Liverpool vs Bologna LIVE: Champions League result and reaction after Mac Allister and Salah on target
Arne Slot’s side look to build on their impressive 3-1 win over AC Milan at the San Siro in their European opener
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Liverpool secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Bologna at Anfield, to continue their flawless start to the 2024/25 Champions League season.
Alexis Mac Allister struck after just 11 minutes, with Mohamed Salah adding another in the second half to put the game beyond Bologna.
The Reds began their European campaign in an impressive manner, easily beating AC Milan 3-1 at the San Siro in what will be one of their most difficult fixtures of the competition’s new league phase.
However, with teams including Real Madrid and German champions Bayer Leverkusen to come, Arne Slot has already secured a crucial three points in his first European night at Anfield.
Bologna have lost both a manager and some key players since qualifying for the competition last season, and they currently languishing in 13th place in Serie A with just seven points, having drawn their opening Champions League match 0-0 with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Follow all the latest build-up, team news and updates below, as well as the reaction to the evening’s other Champions League matches:
Liverpool fans boo Champions League anthem
The teams are out, the Champions League anthem has been played, and the match is about to get underway.
Some sections of the Liverpool crowd booed the Champions League anthem.
Liverpool vs Bologna
You’ll Never Walk Alone is being played and sung around the ground and the players are about to emerge from the tunnel.
Liverpool vs Bologna
The match will get underway in just 10 minutes’ time so here are some photos from around the ground as the atmosphere heats up:
What Slot has said
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arne Slot said that he sees “things we have to improve if we want to stay where we are”.
“Every fixture is difficult in the Premier League and we have to do things better. But one of the reasons we can stay up there is we have a lot of quality.
He went on to add that Liverpool “cannot accept mediocrity” and need to show “the highest standards every day”.
On Bologna, he said: “We know how difficult it is to play against a team that man mark.
“We don’t underestimate them at all because that is not what they deserve after their finish last season.”
He finished by adding that he is hoping for “a special night for everyone involved”.
Liverpool match stats
Bologna will be Liverpool’s 10th different Italian opponent in European competition, after Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma, Genoa, Milan, Fiorentina, Napoli, Udinese, and Atalanta.
The Reds have lost three of their last five at home to Italian sides (W2).
Liverpool have won each of their last 10 group or league stage games at Anfield in major European competitions.
They have scored two or more goals in their last nine in a row. Their last defeat was to an Italian side – they lost 0-2 to Atalanta in November 2020.
The Reds also lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the quarter-finals of the Europa League last season.
Mohamed Salah could become the first Liverpool player to score in five consecutive home games in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League. He has scored in all four of his appearances at Anfield in his previous season in this competition (four goals in 2022/23).
Arne Slot’s perfectionism will be defining factor of Liverpool’s Champions League campaign
As Arne Slot looked forward to his first European night at Anfield, Alexis Mac Allister harked back to his Champions League bow. Which was all of two weeks ago. As the Liverpool midfielder noted, it is remarkable he had won the World Cup before even playing in the premier club competition. “For some people it was a surprise I won a World Cup but I made my debut against [AC] Milan in the Champions League so it is quite crazy,” the Argentina international said.
But, swift as Mac Allister’s rise was, it was nonetheless a sign of Liverpool’s enduring appeal that they could recruit him when in the Europa League. Slot was in the Champions League last season but, while Jurgen Klopp is a Champions League winner and four-time finalist, his predecessor was not.
The Dutchman nevertheless has particular reasons to relish Bologna’s visit to Anfield. “I am privileged enough to work at Feyenoord where Champions League nights last season were also really special. People tell me it will be even more special here tomorrow,” he said.
Slot’s perfectionism will be defining factor of Liverpool’s Champions League campaign
The Liverpool boss says he ‘cannot accept mediocrity’ from his players
Liverpool v Bologna head-to-head
These two sides have never previously met in a competitive fixture.
The Reds currently sit 12th in the Champions League’s new league phase table, though they have played a game less than many teams. In the Premier League, Slot’s side sit top of the league with 15 points, one above both Arsenal and Manchester City.
Bologna are seven-time winners of Serie A and finished fourth last season, though they are struggling in 13th this season, with just seven points. They have lost several key personnel since last season, including manager Thiago Motta (who moved to Juventus) and Manchester United signing Joshua Zirkzee.
The unintended effect of the new Champions League - and why Liverpool can benefit
Heading into the first few weeks of the new Premier League season, one of the most frequent questions aimed Arne Slot’s way was that of rotation. At Feyenoord, he candidly explained, there was little reason to switch up his first team too much; fewer league games, one fewer domestic cup to navigate and more difficulty in reaching the latter stages of Europe. His final campaign at the Eredivisie side saw Slot’s team play only 48 matches - and that included the Johan Cruyff Shield, the Dutch season-opener, and going the distance to win the KNVB Cup.
A few weeks later and the new Liverpool boss has shown a deft hand at altering his lineup without, so far, dramatically reducing the quality on show; while the performance against West Ham was somewhat stutteringafter nine changes, so too was the win over Wolves with a regular first XI in place.
League Cup aside, Slot has shown an early preference for making a couple of switches, keeping the bulk of his starters in situ and letting others find form and push for places two or three at a time. Cody Gakpowas perhaps the first to stake his claim; more recently, Curtis Jones has done likewise.
The unintended effect of the new Champions League - and why Liverpool can benefit
The Reds are top of the Premier League at this early stage and could quickly look sorted in Europe too
Liverpool team news
Liverpool made one change, with Darwin Nunez starting against Bologna and Diogo Jota on the bench.
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Salah, Robertson, Gravenberch, Alexander-Arnold
Subs: Jaros, Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Jones, Gakpo, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton, Bradley, Nyoni
Team news
The line-ups will be announced in just under 10 minutes, but here’s a reminder of the early team news.
The Reds have Alisson back and have three potential absentees as a result. Harvey Elliott is definitely out, while Federico Chiesa has suffered a muscular injury that could rule him out until the international break. Darwin Nunez, who missed the weekend game through illness, is the other doubt.
Lewis Ferguson, Oussama El Azzouzi and Tommaso Pobega are the three likely absentees for Bologna.
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