking time’s up but there are 30 seconds again so he restarts with a drop ball. Milan pile forward and Rafael Leao drives into the box to lash a left-foot rising shot that Alisson tips on to the woodwork. And that’s that.
09:59 PM BST
90+6 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Fofana wants Torriani to come and take the ball after he holds off Diaz inside the penalty area to win a tackle but the debutant hesitates and Nunez nips in to shoot from a tight angle and his shot goes through his legs but he still manages to sit on it to stop it slipping through.
09:56 PM BST
90+4 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Chiesa is sent on for a two-minute debut:
Chiesa ⇢ Salah
Endo ⇢ Mac Allister
09:55 PM BST
90+2 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Now it’s Salah’s turn to have a go at a team-mate when Tsimikas swerves a shot from 25 yards high and wide.
09:54 PM BST
90 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Salah desperately wants to score and rather greedily has a pop from 20 yards through a crowd when Diaz was open by the penalty spot.
As six minutes of stoppage time start, all you can hear now in an emptying San Siro is You’ll Never Walk Alone.
09:52 PM BST
89 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Reijnders’ blocked shot goes to Hernandez who shoots close but wide. Gabbia heads over a better opportunity from a left-wing cross and Abraham tells him he should have left it for him.
09:50 PM BST
87 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Torriani races off his line to deal with a ball over the top efficiently if awkwardly, meeting it almost simultaneously with his fist and right knee as he jumped to meet it.
09:48 PM BST
85 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Milan make their last two changes.
Okafor ⇢ Morata
Gabbia ⇢Tomori.
09:47 PM BST
83 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Nunez tries an outrageously difficult left-foot bicycle kick from Szoboszlai’s cross and scuffs it over but Liverpool’s No8 was offside when he ran on to the ball over the top.
09:44 PM BST
81 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Yellow card for Konate for a foul on halfway. Home fans gave Alexander-Arnold the bird for dawdling on his way off.
09:42 PM BST
79 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Gomez ⇢ Alexander-Arnold. A first glimpse of action for Joe Gomez this season.
09:41 PM BST
76 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Tomori squeezes out Nunez when the centre-forward sprints down the inside right. Diaz screams for the square pass to the left of the box but Nunez decides to shoot and Tomori gets close enough to knock it behind. Liverpool go all the way back to Alisson from the corner.
09:39 PM BST
74 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Van Dijk has another opportunity from a corner but this time, under very little pressure again, nods it over. He chastises himself as he runs back, effing and jeffing.
This has gone from a very good Liverpool performance to a potentially ‘remember when they hammered AC Milan in the San Siro?’ one. Could have been six easily.
09:37 PM BST
72 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Gravenberch, who has also had a fine game, bails out Konate after Rafael Leao turns on the pace to fly down the left to the byline but when he tries to pick out Abraham by the penalty spot, Gravenberch slides in to block the pass.
09:34 PM BST
70 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 3
Four substitutions, two apiece:
Diaz ⇢ Gakpo
Nunez ⇢ Jota
Abraham ⇢ Loftus Cheek
Emerson Royal ⇢ Calabria
09:30 PM BST
GOAL!
Milan 1-3 Liverpool (Szoboszlai) Gakpo, man of the match so far, storms down the left, stops by the 18 yard line to draw Pavlovic close then hares past him from a standing start and picks out Szoboszlai who jumps to steer the cross in on the volley with a cushioned finish with his instep and finish the move he had started.
Liverpool hit their third of the night with a quick break-away goal 💨
Dominik Szoboszlai steers the ball into the back of the net to give the Reds a two-goal cushion ⚽️#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/lJginnI3pB— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
09:29 PM BST
63 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Mac Allister plays a terrific pass from 25 yards out on the left, sliding it perfectly to meet Szoboszlai’s run across goal. The straight-backed Magyr takes the ball and faces up Torriani who has come tight to block the shot and does so with his chest. Tsimiaks drags the rebound across goal and wide.
09:24 PM BST
61 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Fonseca is booked for protesting when Milan were not awarded a penalty. Morata had cushioned a deep cross from the left with a velvety-looking touch and then used Gakpo’s leg as a hurdle to flop over. But the ball had brushed Morata’s hand before he went over Gakpo.
