Liverpool won it late against Ajax but it wasn’t a good night for Premier League counterparts Tottenham Hotspur.
Jurgen Klopp breathed a sigh of as Joel Matip headed home late to earn his side their first win of the new Champions League season.
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“I think if we put the two games next to each other you would not recognise it as the same squad. Braver, more ready, everything was better.
“I think the story of the game is kind of typical. We played a lot of good stuff against a strong side, full of confidence, absolutely convinced by how they play, and we caused them a lot of problems.
“We are 1-0 up and we concede with the first chance of the opponent. That is what I mean by typical. A proper setback. The reaction was OK [but] the pressing was not as convincing as before.
“That is what we tried to do in the second half. It was clear we had to keep trying to play football. We did that really well.
“Sometimes you have to wait a bit longer. It was a set-piece but I don’t think that was a surprise. The face of Joel showed exactly how we all felt.”
Spurs were stunned in Portugal as Sporting substitutes Paulinho and Arthur Gomes struck in the final few minutes to see the home side win 2-0.