Jurgen Klopp has said that none of teams picked out of the hat in Liverpool's Champion League 'Group of Death' would have been pleased with the draw.
Liverpool take on Italian giants AC Milan on Merseyside in their opening Group B on Wednesday, while reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid face regular Portuguese title challengers Porto in the other game.
It certainly takes the honours as this season's toughest line-up of the opening stage, with only Group E - Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Dynamo Kiev and Benfica - running it close.
And while Klopp admitted it was an exciting prospect ahead, it would not have been the preferred choice of anyone involved.
“When we all saw the draw, I don’t think any of us thought it was a great group,” said Klopp. “It is a tough group. Atletico Madrid, wow. Porto, usually the champions in Portugal so a top team, and then AC Milan is one of the biggest teams in Europe, so it is proper Champions League.
“It is all abut getting enough points to get through that group and we better not waste time, starting tomorrow. It was a long time ago when we had a Champions League game at home.
“We have spoken a lot about European nights at Anfield and I cannot wait to experience it again.
“This group shows there are no games where people say: 'Do we really want to watch that?' This group will be exciting from the first second to the last second. I can't see any early decisions made in this group and it keeps us on our toes.”
There was disappointing news for those looking forward to seeing Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action at Anfield. The 39-year-old was ruled out the game due to an inflamed tendon picked up during his return to action from injury on Sunday.
Ibrahimovic, who turns 40 next month, scored for Milan in their 2-0 Serie A win against Lazio just seven minutes after coming on as a substitute at the San Siro.
“Zlatan would have been on the pitch from the start. But there was some inflammation in his tendon, which can happen after four months out,” Milan manager Stefano Pioli said.
Leeds 0 Liverpool 3: player ratings
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LEEDS PLAYER RATINGS: Illan Meslier - 5. The Frenchman was frequently left exposed by his defence. He tried manfully to keep Liverpool out but was overwhelmed. Getty -
Luke Ayling - 4. Struggled against Liverpool’s pace and movement. The full back tried to get forward but seemed caught in two minds at the back post and wasted a big chance. Getty -
Liam Cooper - 4. The Scot found it hard to cope and lost his man on a number of occasions. He made a number of blocks but was never comfortable. AFP -
Diego Llorente - 4. The Spaniard has been unlucky with injuries and limped off after 34 minutes to be replaced by Struijk. He lacked authority. Getty -
Junior Firpo - 4. The Dominican could not put the brakes on Salah and Alexander-Arnold. He remained static as attackers pinged the ball around him. EPA -
Kalvin Phillips - 5. The England midfielder played a magnificent ball to help set up an early chance for Rodrigo but was marginalised as Liverpool dominated the central areas. Getty -
Raphinha - 4. The Brazilian was isolated and could not impose himself on the game. When he did get the ball he seemed at cross-purposes with team-mates. Getty -
Stuart Dallas - 4. The Northern Irishman was back in midfield after covering at left back but looked out of sorts. He had little impact on the game. Getty -
Rodrigo - 4. The striker should have scored early in the match but shot straight at Alisson when in space in the area. He was ineffective afterwards and substituted at half time and replaced by Roberts. EPA -
Jack Harrison - 5. Leeds were unable to make use of the winger’s direct running. Too often he was forced back to help out the defence. Getty -
Patrick Bamford - 6. The striker showed some clever movement but lacked a clinical touch in the area. He almost scored when he stole the ball from Thiago and tried to chip Alisson from the centre circle. Getty -
SUB: Pascal Struijk - 3. Replaced Llorente nine minutes before the break. He made a remarkable last-gasp challenge to deny Salah a goal but was sent off for a challenge on Elliott that caused the youngster a terrible injury. AP -
SUB: Tyler Roberts - 4. Came on at half time for Rodrigo. He had a shooting opportunity in the box but curled a meek shot well wide. No obvious upgrade on the man he replaced. Reuters -
SUB: Daniel James - 4. The winger was introduced in the 68th minute to make his debut, replacing Harrison. The team were in trouble when he joined the game and the Welshman could not bail them out. -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 7. Most of the Brazilian’s saves were straightforward. He was forced to scramble by Bamford’s chip but had a largely comfortable afternoon. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7. The full back put together his usual selection of dangerous crosses and precise passes and presented the opening goal to Salah. He defended well when necessary. Reuters -
Joel Matip - 8. The centre back was so unconcerned with the attacking threat that he ranged upfield regularly. One of the excursions into the Leeds half led to the first goal. AP -
Virgil van Dijk - 7. The Dutchman was in control during a brief early spell of Leeds pressure, although he did lose Bamford once or twice. He was frustrated not to score from a free header. Getty -
Andrew Robertson - 7. The Scot took the sting out of Raphinha’s early threat and then turned his attention to getting forward. Leeds could not handle his attacking forays. Getty -
Fabinho - 8. The Brazilian dominated the midfield. He rarely made a mistake and crowned his performance with a goal. -
Harvey Elliott - 7. The 18-year-old suffered a dreadful injury after another promising performance. The youngster was about to be replaced when the unfortunate incident occurred. -
Thiago Alcantara - 8. An impressive display by the 30-year-old. His pass to Mane for the third goal was excellent. He was too casual when disposed by Bamford and that almost cost his team a goal but it was a rare blemish -
Sadio Mane - 7. It looked like a game where nothing was going to pay off for the Senegalese but he continued to work hard and cause the defence problems. He was rewarded with a late goal. Getty -
Diogo Jota - 7. The Portuguese was a constant source of trouble for the defence. He misdirected a cross behind Mane that should have resulted in a goal -
Mohamed Salah - 8. The Egyptian opened the scoring with his 100th Premier League goal. Yet another brilliant effort from the best striker in the Premier League. EPA -
SUB: Jordan Henderson – 7. Came on in the 63rd minute in the aftermath of Elliott’s injury. He was a calming influence and kept the passing game ticking over. -
SUB: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6. Given the last nine minutes when Jota was taken off. He did himself few favours with a couple of poor touches. The Englishman made one driving run but it went down a blind alley. Reuters SUB: Naby Keita - 6. Joined the action in stoppage time for Thiago. He had no time to make an impact on the game
“We hoped he could still play, and he tried, but he was in pain. It is pointless to take risks, this is an important match, but we have so many other matches after tomorrow.
“These unpredictable absences are part of the game, but we are prepared. I will choose between Ante Rebic and Olivier Giroud for who will start, we are covered. I am sorry for Zlatan, but he will be back soon.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, were mightily impressive in their 3-0 Premier League win at Leeds United on Sunday that saw Mohamed Salah score his 100th Premier League goal. But the victory was marred by a horrific injury to midfielder Harvey Elliott, who was left in agony after a challenge by Pascal Struijk that left the teenager with a dislocated ankle.
Struijk, 22, was shown a straight red card by referee Craig Pawson after VAR intervention for his second-half challenge although both sets of players and managers — as well as most pundits — agreed there was no malice in the incident.
Leeds confirmed their appeal against the decision on Tuesday and said they would not be making a statement until the outcome is known. Klopp confirmed that Elliott is set to undergo surgery.
“I spoke to him after the game and he was in the best possible place for that moment,” said Klopp. “He had already accepted it and knew he would be out for a while. Today he is in London and will probably have the surgery.
“Obviously that is the next step on the road back, so we all wait for news from that.”
