This was an unforgettable introduction for Arne Slot.
And if Slot’s first game in charge of Liverpool in the Champions League is anything to go by, then this European campaign is going to be one hell of a white knuckle ride. Liverpool played at a frenetic pace, they stormed back after going behind after just 167 seconds and then completely overwhelmed one of the great teams of European football.
This AC Milan side is a far cry from their glory days but this is still a remarkable result for Slot and lays down a marker for his reign. Every Liverpool manager is judged on European success such is the rich history of the six-time winners in this competition. His predecessor Jurgen Klopp won it and Rafa Benitez, the architect of the miracle of Istanbul, was a guest of honour in the San Siro.
Slot, who was celebrating his 46th birthday on Tuesday, is a relative rookie after managing just one season in the Champions League with his previous club Feyenoord. But this felt like a guaranteed way to win over the hearts and minds of the Liverpool faithful. The loyal bank of travelling fans up in the Gods of the crumbling San Siro had a night they will never forget.
The stadium is still one of European football’s most iconic venues and Liverpool rose to the occasion with a rampant, swashbuckling display which was every bit as loud as Klopp’s heavy metal football. Liverpool’s centre halves Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk powered in two close range headers from set pieces provided by full backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas.
The defence did most of the damage while Dominik Szoboszlai was also on target to provide the perfect answer for his manager who said the attacking midfielder must improve his numbers. Mo Salah could have had a hat trick on another night as he smashed the bar twice and was unplayable at times.
Liverpool were simply too fast, too strong and too good for AC Milan. If this is a taste of the new-look Champions League format then Liverpool are clearly going to relish the big occasions.
It did get off to a disastrous start for Liverpool. Alvaro Morata’s clever flick put in Christian Pulisic who was afforded acres of space because left back Tsimikas was out of position. Pulisic smashed a low shot into the bottom corner inside three minutes.
Ironically, Slot took some criticism for not rotating more after Liverpool’s home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. But Tsimikas came in for Andy Robertson and was caught out early on. Sometimes you can’t win.
But the really impressive thing about Liverpool’s performance was they never let their heads drop and immediately came back strongly to take control of the game. Liverpool were level after 23 minutes.
Milan captain Davide Calabria was booked for a foul. Alexander-Arnold’s sensational free kick caused chaos in the box and Konate’s header flew into the net.
The visitors then went ahead after 41 minutes. Tsimikas’ corner from the right swung in and there was van Dijk to power home from point blank range. It got worse for Milan as their keeper Mike Maignan went off injured and was replaced by 19-year-old rookie Lorenzo Torriani who was making his debut.
Liverpool got a third - and effectively made the game safe - after 67 minutes when Cody Gakpo led a charge, his pull back was then steered in by Szoboszlai who was another standout performer.