09:22 PM BST
59 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Reijnders wins the ball, passes to Pulisic who chips a diagonal from the right over to the left for Rafael Leao beyond Alexander-Arnold but his cut-back goes straight to a black deep slate grey shirt.
09:20 PM BST
57 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Torriani gets his gloves dirty by clutching Szoboszlai’s 25-yard drive safely.
09:20 PM BST
55 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Loftus-Cheek takes the ball and runs past Alexander-Arnold down the inside-left. He makes 30 yards then plays it out to Rafael Leao who was caught offside. Rafael Leao has flattered to deceive in the Champions League these past two seasons.
09:17 PM BST
53 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Torriani, who is 19 and 6ft 5in, is on for his debut.
Mac Allister is booked for a rash and pointless foul on Fofana from behind.
09:14 PM BST
51 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
After three minutes of treatment Maignan pulls his shirt over his face, obviously in some distress, but manages to walk off.
Torriani ⇢ Maignan.
09:12 PM BST
48 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Maignan injures himself further by blocking Jota’s shot after Alexander-Arnold slipped a lovely pass down the inside-right for Gakpo. The Dutch forward shoots but it’s deflected towards the middle of the area. Jota gets there just ahead of Maignan who blocks the shot bravely and then crashes right-knee first into Jota’s shin. He starts pounding the pitch in agony.
09:09 PM BST
46 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
No changes as Milan kick off. Maignan has come out but seems to have stiffened up and is running as if on stilts while gurning in pain. Torriani starts warming up immediately.
08:57 PM BST
Half-time verdict
Excellent recovery from Liverpool. Gakpo and Gravenberch have been outstanding, Salah could have had a hat-trick and Konate has been in supreme form since being recalled at half-time on the opening day against Ipswich.
08:54 PM BST
Half-time: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
It all turned after a fine opening 15 from Milan when Liverpool found the key – a quicker tempo and exploiting Calabria’s lack of pace with Alexander-Arnold’s pinging diagonals and Gakpo’s running. Salah and Alexander-Arnold have also combined well on the right and Mac Allister’s eye for a pass and ability to accelerate helped to alter the balance of power.
08:51 PM BST
45+4 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Trent Alexander-Arnold switches to Gakpo on the left who cuts in and fires another shot from the inside-left channel with his right 22 yards out. Maignan dives to his left to slap away for a corner. Deja vu? No, Tsimikas’ inswinger is deeper and closer to Maignan who bats this one away.
08:49 PM BST
45+2 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Liverpool’s new lethal strikeforce - Konate and Van Dijk. Fully deserved lead. Slot’s side could be out of sight already and Tsimikas makes amends with an assist. How dare anyone be so critical of him earlier! Milan not so hot defending set-pieces.
08:47 PM BST
45 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 2
Liverpool players are smiling broadly before the restart. They have turned it around with such ease and in the most direct way from set-pieces. Gakpo has played very well on the left, much more direct than Luis Diaz and with a more reliably accurate shot.
Five minutes of stoppage time to come.
08:42 PM BST
GOAL!
Milan 1-2 Liverpool (Van Dijk) Stands by the keeper then darts in front and between Loftus-Cheek and Pavlovic to nod in Tsimikas’ inswinging corner without a challenge. Milan are the Everton of defending corners of continental Europe.
Set pieces are doing the trick for Liverpool 🪄
Virgil van Dijk powers a header past Mike Maignan to give the visitors the lead 💪#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/O0ld8Lp0Z1— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
08:41 PM BST
41 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Good save from Maignan, low to his left to turn away Salah’s shot which, I think, was arrowing on to the foot of the post rather than in.
08:40 PM BST
39 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Tsimikas slips a pass infield to Gakpo who tries to test Maignan’s sturdiness with a scudding, low shot which he dives forward to smother. Another examination passed.
08:39 PM BST
37 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Milan defend the corner comfortably. Maignan needs further treatment after knocking the ball upfield on the fly. Seems to be OK after more muscle kneading from Signor Healing Hands.
08:37 PM BST
35 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Tenacious work by Tsimikas is rewarded by a corner on the left. Milan’s timidity since that early flourish is the opposite of what we’ve been led to believe about Fonseca’s tactics and strategy. In his defence, Liverpool did suddenly find their rhythm and Milan have not been able to knock them out of it.
