Salah penalty maintains Liverpool's winning run in victory at Girona

GIRONA, Spain :Liverpool maintained their 100 per cent record in this season's Champions League with a 1-0 win at Girona on Tuesday, the only goal of the game coming from Mohamed Salah's second-half penalty.

A sixth win from six keeps Liverpool top of the league phase standings on 18 points, five ahead of Inter Milan who are in action at Bayer Leverkusen later on Tuesday, while Girona remain on three points in 30th place.

Girona suffered their fifth defeat of the competition but made Liverpool work for the victory and in the opening half had chances to take the lead but were foiled by the visitors' keeper Alisson.

Liverpool struggled against a side happy to sit back and soak up the pressure and break on the counter-attack, but found the breakthrough from the penalty spot with Salah converting in the 63rd minute after Luis Diaz was fouled.

Girona were pinned back in the opening minutes by Liverpool's pressure, with the visitors creating two early chances.

Defender Joe Gomez was denied his first goal for Liverpool by a reaction save from Paulo Gazzaniga from a close-range header, with the keeper also saving a shot from Darwin Nunez minutes later.

Girona, with every player behind the ball, were happy to break on the counter-attack and Liverpool keeper Alisson, making his first appearance since early October after a hamstring injury, was soon called into action.

Daley Blind completely missed a cross on the edge of the six-yard box but the ball fell to Alejandro Frances and Alisson held his effort at the second attempt, and later punched away a shot from Miguel Gutierrez.

Nunez had another effort saved when put through by Salah and Girona responded with a shot from outside the area by Yaser Asprilla which Alisson parried away for a