Liverpool's difficult start to the season continues with 4-1 Champions League hammering away to Napoli

By Matias Grez, CNN

Updated 1104 GMT (1904 HKT) September 8, 2022

Liverpool reached the Champions League final last season.

(CNN)From a Liverpool perspective, the biggest positive to take from the team's humiliating 4-1 defeat to Napoli is at least it was only four.

The red shirts were carved open time and time again, particularly in the first half, and only some wayward finishing — including a missed penalty from Napoli striker Victor Oshimen — kept the scoreline to a semi-respectable 3-0 at half time.An early penalty from Piotr Zieliński after a James Milner handball set the tone for the match, as wave after wave of blue shirts descended on Alisson's goal.Trent Alexander-Arnold — who has endured a particularly torrid start to the season — and Joe Gomez were caught out on numerous occasions in the first half, before André-Frank Zambo Anguissa finally got Napoli's second, slotting the ball past Alisson after a smart exchange with Zielinski.Then just before the break, Champions League debutant Giovanni Simeone, who had come on as a substitute for Oshimen, was gifted an easy tap-in after being found completely unmarked in front of goal by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.Read MoreSimeone — son of Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone — scores his side's third goal.If Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had hoped the half-time break would allow his team a chance to regroup and come out fighting in the second half, he was sorely mistaken.Within two minutes of the restart, Napoli had made it 4-0 as Zielinkski got his second, prodding home the rebound after Alisson had saved his initial effort.It was almost too much for Klopp to bear, as he pulled his cap down from his head to cover his eyes from the horror he was watching.Liverpool did get one