Liverpool’s defence of their European crown got off to the worst possible start, as they were beaten 2-0 by Napoli.
In the last 11 months, the Reds have taken on the men from Naples three times. They won’t have faced most Premier League teams as often in that period; based on how the matches have gone, that’s perhaps just as well. One thing has been made clear in all three games though: don’t leave early.
At the Stadio San Paolo last season, Napoli had three clear-cut chances in the final eight minutes, with Lorenzo Insigne prodding home the last one in the 90th minute to secure the win. The return match at Anfield saw a total of six big chances – four for the home side, two for the visitors – which were all in the last 13 minutes of the match as it became frantic and stretched.
The CCC count was 3-0 in Napoli’s favour last night, with two of them again in the last eight minutes (plus stoppage time), just as they were in 2018/19. Liverpool have only conceded three-or-more clear cut chances eight times in their 61 matches in all competitions since the start of last season, yet Napoli are responsible for two of the examples.
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