Liverpool remain unbeaten in the Europa League after kicking off the group phase with a victory over Swiss outfit Young Boys.
The Merseyside club secured three points in Group A with a thrilling 5-3 win over their opponents in Switzerland this evening.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers put his trust in an inexperienced side, who were able to deliver the goods for the Northern Irishman on the night.
Here, Sports Mole has analysed the 90 minutes of action from Bern.
Match statistics:
Young Boys:
Shots: 10
On target: 6
Possession: 50%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 8
Liverpool:
Shots: 10
On target: 7
Possession: 50%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
In the end, yes. The whole game was end-to-end but Liverpool's early display and comfort in possession edged their performance as a whole, which rendered them worthy of the victory. While Brendan Rodgers's side made some fatal defensive errors in the second half, the Reds showed more promise in attack than their Swiss counterparts.
Young Boys' performance
Largely inconsistent. While Martin Rueda's side managed to take the roar from the home crowd to spur them on in the second half, they were unable to impose themselves in the second 45 minutes. Aside from Gonzalo Zarate's individual bit of skill to find the back of the net, the majority of their goals came from Liverpool mistakes.
Liverpool's performance
As the statistics show, the Reds performed similarly to their Swiss opponents. While they started off the brighter side in the first half and committed some impressive short and swift passing movements, individual errors and some inexperience allowed Young Boys to get back into the match in the second half.
Sports Mole's man of the match
This is a tough decision but the emergence of Jonjo Shelvey in the second half gave Liverpool some composure in the middle of the field. The former Charlton Athletic youngster took control of the game and also scored two quality goals to give the Reds the lead and secure victory.
Biggest gaffe
Well, there were a few mistakes to choose from but Juhani Ojala's own goal in the first three minutes of the clash is one that the Young Boys player will not want to watch again. A Liverpool attack came from Stewart Downing on the left, who crossed the ball into the box, which Christoph Spycher tried to clear but fluffed the ball, which hit Ojala on the head and into the back of his own net.
Referee's performance
Greek referee Michael Koukoulakis had a positive game this evening after denying two penalty claims from Young Boys duo Zarate and Bobadilla. Both incidents were clearly shown via video replays that it would have been unjust to award a spot kick.
What next?
Young Boys: The Swiss outfit go up against Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, who drew 1-1 with Udinese this evening, on October 4 and Young Boys will be hoping to get their first points on the board when they travel to Russia.
Liverpool: The Reds take on Italian side Udinese in a fortnight in a bid to stay at the top of the group. Rodgers will call on the Liverpool fans to create another famous European night when they welcome the Italians to Anfield.
Danielle Joynson
