But then, in the space of just three second-half minutes, the game was taken away. First, Curtis Jones delivered one of the passes of the season to set up a delightful chip from Luis Diaz, who would go on to net a hat-trick. Then, after a short delay because the assistant referee's flag had initially been raised, Cody Gakpo was confirmed as having added his name to the scoresheet.
From almost nowhere, two goals in three minutes. And this wasn't against a poor team, albeit one that had conceded 15 times before this match kicked off. Alonso's backline was looking watertight here until Jones' decisive contribution and Diaz's deft finish.
"I think we did OK in some parts but the game changed completely after those few minutes," Alonso admitted while speaking to Amazon Prime post-match. "If we managed 1-0 for 15-20 minutes and not straight to 2-0, we were alive and anything could happen."
The Spaniard was disappointed to concede twice in such a short period of time but it tells you everything you need to know about the attacking firepower of Liverpool — still missing Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa through injury, don't forget — that it was able to take advantage of even the smallest gaps.
In Europe, in particular, Liverpool has the ability to put on a short blast of intensity that no one can match, with the Leverkusen players looking a little shellshocked at the final whistle as they and Alonso applauded their traveling fans. If Liverpool can do that to the Bundesliga champion, it can do it to almost anyone — as it will hope to prove against Real Madrid next time out.
"They are really strong and in this competition, you need to be very decisive in the boxes and that's maybe where we lacked a little bit of power and consistency," Alonso said. "But anyway, we accept it, congratulate Liverpool, and move on."
Luis Diaz celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Bayer Leverkusen.
Luis Diaz celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Bayer Leverkusen.
It was clear to all who were watching, Alonso included, that the few minutes where Liverpool scored twice to make it 2-0 were decisive. Jurgen Klopp's team was capable of doing that, of course, and Arne Slot's it seems has it in its locker too.
As well as the more controlled and patient soccer that Liverpool has displayed this season, it still has the sucker-punch required to win the big games. Leverkusen simply couldn't cope.
"They are a very complete team," Alonso said. "Between attack and defense, they work a lot, all 11 players. They are powerful in the boxes and that is very important in the Champions League — with not that much, they score four goals. That is a big strength in the Champions League — and in the Premier League, let's see."
As Alonso seemed to be hinting at, why couldn't Liverpool lift one of the biggest trophies in soccer this season? Slot's first in England it might be, but Alonso and Rafa Benitez won the Champions League in their first back in 2005 and this is a vastly more complete roster of players in terms of quality and depth.
With attacking firepower as strong as what Liverpool has, even the best sides around won't be able to match it when the Anfield crowd comes to the fore like this. If, as Alonso says, being "powerful" in both boxes is what wins Champions League and Premier League titles, then the Reds should have at least as much of a chance as anyone else does.
0 Comments