Prior to kick-off, a draw in Seville might have seemed like an okay result for Liverpool.
After all, this was – on paper, at least – the toughest of all their Champions League group matches. There’d be no shame in taking a point here and, provided the other group game between Maribor and Spartak Moscow didn’t go their way, finishing the qualification job off at Anfield in a couple of weeks.
The scores did finish level in the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, but few connected with Liverpool came away from it feeling anything but disappointment.
At half-time, Liverpool were coasting: 3-0 up, with Roberto Firmino (two) and Sadio Mane capitalising on some lacklustre defending from the La Liga side. Not only were Liverpool set to qualify, they were poised to do so as group winners.
This, though, was not to be. Two goals from Wissam Ben Yedder brought the score to 3-2 and, deep into stoppage time, Sevilla found an equaliser from Guido Pizarro.
This was a real punch in the guts for Jürgen Klopp’s men, who will now have to make sure they see off Spartak Moscow at Anfield to make certain of a space in the knock out stages.
The reaction of Mo Salah, who had been substituted with three minutes of regulation time to play, said it all. Footage of the Egyptian, watching on from the Liverpool bench, has been widely circulated across social media after it started doing the rounds on Thursday.
Mo Salah’s reaction to Sevilla equalising in the 93rd minute… pic.twitter.com/I5kDErvln4
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) November 23, 2017
