Liverpool defy Salah crisis by beating Inter Milan in Champions League

Liverpool bounced back from a damaging row with Mohamed Salah by beating Inter Milan 1-0 on Tuesday and kicking their Champions League campaign back into life.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty gave the Reds a huge win at the San Siro in the absence of Egypt star Salah, who was left in England after publicly criticising manager Arne Slot at the weekend.

Liverpool fans loudly chanted Slot’s name at the end of a largely drab match which was decided by Felix Zwayer’s decision to give the English champions a perfect chance to snatch the points.

Inter’s players were enraged at the awarding of the spot-kick for a light shirt tug by Alessandro Bastoni on Florian Wirtz, but it gave Slot a happy end to a troubled few days.

The closest either team came to scoring before then was when Ibrahima Konate had his close-range header ruled out, after a lengthy VAR check, for a Hugo Ekitike handball in the 37th minute.

Top eight 

Tuesday’s win puts Liverpool on 12 points from six games and inside the top eight positions which offer direct qualification for the last 16, ahead of Wednesday’s fixtures.

Inter, meanwhile, are fifth on the same tally but have lost their last two European fixtures and created nearly nothing against an injury-hit Liverpool who were missing not just rebel star Salah but also unfit Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo.

Last season 16 points was enough to skip the play-offs and Cristian Chivu’s team are by no means guaranteed that as they host Arsenal before travelling to Borussia Dortmund in their final two league phase fixtures.

And another defeat in a big game means dropping out of the top eight is a real prospect.

Liverpool’s trip to Milan has been dominated by Salah’s extraordinary criticism of Slot, who on Monday admitted that he had “no clue” as to whether the rebel attacker had played his last game for the Reds.

Salah sparked a firestorm when he said he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and no longer had a relationship with Slot after being left on the bench for Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds, the third match in a row for which he has been relegated to the role of substitute.

His outburst led to Saudi Arabia saying on Tuesday it will do “whatever it can” to recruit the 33-year-old in January, even though he signed a new contract in April.

Liverpool had won just four times in 15 matches in all competitions coming into Tuesday’s match but Inter failed to pile any early pressure on their opponents.

Inter didn’t have their first shot of any description until the 37th minute while Liverpool, who were nowhere near their best, had good attempts from Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch before Konate’s header was eventually ruled out.

That woke up both Inter and a strangely flat home crowd of nearly 74,000 and Lautaro Martinez ended up wasting the best chance of the first half when he headed Alessandro Bastoni’s cross straight at Alisson Becker.

But the second half was a total flop and as the minutes passed, it became clear that a stalemate was fine for both teams until Szoboszlai rifled home his winning penalty.

Kounde double helps Barcelona claim Frankfurt comeback win

Unlikely goalscoring hero Jules Kounde bagged two headers to help Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League and bolster the club’s chances of a top-eight league phase finish.

Ansgar Knauff sent the visitors into a surprise lead but French defender Kounde’s brace early in the second half put last season’s semi-finalists in control.

In the club’s first Champions League match back at Camp Nou since 2022, they gained revenge against a Frankfurt side who humiliated them in the Europa League in that same year.

The Bundesliga team packed the Camp Nou with their own fans and knocked Barca out of that competition at one of their lowest ebbs under Xavi Hernandez.

With a domestic treble and a run to the final four of the Champions League, Xavi’s successor Hansi Flick has changed the mood around Barca, but this season the team have struggled at times.

Defeats by Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain left Barca in a difficult position in Europe, but by beating Frankfurt they are still hopeful of avoiding the play-off round.

“We wanted to start at the Camp Nou with a win, it was a tricky game,” Pedri told Movistar.

“We came back in the end, got the three points and we’re happy.”

Barcelona made tickets harder for Frankfurt fans to obtain this time around by delaying their sale, and beyond a small number of visiting supporters who appeared to be ejected from home areas, there was little trouble.

Barcelona controlled the opening period, pinning the visitors, who lost 6-0 against RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, back in their own territory.

Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.

Despite their dominant start, the Catalans fell behind after 21 minutes, caught out by a rapid Frankfurt counter-attack.

Lamine Yamal dribbled into trouble and Nathaniel Brown surged forward from the back before dropping a ball in behind Barca’s high defensive line for Knauff to charge on to.

Gerard Martin tried and failed to intercept it with a flick of the leg and the German striker held off Alejandro Balde before finishing neatly.

