ᑕ❶ᑐ Liverpool 2-0 Rangers: Ibrox side due to appear in Champions League

In the opening minute at Anfield, John Lundstram, a Scouser in blue, went for a statement tackle, a moment to show his hosts that Rangers were in town and nothing in the next 90 minutes was going to be easy for Liverpool.

At 2-0, Giovanni van Bronckhorst jumped onto his bench and had a few moments. Rabbi Matondo saw a clear shot away from his line by Kostas Tsimikas. In the aftermath, Antonio Colak had an effort saved by Alisson. The wonder was that Alisson was aware of the danger. He literally had nothing to do until then, with seven minutes to go. The fact that the gap between the teams was only two but was remarkable.

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This late Ranger rally was the kind of force they needed from the get-go, a difference revealed by the cavalry coming off the bench. If you are completely dominant in the game, Liverpool must fall asleep an attendant that Rangers are active. That was part of it too.

But the rangers will make the endgame interesting, but they were denied that crumb. Three matches and three defeats in the group now, nine goals conceded and none scored. There’s definitely a ‘be careful what you wish for’ element to the Champions League, especially when you’re thrown into a group as ruthless as the one Rangers find themselves in. Nobody said it was going to be chosen other than wildly difficult. It’s actually harder than that.

‘Rangers throw rope to help hosts climb to victory’

So much about their performance had to be perfect to survive and so little was. The fear has always been that Liverpool will find themselves after poor performances of late, that they will get out of the rut they have been in for too long.

That’s exactly what they did, but the reality is that the Rangers threw a rope to help them get out of there. Wasting in possession and constantly inviting Liverpool to them with their errant passing and inferior physique and complete lack of threat for a joyless 83 minutes; without the excellence of Allan McGregor, it would have been brutal – or more brutal.

McGregor, in his 41st year, produced one of the most, if not the most, remarkable goalkeeping performances in his club’s history in the Champions League. You know you have a cause at Liverpool and once you have a problem when you have to match the theory in the balance between you and McGregor you have to save the frustration on your face from your team to your home when you meet the colossus between the truncheons.

He saved from Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah, then saved from Nunez one more time, then disowned Luis Diaz, then got the better of Nunez again and again. Some stops were quite simple, others were very impressive. It all came in the first half. The way Rangers came to the break trailing only by a free-kick was a McGregor-inspired miracle.

Nunez turned away in something approaching disbelief after one of his saves. At the start of the second half, McGregor made a terrific intervention of the subject of Jota’s fingers and now it was the Portuguese who looked at the Scot in confusion and perhaps admiration. It was still only 1-0 and it was ridiculous.

When Salah got up for his penalty you half expect McGregor to save him, a huge leap into the right corner to ward off a thunderbolt, a low dive to his right to fend off a daisy cutter, Salah on her knees wondering what on earth is going on. It didn’t have to be, but it was fair enough. A second but from Liverpool was the least they deserved. The only problem of their night was that two was not five and six.

Can we blame Rangers for losing to Liverpool?

In fact, yes. There is a money chasm as wide as the Mersey between these two clubs and a quality gap twice as wide, but Rangers have never presented themselves with enough intention, aggression and bravery in their game. they worked hard enough? Not all did. Malik Tillman might want to review his performance more than most. Time and again, his retreating work rate to resist the red tide was nowhere near enough.

Did they look like a team that thought they could make a game out of it? They showed little or none of it, until the end. James Tavernier and Borna Barisic looked terrified to go ahead for fear of what might happen if Liverpool thwart them. Rangers exist in the game. That’s all. Beyond McGregor, few had anything to remember that with.

Liverpool regain their magic touch

Liverpool have regained some of their mojo. Given that every aspect of their game has been under the microscope since the start of the season, it would have been understandable if Liverpool initially appeared in white lab coats rather than their famous red tops. This is a team that has been the subject of in-depth analysis, everyone offers a theory on what the patients are suffering from.

Not rocket science, really. An obvious drop in intensity, the quality that propelled them to European greatness only a few years ago. A flimsy defensive figure in Trent Alexander-Arnold who goes AWOL down the right flank and all sorts of attackers hitting the space he gave up. Good players making bad mistakes, men who were feats of strength in seasons past, reduced to anxious vulnerabilities peppered with mistakes.

Klopp was desperate to thunder authority to his team and he did so by changing the system. His favorite 4-3-3, a formation he rarely strays from, came out, and went into a 4-2-3-1. Everything is wanted by the Rangers judge according to Salah, Jota, Nunez and Diaz and I found a way to get the grace of my movement and energy.

From the moment Alexander-Arnold scored, it looked like there were 13 Liverpool men and nine or 10 Rangers players. Pushing visitors into distraction and attacking in motion blur, we felt like counting the number of red shirts. Were there really only 11?

Rangers will face a new team next week. At Ibrox they might not earn the points, but they have to at least make life difficult for Liverpool. Another night of tickling the bellies of their illustrious opponents would be met with a ruthless response from the home crowd.

The Champions League group stage party is halfway through. It’s a deeply unforgiving place, but it’s time for the Rangers to arrive.