Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen Review
Liverpool’s perseverance paid off as they triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen with a score of 4-0 in the UEFA Champions League, marking their 14th consecutive match without a loss against German teams. Xabi Alonso received a warm reception before the match began, and the action only heated up after referee Danny Makkelie signaled the start. Both Victor Boniface and Cody Gakpo were unable to challenge the goalkeepers with their early shots. Granit Xhaka and Trent Alexander-Arnold then attempted more threatening shots, but the imposing figures of Virgil van Dijk and Jonathan Tah were there to block them.
The first half passed with little significant action in front of the goals, but there was a burst of activity just before halftime. Díaz drew a foul from Xhaka near the edge of Leverkusen’s penalty area, but Alexander-Arnold’s resulting free-kick was deflected off-target by the wall. Mohamed Salah and Gakpo created some promising chances but were thwarted by Lukas Hradecky. In between those efforts, Jeremie Frimpong struck the ball powerfully past Caoimhín Kelleher, but the goal was ruled out as the Dutchman had handled the ball earlier in the play.
After the break, Leverkusen continued to challenge their opponents until Ryan Gravenberch maneuvered through the defense to set up Salah, whose weak shot went wide. Shortly after, Díaz was much more effective, receiving a perfectly-timed pass from Jones and skillfully lifting the ball over Hradecky. After waiting 61 minutes for Liverpool’s first goal, they scored again just two minutes later when Gakpo headed in Salah’s cross, having been kept onside by Piero Hincapié.
Díaz then embellished the scoreline for Liverpool in the final moments of the match. The Colombian managed to fend off Jonas Hofmann to receive Salah’s cross and score, and then took advantage of Hincapié’s deflection of Darwin Núñez’s shot, which landed at his feet, to secure his hat-trick. This victory marked Liverpool’s 14th win in 16 matches under Arne Slot, maintaining a flawless record in the UCL that currently places them at the top of the table, while Leverkusen has not won in their last two European games.
