Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory over Internazionale to put a troubled week, in which coach Arne Slot refused to say whether Mohamed Salah had a future at the club, behind them.
Victory, courtesy of a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty, moved Liverpool up to eighth in the Uefa Champions League Elite table before Wednesday's round of matches.
Ibrahima Konate had a goal ruled out in the first half after Virgil van Dijk’s flick-on was penalised for coming off the arm of Hugo Ekitike.
Lautaro Martinez was a standout for Inter and looked most likely to make something happen, but the Reds kept probing, and it was Szoboszlai who converted from the penalty spot after Florian Wirtz went down in the box following a pull from Alessandro Bastoni.
“It’s a huge result. We knew we had to come to a really tough place. We had to show fight, we had to show determination. The clean sheet was crucial,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said after the game.
Tuesday’s clash was the first since Salah’s outburst after his omission from Saturday's Premier League game at Leeds United, the third consecutive game the Egyptian had been left out by Slot.
The 33-year-old did not travel with the squad to Italy, with Slot telling reporters before the match he had "no clue" whether Salah had played his last match for the Reds.
“For me, he’s one of the greatest players to ever play for this club. We’ve been through so many highs, so many lows. I love playing with Mo Salah, I hope to be able to continue playing with him,” Robertson added.
For Inter, it was a first Champions League defeat at the San Siro for three years.
Inter Milan player ratings
Yann Sommer -6/10: Saved the shots that he would have been expected to make, with many of Liverpool’s efforts coming directly at him before the penalty.
Alessandro Bastoni - 5/10: Prevented what would have been a certain goal when clearing Andy Robertson’s cross. Penalised for a pull on Florian Wirtz, which saw Liverpool awarded a penalty, which ultimately cost his side the game.
Francesco Acerbi - 4/10: Isolated against Hugo Ekitike in the 28th minute and brought off after sustaining an injury while trying to make a challenge on him.
Manuel Akanji - 5/10: Gave the ball away too much when transitioning the ball out from the back, and was lucky that Alexander Isak didn’t take advantage of one early chance.
Federico DiMarco - 6/10: Chose his moments to stretch the play down the left flank, but could have been more accurate with his crosses.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 7/10: Set the tone with pressing in midfield and didn’t shy away from challenges. Difficult to pick up when drifting centrally, while he also looked to drive with the ball when gaps opened up between defenders.
Hakan Calhanoglu - N/A: Replaced after just 11 minutes due to injury, but was able to walk off the pitch unaided.
Nicolo Barella - 7/10: Came close in the first half with a curling free-kick that had Alisson at full stretch. Played an excellent pass to Martinez in the second half for Inter’s best chance.
Luis Henrique - 5/10: Tried to be positive in possession, but rarely had a chance to get at Liverpool’s defence.
Marcus Thuram - 5/10: Worked hard and made direct runs to stretch Liverpool’s defence, but sometimes wasn’t on the same page as his teammates.
Lautaro Martinez - 7/10: Inter’s most threatening player. Difficult to pick up with his impressive movement, and he was unlucky not to score with a header. Booked for a reckless challenge on Robertson.
Substitutes
Piotr Zielinski (Calhanoglu, 11’) - 6/10: Helped transition the ball through a narrow Liverpool midfield, won fouls and battled well in a sometimes scrappy affair. Flashed his effort over the bar in the first half.
Yann Bisseck (Acerbi, 29’) - 6/10: Drove forward when gaps opened up and didn’t allow any space for attackers to get past him.
Ange-Yoan Bonny (Thuram, 83’) - N/R: On for Thuram but soon saw his side go 1-0 down. Enjoyed a physical battle against Konate.
Carlos Augusto (DiMarco, 83’) - N/R: Rarely involved as Inter struggled to make any meaningful chances late on.
Petar Sucic (Mkhitaryan, 83’) - N/R: Kept things simple but didn’t have enough time to make an impact on the game.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson Becker - 7/10: Commanded his box well throughout the match and kept Liverpool in the game at key moments, including a key save against Lautaro Martinez just before half time.
Andrew Robertson - 7/10: Always looked to play forwards, delivered aggressive balls into Inter’s box, and fared well against the tricky Luis Henrique.
Virgil van Dijk - 7/10: No nonsense from Liverpool’s skipper. Always in the right position to block efforts at goal and sweep up attacks. Unlucky not to pick up an assist after his flick on to Konate.
Ibrahima Konate - 7/10: Unfortunate to see his goal disallowed after the flick on hit the hand of Ekitike. Most importantly for Konate, he made no big errors on the night.
Joe Gomez - 6/10: Assured at the back and crossed the ball early when the opportunity presented itself, but his best one wasn’t attacked by Liverpool’s forwards.
Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10: Kept the play ticking for Liverpool in midfield, skipped past challenges, and broke up play. The conductor.
Dominik Szoboszlai - 7/10: Stood out for his defensive work, quickly closing down opponents to disrupt buildup, before dispatching the penalty with conviction.
Curtis Jones - 7/10: Tidy in possession, neatly drifting past opponents and threading plays together in an impressive partnership alongside Gravenberch. Forced a save from Yann Sommer in the first half. Rarely gave the ball away.
Alexis Mac Allister - 6/10: Had some positive moments keeping possession, but miscued too frequently when trying to play forwards.
Hugo Ekitike - 7/10: One of Liverpool’s brightest on the night, Ekitike linked play well and troubled Inter defenders when isolating them. Made a big chance for Conor Bradley in the 80th minute.
Alexander Isak - 5/10: Could have been better at holding the ball up. Made bright runs in behind, but wasn’t threatening enough with his efforts at goal.
Substitutes
Florian Wirtz (Isak, 67’) - 7/10: Won the decisive penalty after feeling a pull on his shirt from Bastoni, which VAR eventually awarded.
Conor Bradley (Gomez, 67’) - 6/10: Almost registered an assist immediately after coming on with a pass to Ekitike, who saw his effort blocked.
