• Mohammed Kudus cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s opener for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
• Joel Matip’s 89th-minute header was the difference between the two sides.
• Liverpool will play Rangers on Wednesday for third place in Group A.

Liverpool’s season was launched by Joel Matip’s 89th-minute header against Ajax at Anfield, which gave the Reds a 2-1 victory and put them back in contention to advance to the Champions League round of 16.

Matip’s late header wins it for the Reds 🙌#LIVAJA | #UCL pic.twitter.com/7l2lIMjCMK

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 13, 2022

Only two of their first seven games of the season had been victories for Jurgen Klopp’s team, who lost 4-1 to Napoli on matchday one.

After Mohammed Kudus had cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s opening goal, the Champions League champions from the previous season were much more like their old selves, but they still needed a late winner from an unlikely source.

With a win, Liverpool will tie Ajax and Napoli for third place in Group A, who will play at Rangers on Wednesday.

A minute of silence was observed before the game in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.

The national song was booed by Liverpool supporters before to winning both domestic cup finals last season, but any worries of a large-scale political protest were allayed when just a small group of people interrupted the moment of reflection.

Liverpool has dealt with enough negative press this season on the field.

The team’s destruction in southern Italy last week, according to Klopp, was their worst performance in his nearly seven years as manager.

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An already subpar start to the Premier League season was made worse by Liverpool’s record-equaling Champions League loss.

However, with Matip, Thiago Alcantara, and Diogo Jota back in the lineup following injuries, Liverpool was a much more accurate representation of the team that came within two games of a historic quadruple last season.

Jota’s participation cost Darwin Nunez a starting spot, forcing Liverpool’s new 80 million euro acquisition to make do with the bench for a second straight contest.

The international player from Portugal, however, more than justified his selection when he seized on Luis Diaz’s header and set up Salah to score his first goal in four games.

Ajax’s equaliser, though, was made possible by Klopp’s team’s weaknesses on defence, which have plagued them throughout the early part of the season.

Steven Berguis broke down Ajax’s left, and Kudus turned onto his cross before smashing a shot off the underside of the bar. Trent Alexander-Arnold once again failed to follow a runner.

After that setback, Liverpool bounced back positively, but for more than an hour, they were unable to capitalise on their dominance.

In the Ajax goal, Remko Pasveer did not need to work miracles to stop shots from Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Jota either side of halftime.

Nunez and Roberto Firmino were introduced for the final 30 minutes as Klopp threw caution to the wind with a front four that also included Salah and Diaz.

That choice almost backfired since Ajax came within millimetres of eliminating the hosts on the counterattack, leaving their Champions League chances in jeopardy.

Daley Blind’s header just missed the target while it was being cheered by supporters of his previous team, Manchester United.

Nunez’s Liverpool career hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts as he was sent off for headbutting Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen on his home debut.

Eight minutes from time, the Uruguayan missed a golden opportunity to silence the naysayers as he strayed wide with Pasveer the only man left to beat.

Later, when his risky low cross was diverted just out of Diaz’s reach, Nunez came close to making amends.

After Salah’s attempt was deflected and struck the woodwork, it seemed Liverpool’s luck had run out when they scored from the ensuing corner.

Kostas Tsimikas’ corner was met by Matip, who rose to meet it, and the ball had crossed the line before Dusan Tadic cleared it.

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