Liverpool are level 🤝
Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick is headed home by Ibrahima Konate 💥#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/j2nB1iPhvO— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
08:34 PM BST
32 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Liverpool free-kick 40 yards out after a foul on Salah by Fofana that earns him a yellow card. Trent Alexanderr-Arnold thinks he’s Trent Alexander-Thunderfoot and takes the shot on but doesn’t clear the wall.
08:33 PM BST
30 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Salah hits the underside of the bar a second time after Gakpo burns past Calabria and Tomori and hammers a left-foot shot that Maignan turns away by diving to his left but only parries out to the right of the spot. Salah hunts it down, turns and lashes another riser on to the woodwork that bounces kindly away for Milan.
08:30 PM BST
28 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Alexander-Arnold diddles Herandez who thinks he is going to go down the line by stopping and feeding Salah who gets a shot off inside the box that floats down Maignan’s throat.
08:28 PM BST
26 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 1
Terrific work from Mac Allister to read a pass into Pulisic and step in to nip it away. He accelerates up the inside left and plays a cute reverse to send Jota into the box on his outside but the Portugal forward’s shot is rank and off target even if the angle was not straightforward.
08:24 PM BST
GOAL!
Milan 1 Liverpool 1 (Konate) Calabria is booked for a bad foul on Gakpo high on the Liverpool left after another right to left diaginal. Free-kick parallel with the six-yard box and Alexander-Arnold stands up the perfect cross to the left of centre, bending in artfully, and Konate gets up to bury the header.
08:23 PM BST
20 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
The high press is starting to work well for Liverpool, drawing the mistake by hounding Maignan and Hernandez. Liverpool clip the right to left diagonal that they have tried a couple of times. Tsimikas’s delivery from that ball so far has not been good enough.
One hates to pick on individuals, but there is a reason many Liverpool fans shudder when Andy Robertson isn’t starting and Kostas Tsimikas just demonstrated why. Terrible misjudgement exposed his side and Pulisic inflicted maximum punishment.
08:20 PM BST
18 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Liverpool suddenly raise the tempo with Szoboszlai and Alexander-Arnold working to pick out Salah who slips Pavlovic on his right shoulder with a jink and immaculate control to open a path to goal and he rifles his right-foot shot on to the bar. Milan scramble it away. Three inches lower…
Liverpool have been a lot better since the nonsense of the 3rd minute. Milan happy to wait for counter-attacks.
08:18 PM BST
16 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Mac Allister opens his body to fizz a pass out to the left for Gakpo who faces up Calabria and tries to stand up a cross to the back post for Salah. The arc is right and it soars over Maignan but too close to goal for Salah who was waiting eight yards out. The ball flashes across goal and away from danger.
08:16 PM BST
14 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Calabria, Reijnders and Pulisic scythe through the left of Liverpool’s defence again in a move that starts with an easy pass to the Dutchman, dropping deep into centre midfield. The three combine to tee up a shot for Reijnders but he sweeps it straight into Konate.
08:14 PM BST
12 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Pulisic keeps tucking in on the right to make space for Calabria to bomb forward. Liverpool look vulnerable to pace down both flanks and with Pulisic dropping into centre-midfield they are outnumbering Liverpool there.
08:12 PM BST
10 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Salah finds some space on the right and pings a fine pass to meet Jota’s diagonal run into the right side of the box. He traps it back to goal, spins and wanted to shoot but the set-up touch was too heavy.
08:10 PM BST
8 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Not sure what Van Dijk was doing at the goal. He seemed to be relying on Konate to scramble across and yet it was his channel that Pulisic invaded.
08:09 PM BST
6 min: Milan 1 Liverpool 0
Long delay after the restart for Maignan to receive treatment on his knee. With two rookie keepers on the bench, Milan need him to carry on and eventually he gets up and the game can resume. Hernandez, who also needed medocal attention, is also OK.
08:04 PM BST
GOAL!
Milan 1-0 Liverpool (Pulisic) Tsimikas is caught high up the pitch and is beaten to the header by Calabria who nods it forward for Pulisic. The USA striker belts down the right, flooding into a big hole left by Tsimikas and Mac Allister chases but can’t catch him and the winger keeps going, picks his head up to scan to his left but decides to shoot instead and harpoons a shot across Alisson and in at the far corner.
