Darwin Núñez’s first-half strike handed Liverpool a crucial win on Matchday 3 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, as Arne Slot’s side battled to claim all three points against a resilient RB Leipzig side.
The Uruguayan slotted home against the run of play just before the half-hour mark rolled around, and despite a flurry of chances for both sides throughout the remainder of the match, his goal was the sole decider when Sandro Schärer blew for full-time.
Liverpool travel to face Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with back-to-back matches against Brighton coming before they return to UCL action on November 5 against Bayer Leverkusen.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs it happened
Liverpool found themselves under pressure early on in Germany against a remarkably young RB Leipzig side, with Amadou Haidara darting down the right flank before tucking a ball in for Xavi Simons. The Dutchman connected, but his first touch let him down as he blasted over the crossbar from the edge of the box.
It’d be the first of many chances for the hosts, with Simons looking to make amends for his early miss as he picked out Benjamin Šeško with a fine cross after cutting inside from the left. The forward, previously linked with a move to Liverpool, couldn’t beat Caoimhin Kelleher with his headed effort, however.
The quarter-hour mark would present yet another opportunity for Haidara to open his goalscoring tally for the season after a quiet start to the campaign, forcing Liverpool’s deputy goalkeeper into action once more with a low strike from the edge of the area.
Wednesday’s hosts were almost gifted the lead soon after through a blunder from the Republic of Ireland shotstopper, whose headed clearance fell perfectly for Šeško to latch onto on the left. The Slovenian looked to curl into an open goal from the touchline, though his attempt agonisingly floated a foot or two wide of the far post.
Loïs Openda looked to have finally broken the deadlock as he picked out the top corner following a through ball from António Nusa, only to be flagged offside as he wheeled away to celebrate.
But the first goal would come moments later at the other end, with Darwin Núñez taking the credit as he poked Mohamed Salah’s header over the line with 27 minutes on the clock. Alexis Mac Allister’s cross was nodded back across the face of goal by the Egyptian, allowing Núñez to prod home from six inches or so out.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe visitors were certainly left aggrieved soon after, with Núñez sprinting into the box after being granted a new lease of life following his opener. The Uruguayan was hacked down by Willi Orban inside the bow, with both the referee and the VAR failing to award a penalty.
That lead could have been doubled after the break, with a loose ball inside the Leipzig box allowing Núñez to pick out Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman looked destined to score, only for Peter Gulacsi to slide in and parry away the danger.
A flurry of chances shortly after the hour mark looked to spark action at both ends of the pitch, with Núñez once again testing Gulacsi before Openda saw his effort deflected wide of the far post before the offside flag was raised.
Liverpool came close to adding to their advantage when Mac Allister rattled the crossbar from range, though it would be RB Leipzig that mustered the better opportunities when Kelleher was called upon to deny Šeško’s low effort that was bound for the bottom corner.
Kelleher had barely been granted reprieve before he was thrust into action once more, shoving Xavi Simons’ curling effort behind for another corner after the initial set-piece delivery had permitted the Dutchman to weave through a disjointed Liverpool defence.
After wholesale changes for both teams, RB Leipzig looked to have finally restored parity when, with 83 minutes on the matchday clock, Openda tapped Benjamin Henrichs’ cross over the line from close range. The Belgian forward had strayed offside, and could barely believe his luck as he was denied once more.
Five minutes of additional time would afford the hosts one further chance to salvage a point in front of their home support – though that would be inexplicably squandered as Openda opted to square for Yussuf Poulsen rather than taking on the shot himself.
The result leaves Liverpool sitting second in the UCL league phase table, trailing Aston Villa on goal difference but sitting two points clear of Manchester City.
The lineups
RBL: Gulacsi; Henrichs, Lukeba, Orban, Geertruida; Simons, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Openda, Šeșko
LIV: Kelleher; Tsimikas, van Dijk, Konaté, Alexander-Arnold; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Gakpo, Szoboszlai, Salah; Núñez
