The English media was largely disappointed with Liverpool’s performance, as they went down 1-0 to Napoli in the Champions League last night.
The Reds didn’t manage a single shot on target before Lorenzo Insigne’s late winner, with the Guardian calling them “uncharacteristically subdued, error‑strewn and on the back foot throughout”.
The English media was largely disappointed with Liverpool’s performance, as they went down 1-0 to Napoli in the Champions League last night.
The Reds didn’t manage a single shot on target before Lorenzo Insigne’s late winner, with the Guardian calling them “uncharacteristically subdued, error‑strewn and on the back foot throughout”.
The match report notes “the San Paolo may be crumbling in places but remains an atmospheric arena that can test seasoned Champions League travellers”, concluding “there could be no complaints” about the result.
The Times went further, describing “a performance devoid of their customary pizzazz and bereft of any quality” and stating “the only surprise was that it took until the 90th minute for their shortcomings to be exposed by Lorenzo Insigne”.
“This was a wretched performance and a deserving outcome that merits criticism because of Liverpool’s improvidence in possession, particularly from the midfield,” the Independent declared, describing Insigne as “like a dragon fly, flitting about here, there and everywhere”.
The Daily Mail admitted “had Liverpool escaped from this emotional venue with a point, it would only have been down to luck. Napoli were superb, dominating Klopp's team to such an extent that Liverpool failed to register a shot on target in the Champions League for the first time since February 2006”.
The Daily Mirror called it “a shotless, hapless, deserved defeat” for the Reds, who “didn't truly record an attack worthy of the name, and only escaped a hammering because of some timid finishing from the Italians”.