A dream start for Milan 🌟
Christian Pulisic sends the home crowd wild with a goal inside three minutes 🙌#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/GRUDxhJLpC— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
08:04 PM BST
2 min: Milan 0 Liverpool 0
Hernandez and Leao combine down the left and Leao draws Alexander-Arnold then bends a pass in behind Konate for Reijnders to run on to and centre across the six-yard box but Tsimikas comes over to clear. He was offside so it didnn’t matter.
08:02 PM BST
1 min: Milan 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool kick off, attacking towards the Curva Sud and knock it back to Alisson who clips it long up the middle. Liverpool are not in black we are informed, but ‘deep slate grey’. Hmmm.
08:00 PM BST
Here we go
The teams are out, Liverpool in black, Milan in red and black stripes, white shorts and white socks. San Siro is making an absolute racket. It’s always a fantastic occasion at San Siro for a top-level European match:
Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Sie sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main event
Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions
07:54 PM BST
Clubs pay tribute to the late Philip Dooley
07:51 PM BST
Tonight’s other featured matches
Catch up on Aston Villa’s return to Europe’s elite competition here
And Manchester United’s Carabao Cup tie against the home town side of Tommy Taylor and the Greenhoff brothers here.
07:48 PM BST
Homecoming
AC Milan legend Kaka is being introduced to the San Siro crowd. Had the pleasure of seeing him run the first half in Istanbul in 2005. He was so good, in fact, he was nearly as good as Steven Gerrard in the second. Not quite, though.
07:38 PM BST
Liverpool warm up
Liverpool will play in black tonight. They have had plenty of black third kits but I think this is their first black second strip since 2016-17.
07:35 PM BST
An audience with Zlatan
"I'm the boss" 👔
Just Zlatan being Zlatan 😅#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/RIH90Yo3VG— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
07:34 PM BST
Bangers and flares
How to describe the atmosphere in the San Siro… how about ‘fireworkey’. Can that be a word? If not, let’s invent it as a word, especially for moody Champions League nights. It’s a fireworkey evening in Milan and the home fans are in the mood to recreate the 2007 final. Liverpool have another game in mind.
Two changes for Liverpool but still no Darwin Nunez in the line-up. He is yet to start for Liverpool this season. Either Slot sees him as an impact sub or he is about to become the most expensive Carabao Cup specialist in history.
07:16 PM BST
Whither the club blazer?
07:14 PM BST
Arne Slot speaks to Amazon Prime
It’s a special occasion because Liverpool weren’t in the Champions League last season so we’re looking forward to being in it.
I have made changes before during our four games. We have more than 11 good players. Today it’s Kostas and Cody. It’s all about them doing what they have to do for the team, and hopefully as a result of that we’ll get the best individual performance out of them as well.
Taking charge in the UEFA Champions League as Liverpool boss for the first time 🔴
Arne Slot on a 'special' night ahead 💫#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/RX33Zo8g7E— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
07:07 PM BST
Your teams in the traditional style
AC Milan Maignan; Calabria, Pavlovic, Tomori, Hernandez; Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Morata. Substitutes Nava, Torriani, Okafor, Zeroli, Chukwueze, Emerson Royal, Bartesaghi, Terracciano, Gabbia, Abraham, Musah.
Liverpool Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Jota.
Substitutes Jaros, Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Diaz, Nunez, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Quansah, Morton, Bradley.
Referee Espen Eskas (Norway)
06:58 PM BST
Mark Clatenburg has a new job
After three torrid months with Nottingham Forest as their refereeing consultant he has landed a gig with Amazon for their Champions League ties.
Cue a new tattoo … of Jeff Bezos’ face.
06:52 PM BST
Morata starts for Milan
Morata replaces Abraham, Tomori for Gabbia and Calabria in for Emerson Royal at right-back.
❗ OFFICIAL: #ACMilan's starting XI for #MilanLiverpool
🤔 Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/eV4NyeMGnJ— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) September 17, 2024
06:48 PM BST
Gakpo and Tsimikas start for Liverpool
Luis Diaz and Andy Robertson drop out.
