Napoli beat Liverpool at the San Paolo for the second season running, as a Dries Mertens penalty and Fernando Llorente strike stunned the Champions League holders.
2019/2020 UEFA Champions League
2-0
Group Standings
Match Report
Dries Mertens and Fernando Llorente struck late to earn Napoli a 2-0 win at home to holders Liverpool in the first game of the Reds' Champions League defence.
Carlo Ancelotti's men won the corresponding fixture last term with Mertens' spot-kick and Llorente's injury-time goal enough to ensure history was repeated in the Group E clash at the Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday.
Andy Robertson was deemed to have tripped Jose Callejon in the box and, after VAR ratified the penalty decision, Mertens squeezed his penalty past Adrian in the 82nd minute.
Liverpool rode their luck in reaching the knockout rounds in 2018-19 and Jurgen Klopp's men will again have to bounce back from an away loss to Napoli this year after Llorente's first goal for the club sealed all three points.
Match Events
7' Disallowed! Lozano scores but the goal is offside
BRILLIANT DOUBLE SAVE BY ADRIAN! Ruiz fires his shot first time from the edge of the box and Adrian gets down well at his near post to parry it away. Ruiz gets another go which the keeper saves again. Lozano then latches onto the loose ball and nods it into the back of the net but he was offside.
44' CHANCE! Firmino's header inches wide!
FIRMINO COMES CLOSE! The corner for Liverpool is whipped into a good area of the box and Firmino reacts quickest to get on the end of it. He makes good contact with the header but he can only send it wide of the post.
49' SAVE! Fine stop from world-class Adrian
EXCELLENT SAVE BY ADRIAN! Napoli work the ball upfield brilliantly and switch play out to Insigne on the left wing. He chips a cross into the far post first time and picks out Mertens whose close-range shot is tipped over by Adrian.
82' Penalty Goal! Napoli 1-0 Liverpool (Mertens)
MERTENS SCORES! It's a confident run up to the spot and he fires his penalty towards the bottom left corner. Adrian does get a hand to it, but the contact isn't enough to stop it from finding the back of the net. 1-0 Napoli!
92' Goal! Napoli 2-0 Liverpool (Llorente)
LLORENTE DOUBLES NAPOLI'S LEAD! It's a poor back pass from Van Dijk which Llorente latches onto in the box and he hits his shot first time. Adrian tries to spread himself, but the shot goes over his leg and into the bottom left corner. 2-0 Napoli!
Player Ratings
