Liverpool lost 2-1 at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, but the three stars showed they can still have a big impact on the Reds’ season.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League ahead of their trip to Belgium and the midfielder could rest his biggest stars ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United. He fielded Liverpool’s youngest European team, which showed that they couldn’t create chances and the chances were endless.Klopp is said to be disappointed with some of his senior players, but few have spoken as highly of him, including goalscorer Jarell Quanza.
The academy graduate’s impressive performance will have shown his worth, although two other positives from a lackluster evening.
The 20-year-old was let down by an unconvincing performance after conceding a controversial penalty against Crystal Palace last weekend. Liverpool had little to cheer about in the first half, but the young centre-back temporarily transformed into an experienced striker and headed home a corner.
His first goal for United should not detract from his calm and composed approach to possession and some decent catches and tackles in the second half. Another good technical performance means Cuanza could have more Premier League games in the future. It’s hard to praise a goalkeeper who made a mistake on the first goal.
Kelleher should have done better when Mohamed Amoura tried to put the ball around him. He touched the ball, but not enough to prevent the Algerian goal. Before kick-off, the Irishman made two excellent saves to keep USG at bay and deftly managed his own penalty area when faced with a corner kick.
The scoreline could have been worse had he not shown heroics in the second half to deny Amura.
The French talent looked set to replace Joe Gomez after scoring in the first half. Konate was pushed into the back four and unassisted, but was called into action early with a number of takedowns and blocks.
Crucially for Klopp, he had the injured centre-back out for a crucial moment. Konate’s presence will be very important in the upcoming winter season. The game is fast approaching and will be a point in their defense of the top spot in the Premier League.