Our side to take on AC Milan this evening 👊 #ACMLIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 17, 2024
06:44 PM BST
Zlatan’s back
And all is not well at Milanello…
06:37 PM BST
A reminder for those of you watching at home in the UK
This match is on Amazon Prime which has the first pick of Tuesday night games in the new broadcast deal.
Gabby Logan is hosting, Jon Champion and Alan Shearer commentating and Frank Lampard, Daniel Sturridge, Josephine Henning and Clarence Seedorf are the panel.
Prime Video Presents 📸
A selection of our team for LIVE Champions League coverage in the UK, starting on 20 August ⚽️📺 pic.twitter.com/rXAGe0RIUJ— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) August 19, 2024
06:32 PM BST
A Liverpool fan has been killed in a car accident en route to the game
We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our supporter Philip Dooley, following a road traffic accident in Bergamo.
The thoughts and prayers of everyone connected to the club are with Philip's family, friends and fellow supporters at this extremely difficult time.— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 17, 2024
06:29 PM BST
Another Slot rite of passage
Taking Liverpool to AC Milan will be test of Arne Slot’s mettle
Arne Slot must feel like he is involved in a prolonged inauguration ceremony, every week bringing another rite of passage; after his first Liverpool game, his first Anfield fixture and his first Old Trafford trip, comes his first European adventure in his new post.
With that, Slot must inspire a reaction to his first Liverpool defeat following Saturday’s poor display against Nottingham Forest.
The Dutchman’s selection against AC Milan in San Siro has assumed greater significance in offering an insight into whether he is steadfast in his belief in a preferred starting XI which started the season so well, or must change tack sooner than he anticipated.
Slot was the anti-tinkerman at Feyenoord, only one Eredivisie side using fewer players last season.
You can read Chris’s full preview here
05:51 PM BST
Having a wager?
Betting on tonight’s match? Take a look at these best betting sites for free bets and betting offers.
05:46 PM BST
Preview: New brooms
Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Liverpool’s trip to San Siro to play Milan in the first round of the new model Champions League, a needlessly complex ruse designed to shoehorn an extra four teams to unbalance an already bloated competition and flog European football’s brightest talents beyond the point of exhaustion to keep the biggest clubs’ snouts firmly in the trough. Not that protests from players and supporters seem to have any impact on Uefa or the clubs whose bidding it does.
A quick primer on the format: each qualifier now has eight matches, six before Christmas, two in January, half home and away but against eight different opponents, two from each of four pots of seeds. All sides are in one league of 36 and the top eight at the end of the stage go through to the last 16 while the teams between ninth and 24th then have another two-legged play-off to qualify for the R16. That means to win the tournament, those on the express route will play 15 games, those on the rattler 17, compared with 13 last season.
It is an oddity of the tournament that is starting its 70th season that its second and third-equal most successful clubs, Milan, with seven titles, and Liverpool with six, have played only four times previously and all in the past 20 years: 2005’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul’, 2007’s ‘Athenian Revenge’ and two group matches in 2021-22, both won by Liverpool, 3-2 at Anfield and 2-1 at San Siro, Mohamed Salah scoring in both.
Paulo Fonseca and Arne Slot are both on the opening stretch of their spells at clubs, both replacing managers, Stefano Pioli and Jürgen Klopp, who ended long title droughts at great clubs. Milan brought in Fonseca from Lille, impressed with the attacking style that had won him three Ukraine league championships with Shakhtar, an entertaining first season at Roma and two good seasons at Lille, the idea being that he would introduce a vibrancy lacking in the last two years of Pioli.
There have been understandable teething troubles but they showed their mettle to come back from 2-0 down against Torino to draw, grabbed another late equaliser away at Lazio after being defeated by Param, and hammered the bottom side Venezia 4-0 at the weekend when Tammy Abraham, one of three English regulars alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori, scored.
Liverpool, by contrast, got off to a fine start after a stodgy first half against Ipswich to win, were efficiency personified against Brentford and delightedly exploited Manchester United’s flaws to trounce them 3-0 at Old Trafford before suffering a set-back against a crafty Forest side on Saturday. Slot’s style is evidently more controlled than Klopp’s and will take time to gel fully. Even so, they are creating enough chances and need to find a clinical edge to start their return to the Champions League with a bang.
