Union SG pushed Liverpool from the opening whistle, but the Reds got goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota near the end of each half to earn big three points and stay atop Group E of the Europa League with a 2-0 win.
First Half
Mohamed Salah had an excellent chance in the 5th minute, but Union SG goalie Anthony Moris came away with a big save. The Reds kept the ball in the attacking third. Darwin Núñez put the ball in the back of the net on a tap in in the 10th minute, but he was ruled offside.
Núñez forced another save in the 16th minute and missed a wide open net moments later after a nice pass from Ryan Gravenberch. Liverpool kept the pressure on as Salah's header was saved later in the half. A handball by Kostas Tsimikas just outside the box gave the visitors their first real chance of the match but the shot was high.
Núñez earned a corner kick in the 37th minute, but the resulting shot was high. Alisson forced a save in the 44th minute and that allowed Liverpool to strike on the counter attack seconds later. Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot was saved, but, Moris spilled the ball in the path of Gravenberch who sent the ball home for a 1-0 Liverpool lead. Ibrahima Konate cleared the ball off the line after Alisson was beaten just before the half to leave the score at 1-0.
Second Half
Union SG looked dangerous to start the second half. They earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 50th minute, but both chances were cleared from danger. Diogo Jota nearly doubled the lead in the 52nd minute, but Moris made another spectacular save.
Liverpool earned corners in the 56th and 57th minutes as the Reds kept pushing for a second goal. After a near miss by Gravenberch near the hour mark thanks to another Moris save, Jota missed the follow-up as it went wide. Union SG earned corners in the 66th minute, but they could not find the target.
The visitors earned two more corners in the 74th minute, forcing Alisson to punch away a dangerous-looking cross. Luis Diaz hit the post in the post in the 80th minute before Dominik Szoboszlai unleashed a shot from distance that sailed high. Curtis Jones had another near miss. Union SG earned a corner in the 90th minute. The backline came up with an important clearance.
Liverpool then put the game away in stoppage time as Diaz went to ground to slide a pass forward to a hard-charging Jota. Jota held off a defender and slotted the ball in the back of the net to seal 3 points for the Reds.
Tale Of The Tape
Just by looking at the stats, you would assume the scoreline would be much wider in Liverpool's favour. Liverpool outshot Union SG 19-6 (9-2 on goal) and controlled nearly 75 percent of possession. Union SG spent a lot of time at the corner flag, earning 11 for the game and Anthony Moris put on a show in between the pipes, making 7 saves.
Savouring The Starts
Ryan Gravenberch has made the most of his 3 starts in a Liverpool shirt. He garnered an assist each vs LASK and Leicester in addition to his goal today vs. Union SG. As a result, he becomes the first Liverpool player to record goal-involvement in each of their first 3 starts since Milan Baros in 2022.
“It's great, It feels super good,” Gravenberch told TNT Sports after the match. It was the best goal of my career so far. It doesn't matter how it comes. A goal is a goal.”
Jota's Red Card Rescinded
Diogo Jota certainly has a reason to celebrate. Not only did he score a stoppage time goal to assure his team 3 points, but the red card he received vs Tottenham was rescinded thanks to a 3-2 vote by an independent review panel. That means Jota should be available for Liverpool's next Premier League match at Brighton on October 8th. However, Curtis Jones' three-match ban was upheld.
LFC Globe Verdict
Even though the stats show that this was a comfortable 2-0 win for Liverpool, it was far from it. Often times the Reds' 1-0 lead felt tenuous at best. This was particularly true in the second half as Union SG continually kept earning corner kicks. I'm sure Liverpool supporters drew a big sigh of relief when Diogo Jota's stoppage-time goal found the back of the net to secure the victory.
Man Of The Match
Not only did Ryan Gravenberch open his Liverpool account with what would prove to be the game-winner, but he also had a couple of nice passes that could have resulted in an assist if not for the heroics of Union SG goalkeeper Anthony Moris.
What's Next
Liverpool travel to the seaside on Sunday, October 8th to face the Seagulls of Brighton. Kickoff is set for 14:00 BST
Goals
Liverpool
- Ryan Gravenberch 44'
- Diogo Jota 90+2'
Union SG
- None
Substitutes
Liverpool
- Luis Diaz for Darwin Núñez HT'
- Curtis Jones for Mohamed Salah HT'
- Alexis Mac Allister for Wataru Endo HT'
- Joe Gomez Trent Alexander-Arnold 63'
- Dominik Szoboszlai for Ryan Gravenberch 79'
Union SG
- Kevin Rodriguez for Gustaf Nilsson 67'
- Loic Lapoussin for Casper Terho 68'
- Noah Sadiki for Charles Vanhoutte 75'
- Mathias Rasmussen for Lazare Imani 75'
- Ross Sykes for Kevin Mac Allister 88'
