Liverpool put one foot in Champions League group stages

Hoffenheim 1 Liverpool 2

It was the 90th minute when Liverpool switched off at a set-piece for the first time against Hoffenheim. Benjamin Hubner was unmarked and met Nadiem Amiri’s free-kick with a thumping header six yards out. Not again? Not this time. Hubner headed over and Liverpool, once the relief subsided, found themselves within touching distance of the Champions League group stage. Youthful exuberance and experience had proved a potent mix for Jürgen Klopp’s team.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, the 18-year-old right-back born a stone's throw from Melwood, swept Liverpool into a precious lead in the play-off first leg with a stunning debut goal for his boyhood club on his European bow. James Milner, older than the opposition coach, Julian Nagelsmann, looked to have, in effect, secured progress with a deflected second only for Mark Uth to set up a fraught, tense finale with a late reply. Thanks to Hubner's miss and Simon Mignolet's first-half penalty save, however, Liverpool secured a valuable advantage in Germany.

Hoffenheim started with a confidence and adventure befitting their 30-year-old coach but an end-product was beyond them, much to Liverpool’s relief. It was a captivating, fast-flowing opening to such an important tie.

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Nagelsmann exuded calm in the buildup to his club’s debut in European football, chatting off-camera to several journalists before conducting pre-match interviews and waving to familiar faces in the crowd. Merely 10 years after turning professional Hoffenheim were intent on savouring their arrival in Uefa competition. Their coach was relaxed, the home crowd in the 30,000-capacity stadium were in fine voice and their players were positive under pressure and when seeking to release a three-man forward line at the earliest opportunity.

They were given every encouragement by a frail Liverpool defence – with the notable exception of the goalkeeper – but a lack of quality and composure in front of goal cost the Bundesliga side dear.

With some inevitability Klopp ignored calls for a defensive reorganisation following Saturday’s all too familiar display at Watford.

Alberto Moreno retained his place ahead of Milner at left-back as the team that started the Premier League campaign were charged with edging Liverpool towards the lucrative group stage of the Champions League for only the second time in eight seasons. Again, however, the selection of Moreno offered greater hope to Liverpool’s opponents than his team-mates.

The Spanish left-back was easily beaten twice inside the first six minutes and indebted to Joël Matip for a vital clearance with the former Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry poised to convert Andrej Kramaric’s cross to the back post. A misplaced header from Moreno presented Hoffenheim with another break and this time Dejan Lovren intervened.

Hoffenheim controlled the early exchanges and were awarded a soft penalty when Gnabry nutmegged Lovren having cut in from the right – Moreno’s flank – and went down under a slight touch from the Croatian defender. Klopp raged at the officials but could have saved his energy with the benefit of hindsight. Kramaric took a short run-up to the spot-kick and placed it weakly to Mignolet’s left. The Liverpool goalkeeper barely had to extend himself to make an invaluable save. They had a reprieve.

Within seconds the Hoffenheim captain, Kevin Vogt, over-committed himself on the halfway line and invited Mohamed Salah to play a swift one-two with Roberto Firmino to sprint clear. Liverpool’s record signing raced through but with only the goalkeeper Oliver Baumann to beat and under pressure from the recovering Vogt, he shot wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Pavel Kaderabek, unmarked at the back post, sliced over from one of several inviting crosses off the left foot of Kerem Demirbay. Lukas Rupp had a shot blocked and Mignolet saved crucially again when Gnabry escaped behind the Liverpool defence and volleyed from close range. Steven Wagner put the rebound wide. Another escape.

By that point Liverpool had the lead and a precious away goal. Ermin Bicakcic was booked for dragging down the dangerous Sadio Mané at least 25 yards from goal. Emre Can and Moreno lined up their options at the free-kick only for Alexander-Arnold to emerge through the pack and sweep a superb finish over the wall and into Baumann’s bottom left-hand corner. The Hoffenheim goalkeeper was rooted to the spot, stunned, along with everyone else.

Mané was Liverpool’s most potent forward throughout. He glided past Bicakcic twice at the start of the second half to set up an excellent chance for Firmino, who was given a rousing reception on his return to Hoffenheim, but the Brazilian was unable to beat Baumann at close range. The ball cannoned off the keeper, struck a defender in the face and deflected out for a Liverpool corner. Moments later Mané beat Bicakcic again and forced the home keeper into a low save. The Hoffenheim defender was then substituted – unsurprisingly.

In fairness to Liverpool’s defenders –but not Moreno, who routinely failed to track his runner – they improved significantly after the interval. Not even a series of well-taken Hoffenheim corners disrupted Liverpool’s solidity and they sealed victory when showing the contrast in experience between the two teams. Baumann had saved from Salah and Lovren in quick succession as carelessness crept into the home side’s passing game.

But they did not escape when the substitute Nadiem Amiri raged at the referee over the award of a free-kick, turning his back on Georginio Wijnaldum in the process. Wijnaldum played the free-kick unhindered to Firmino, who pierced the Hoffenheim defence with a superb ball out to Milner on the left. The Liverpool substitute crossed with his right foot and a slight deflection off the chest of Havard Nordtveit, the former West Ham United defender, sent the ball sailing over Baumann and inside his far post.

Uth reduced the arrears when Lovren played the Hoffenheim substitute onside in the 87th minute and the striker finally ended Mignolet’s resistance with a fine low finish. Advantage Liverpool.

(Guardian service)