Napoli’s new boy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the star of the show as he helped his team comfortably dispatch a dismal Liverpool side in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were second best from the first minute as they fell to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
The Serie A side got off to the perfect start after James Milner was penalised for handball inside the penalty area in the fifth minute, Piotr Zielinski converted the resulting spot kick.
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It could have been two inside twenty minutes after Virgil van Dijk fouled Victor Osimhen in the 18 yard box, however, Osimhen saw his penalty saved by Alisson Becker.
Goals from Andre Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone made it 3-0 before the half time whistle.
In the second half, Napoli made it 4-0 as Zielinksi got his second goal of the night. Luis Diaz restored a small fraction of pride for the visitors as he scored to make it 4-1.
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Napoli were better than Liverpool all over the pitch, but it was Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia who was the stand out player.
The winger was signed by Napoli from Dinamo Batumi this summer for a reported fee of €10 million and he ripped apart Liverpool’s defence. You can watch the best bits from his incredible performance below.
Trent Alexander Arnold and Joe Gomez were not their usual selves but Kvaratskhelia tormented them every time he had the ball.
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The 21-year-old had a hand in all three goals in the first half as he often pressured Gomez into a mistake, he also showed fantastic footwork in the middle of the park as he left Fabinho on the floor not once, but twice in quick succession.
Kvaratskhelia has taken no time to become a fans’ favourite in Naples, and has been dubbed the ‘Georgian Messi’ by many who have been mesmerised by his talents. He is for sure one of the bargains of the summer that could help Napoli surprise a few in the Champions League this season.
After such a damning defeat, Liverpool boss Klopp admitted after the match that his players have to ‘reinvent’ themselves.
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He said on BT Sports: “We need to reinvent ourselves.
“There are a lot of things lacking, not in all games but the fun thing is we have to do it in the middle of the Premier League season and a Champions League campaign. We need a set-up to be better in pretty much everything.”
Next up for Liverpool is a Premier League clash against Wolves at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
Topics: Napoli, Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, Champions League
Marcus Chan