Frankfurt defenders scrambled to block a Fermin Lopez effort, as Barca struggled to create clear openings.

Teenage star Yamal could not find a way past Brown in one of his more erratic outings for Barca.

Ellyes Skhiri slammed a shot just over the bar as Frankfurt missed a good chance to extend their lead before half-time, and it came to cost them.

Rashford impact 

Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second half and were helped by the introduction of on-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.

The England international teed up Raphinha, who blazed over, before whipping in a cross for Kounde to head home in the 50th minute.

The French defender, who has particularly struggled this season, was Barcelona’s hero against Frankfurt as he grabbed his second of the night three minutes later.

Yamal slung in a high, looping cross which Kounde nodded back across goal and it dropped in at the far post.

“Kounde is a guy who works a lot, he deserves these goals,” added Pedri.

“I think he wasn’t trying to score with the second goal but I’ll ask him.”

Unable to procure a third goal to kill off the game, Barca had to sweat through the final stages but Frankfurt did not come close to finding an equaliser.

The win left Barca 14th in the table, two points behind Liverpool in eighth, while Frankfurt are down in 30th.

De Ketelaere inspires Atalanta fightback to beat Chelsea

Charles De Ketelaere inspired Atalanta’s stirring fightback to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League as the Blues’ winless run extended to four matches on Tuesday.

Joao Pedro’s first-ever Champions League goal put Chelsea ahead in the first half in Bergamo.

But the Blues lost their momentum after the interval and former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca grabbed the equaliser before De Ketelaere, who provided the assist for Atalanta’s leveller, capped his influential display with the late winner.

Chelsea found it impossible to subdue Belgium forward De Ketelaere, who has six goals and seven assists in his last 12 Champions League appearances.

Since their memorable 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League on November 25, Chelsea have gone four matches without a victory in all competitions.

Enzo Maresca’s 11th-placed side have 10 points from six league phase games and their bid for a top eight finish — which guarantees automatic qualification for the last 16 — is now on a knife-edge.

Chelsea’s last two matches are in January at home against Pafos and away to Napoli.

Third-placed Atalanta have enjoyed wins over Club Brugge, Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt and Chelsea this season as they chase a last 16 berth.

Maresca made five changes from Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth in the Premier League, with Cole Palmer rested after his return last weekend from a two-month injury absence.

There was no place for Chelsea’s emerging teenage star Estevao, who has three Champions League goals this season and starred against Barcelona.

Lethargic Chelsea 

Maresca’s reshuffled line-up nearly fell behind inside five minutes when Ademola Lookman weaved into the area for a cross that deflected off Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez before it was hacked to safety.

Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm early on and when Enzo Fernandez worked a sight of goal, the midfielder blazed wildly over.

Lookman was a thorn in Chelsea’s side and it took a last-ditch block from Josh Acheampong to deny the former Everton winger, with the rebound curled just over by Marten de Roon.

Acheampong roared and clenched his fists in celebration of his goal-saving intervention.

And Chelsea made the most of that escape to take the lead in the 25th minute.

When Joao Pedro deftly slotted in Reece James’ cross from four yards, the goal was initially disallowed for offside before a VAR check ruled in favour of the Chelsea forward.

It was only Joao Pedro’s third goal for Chelsea in his last 16 games in all competitions.

James should have doubled Chelsea’s lead when he smashed just wide from the edge of the area early in the second half.

It was a crucial miss and Atalanta made James pay as they drew level in the 55th minute.

De Ketelaere’s cross to the far post caught Chelsea’s defenders flat-footed and Scamacca made a perfectly timed run to head home from close range.

Scamacca almost punished Chelsea’s sloppy marking again moments later with a glancing header that Sanchez saved at full stretch.

Maresca responded to Chelsea’s lethargy by sending on Alejandro Garnacho, who forced an immediate save from Marco Carnesecchi.

But Chelsea were creaking at the back and De Ketelaere snatched the winner in the 83rd minute, advancing unchecked to the edge of the area for a powerful strike that deflected in off Marc Cucurella.

Karl and Gnabry spark Bayern to comeback win over Sporting

Revitalised striker Serge Gnabry and teenage forward Lennart Karl helped inspire Bayern Munich to a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday.

