Joel Matip heads late winner as Liverpool labour to victory over Ajax

Defender Joel Matip was the unlikely catalyst to get Liverpool’s Champions League campaign back on track as his 89th-minute header secured a laboured 2-1 win over Ajax.

After last week’s 4-1 horror show – as Jurgen Klopp called it – against Napoli their manager wanted a performance of more substance than style.

But, after Mohamed Salah’s first goal in eight European games had put them ahead, more defensive frailties allowed Mohammed Kudus, the striker who was seemingly on his way to Everton before team-mate Antony was sold to Manchester United, to equalise.

Pure passion. pic.twitter.com/iDUUrxZWd1

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 13, 2022

A laboured second half, which included a personnel and formation change, failed to produce any genuine threat until Matip rose highest at a corner and his header crossed the line despite the best efforts of Dusan Tadic.

It was the stroke of good fortune the Reds were in desperate need of as, although second-half substitute Darwin Nunez made an impact, the game appeared to be heading towards a frustrating draw until the tall centre-back’s late intervention.

Out of respect following the death of the Queen Liverpool did not play ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ pre-match, with the opening bar sounding before being cut off to allow fans to sing unaccompanied.

The period of silence in memory of the Queen was broken briefly by one fan in the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand chanting ‘Liverpool, Liverpool’, although he was quickly shouted down by those around him, while a couple of fans in the Kop appeared to boo, but not with any conviction and it persuaded Portuguese referee Artur Dias to end the minute prematurely.

Klopp had spoken about the need for his side to reinvent themselves after Naples, but his