Late Joel Matip Winner vs Ajax Gives Liverpool Champions League Lift Off

Joel Matip's 89th minute header kickstarted Liverpool's season as a 2-1 win over Ajax at Anfield put the Reds back in the running to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Jurgen Klopp's men had won just two of their opening seven games of the season, and suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Napoli on matchday one. Last season's Champions League finalists were much more like their old selves but still needed a late winner from an unlikely source after Mohammed Kudus had cancelled out Mohamed Salah's opener.

Victory takes Liverpool level on three points with Ajax and Napoli, who travel to Rangers in the other game in Group A on Wednesday.

"If you put the two games next to each other, I don't think you recognise the same squad," Klopp said of his side's improvement from six days ago in southern Italy.

The match was preceded with a minute's silence to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Liverpool fans had booed the national anthem before winning both domestic cup finals last season, but any fears of a mass political protest were dispelled with only small band of individuals interrupting the moment of reflection.

On the field, Liverpool have had enough bad headlines to cope with so far this season.

Klopp described their demolition by Napoli last week as the worst performance of his nearly seven years in charge.

A record-equalling defeat in the Champions League for Liverpool compounded an already poor start to the Premier League season.

But with Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota restored to the starting line-up after injuries, Liverpool were a far closer reflection of the side that came to within two games of a historic quadruple last season.

"It's the first step but nothing more," added Klopp, whose side are