With Bayern trailing to a Joshua Kimmich own-goal midway through the second half and staring down the barrel of a second-successive European loss, Gnabry and Karl scored in quick succession to wrestle the match in Bayern’s favour.

Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points and rose to second in the league phase standings, behind Arsenal on goal difference.

“The first 10 minutes of the second half weren’t very good, but we stayed calm,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told DAZN.

“We have done our job well so far and we want to see it through to the end.”

The top 24 sides make it through to the knockout rounds, with the top eight qualifying for the last 16 directly.

Karl became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games, beating the record previously held by Kylian Mbappe.

“To be in the Champions League at the age of 17 is something very, very special for me,” Karl told DAZN. “I’m proud of myself — and of the team.”

Despite the loss, the Portuguese champions sit ninth in the 36-team table with two games remaining.

– Seven changes for Bayern –

Kompany made seven changes to his starting XI, recalling Harry Kane, Gnabry, Karl, Manuel Neuer and Tah who were rested on Saturday against Stuttgart with Sporting’s visit in mind.

Bayern have scored more goals than any other club in Europe’s top-five leagues this season and went agonisingly close several times in the opening half.

Karl’s fifth-minute goal was ruled out for offside and Kane hit the post on the half-hour mark. Kane, Karl and Gnabry all forced Sporting goalkeeper Rui Silva into acrobatic stops before the break.

Sporting’s best chance in the opening half came when Geny Catamo put in a cross which Tah almost guided into his own net, forcing Neuer into a reflex save.

Some more Bayern friendly fire put Sporting in front early in the second period, with Neuer this time helpless as Kimmich deflected a Joao Simoes cross in with 54 minutes gone.

The goal jolted Bayern into gear and the German champions soon struck back to take the lead with two goals in four minutes.

Unmarked at the back post, Gnabry tapped in a Michael Olise corner to level things up. Karl latched onto a Konrad Laimer pass before blasting in on the turn from a tight angle.

With 13 minutes remaining, Kimmich and Tah made good on their defensive errors by combining for Bayern’s third, with a little help from Gnabry.

Kimmich looped in a dipping cross to Gnabry, who headed centrally for Tah to poke home.

With three minutes remaining, Kompany withdrew Gnabry and brought Alphonso Davies onto the pitch, the Canada captain playing his first match since tearing his ACL in March.

dwi/nf

UEFA Champions League league phase, matchday six results on Tuesday:

In Astana

Kairat Almaty (KAZ) 0 Olympiacos (GRE) 1 (Martins 73)

In Munich, Germany

Bayern Munich (GER) 3 (Gnabry 65, Karl 69, Tah 77) Sporting Lisbon (POR) 1 (Kimmich 54-og)

In Milan, Italy

Inter Milan (ITA) 0 Liverpool (ENG) 1 (Szoboszlai 88-pen)

In Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona (ESP) 2 (Kounde 50, 53) Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) 1 (Knauff 21)

In Bergamo, Italy

Atalanta (ITA) 2 (Scamacca 55, De Ketelaere 83) Chelsea (ENG) 1 (Joao Pedro 25)

In London

Tottenham (ENG) 3 (Zima 26-og, Kudus 50-pen, Simons 79-pen) Slavia Prague (CZE) 0

In Eindhoven, Netherlands

PSV Eindhoven (NED) 2 (Til 10, Pepi 85) Atletico Madrid (ESP) 3 (Alvarez 37, Hancko 52, Sorloth 56)

In Monaco

Monaco (FRA) 1 (Balogun 68) Galatasaray (TUR) 0

In Brussels

Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) 2 (Khalaili 5, 71) Marseille (FRA) 3 (Paixao 15, Greenwood 41, 58)

Playing Wednesday (2000 GMT unless stated)

In Villarreal, Spain

Villarreal (ESP) v Copenhagen (DEN) (1745)

In Baku

Qarabag (AZE) v Ajax (NED) (1745)

In Dortmund, Germany

Borussia Dortmund (GER) v Bodo/Glimt (NOR)

In Leverkusen, Germany

Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Newcastle (ENG)

In Lisbon

Benfica (POR) v Napoli (ITA)

In Turin, Italy

Juventus (ITA) v Pafos (CYP)

In Bruges, Belgium

Club Brugge (BEL) v Arsenal (ENG)

In Bilbao, Spain

Athletic Bilbao (ESP) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

In Madrid

Real Madrid (ESP) v Manchester City (ENG)

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