No Virgil van Dijk? No downside for Liverpool as Fabinho helps guarantee clear sheet in Champions League victory over Ajax

Liverpool began life with out Virgil van Dijk in promising vogue by shutting out Ajax and beating the Dutch membership 1-Zero of their Champions League opener.

The Reds look set to be with out their talismanic defender for a lot of the season at the very least following Jordan Pickford’s terrible deal with on Saturday, however his absence didn’t show too pricey in Amsterdam.

Joel Matip, Alisson, and Thiago weren’t obtainable both, however Liverpool nonetheless overcame the Eredivisie champions because of an unpleasant own-goal by Nicolas Tagliafico.

The Ajax defender acquired his ft in a horrible mess and turned Sadio Mane’s scuffed shot into his personal web within the 35th minute.

It wasn’t basic Liverpool and after the aim, which got here in opposition to the run of play, it was all the way down to the Reds’ makeshift again 5 to maintain a clear sheet – they usually did.

Adrian answered his critics by making quite a few essential saves, whereas Fabinho stepped into Van Dijk’s footwear in emphatic vogue, making an unimaginable goalline clearance alongside different huge defensive interventions.

It was his efficiency which is able to give Klopp essentially the most satisfaction with Van Dijk set for such a prolonged lay-off.

Jurgen Klopp was even afforded the luxurious of taking off Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino to make sure no extra damage blows because the Reds acquired a implausible consequence away from dwelling.

Their exhausting work was nearly undone, nevertheless, within the dying moments as Jurgen Ekkelenkamp fired over following Adrian’s failure to say a cross.