Liverpool 2-0 Bologna (Oct 2, 2024) Match analysis

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah assisted a goal before scoring his 49th in the Champions League in a 2-0 win over Italian club Bologna at Anfield on Wednesday, keeping Arne Slot's side perfect with their second win of the competition .

A rousing atmosphere greeted Slot and his players in their first game at Anfield in Europe's top competition after a year's absence. Slot's men had beaten AC Milan 3-1 away from home in their opening game, and Liverpool didn't disappoint: Alexis Mac Allister scored in the 11th minute when he met Salah's precise cross from close range.

Bologna made a game of it, however, and there was some relief at Anfield when Salah scored the winner in the 75th minute.

“(Salah) is a player who helps us a lot. Sometimes it looks like he's out of the game, but suddenly he has a perfect touch and puts the ball in the top corner. That is his quality, also his strength,” Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson said. “We’re lucky to have him.”

Mac Allister's first goal of the season came less than two minutes after Bologna's Thijs Dallinga sent the ball past Alisson, but his effort was disallowed for offside.

In the 17th minute of an entertaining evening, Liverpool were denied a second goal when Darwin Núñez sprinted from a pass and then calmly shot past Lukasz Skorupski, but the Uruguayan was ruled offside.

After narrowly missing out on several chances to score, Reds talisman Salah finally scored, touching the ball past Juan Miranda and then firing it like a rocket into the top corner.

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Shortly before his goal, 32-year-old Salah shot just wide and held his head in frustration.

While Liverpool dominated for most of the evening, Bologna were not without chances, recording 12 shots to Liverpool's nine. Dan Ndoye hit the post in the first half and seconds later Alisson had to dive to stop Kacper Urbanski's shot.

“They know very well how difficult it is, especially for boys who are experiencing such stages for the first time,” said Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano. “But once they got over the initial excitement, we played bravely.”

“The boys are starting to get used to these rhythms and they are performing great.”

The victory moved Liverpool to fifth place in the new 36-team league stage, with the top eight teams automatically qualifying for the round of 16. Bologna sit 26th with one point after opening with a 0-0 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk.

It was Slot's eighth win in nine games in all competitions since he replaced Jurgen Klopp. They currently top the Premier League table, one point ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal.

“It is clear that we are in transition. We’re happy with the ideas and we’re trying to get there,” Mac Allister said of his new boss. “There is room for improvement, so we work very hard every day.”

Liverpool – six-time Champions League winners, most recently in 2019 – will look to maintain their perfect record when they play at RB Leipzig on October 23, while Bologna host Aston Villa on October 22.