In the early morning of September 22, Beijing time, the first round of the group stage of the 2023/24 Europa League season kicked off, and the Reds Liverpool beat Austrian team Linz 3-1 away to get the opener. Flack's goal gave the home side a 1-0 first-half lead, but Liverpool came to power in the second half with three goals from Núñez, Luis Dias and Salah to help the Reds play triumphant away from home.
In this campaign, Klopp sent a number of substitutes in the starting line-up, with Salah, Sobosroy, McAllister, Alisson, Robertson and Gakpo all on the bench. In the first half, Liverpool played chaotic on the pitch, while Linz broke the deadlock with a tactical corner kick in the 14th minute and Flake's Super World Wave from outside the box knocked off Kelleher's fingers. In the first half, Linz led 1-0.
At the start of the second half, Liverpool began to take control of the pitch, and in the 56th minute, Luis Dias made a point, and Nunez took the penalty to equalize the score. Seven minutes later, new signing Grafenbech crossed low and Luis Dias scored to overtake the score. In the 88th minute, Núñez provided an assist with a broken ball in front, and substitute Salah dangled the ball past the defender in the box to seal a 3-1 victory.
It was Liverpool's second consecutive comeback win, both of which were 1-0 down in the first half and scored three goals in a row in the second half. In the fifth round of the Premier League last time, they away to Wolves, Hwang Hee-chan's goal gave the home side a 1-0 half-time lead, but Gakpo and Robertson scored two goals in the second half, and Hugo Bueno made his own goal in the first minute of injury time, and Liverpool won three points from 3-1 away.
It is worth mentioning that Liverpool's two consecutive games with the same score are enough for fans to relish, but there is another Premier League team that has copied their operation, that is, the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. Manchester City hosted Red Star Belgrade in the first round of the Champions League group stage in midweek, and in the first half they hit 22 shots without a hit, only to be blessed by a counterattack. However, Alvarez stepped up in the second half and his goal helped City win the game, while Rodri's brilliant shot helped City seal a 3-1 victory.
In the last round of the Premier League, Manchester City also played the same drama as Liverpool. Facing Hammers West Ham United, Wardprows' goal put Manchester City 1-0 down at half-time, but they fought back in the second half, Doku's first goal equalised, Alvarez assisted in the B-seat pick to score the game, and Haaland's goal in the 86th minute gave Manchester City a 3-1 victory over their opponents to win their fifth consecutive Premier League victory.
The scores are exactly the same for two consecutive games, and one has to sigh that Manchester City and Liverpool are indeed great opponents. Both teams have been among the best performers in the Premier League over the past seven seasons. Manchester City have won the Premier League five times and lifted the European treble last season. Liverpool, on the other hand, have won the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, League Cup, FA Cup and Community Shield, achieving a club-level Grand Slam. In fact, if it weren't for Liverpool's victory over Manchester City in 2019/20, Pep Guardiola's side would have achieved an unprecedented sixth consecutive Premier League title.
As the two world-class managers in world football today, the fighting style of Guardiola and Klopp is the most beautiful scenery in the Premier League. The love and killing of the two also made fans and the media relish. This season, Manchester City continue to compete for the title in the third tier, while Liverpool, who have not qualified for the Champions League, will focus mainly on the Premier League, and the two teams will inevitably have a battle at home.