Liverpool 2-0 Union SG: Reds secure consecutive victory in Europa League

Liverpool secures a 2-0 victory against Union SG in the UEFA Europa League, maintaining their top position in Group E.

Liverpool faced Union SG in their latest UEFA Europa League match, aiming to bounce back from a controversial defeat against Spurs in the Premier League. The game took place at Anfield, where Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory to maintain their position at the top of Group E.

The match saw goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota, allowing Liverpool to secure their second consecutive win in the Europa League. With six points from two matches, the Reds solidified their position as group leaders. Meanwhile, Union SG remained in third place with only one point from their two matches against Liverpool.

The match featured an interesting dynamic between the Mac Allister brothers. While Alexis Mac Allister started on the bench for Liverpool, his brother Kevin, on loan from Boca Juniors, featured in Union SG's likely back five. Additionally, German striker Eckert made a return from injury and was included among the substitutes for Union SG. He has been in impressive form this season, scoring seven goals in eight appearances. Nilsson led the front line for Union SG, while goalkeeper Moris captained the away side.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp made significant changes to the starting XI compared to their previous matches. Five changes were made from their win over LASK, and nine changes were made compared to their loss against Tottenham. Alisson was selected in goal, replacing the injured Caoimhin Kelleher. Alexander-Arnold made his first European start of the season, and young defender Quansah was given an opportunity to impress. Cody Gakpo was sidelined due to an injury sustained in the Spurs game. The front three for Liverpool consisted of Salah, Nunez, and Jota.

Liverpool had an early chance to take the lead through Mohammad Salah, but the Egyptian forward failed to beat Moris with a low strike from 10 yards. However, Liverpool's persistence paid off just before halftime. Alexander-Arnold's shot from 20 yards forced Moris to spill the ball, allowing Gravenberch to tap it in from close range. This goal marked Gravenberch's first for the club and put Liverpool 1-0 ahead.

In the second half, Liverpool continued to push forward and came close to scoring on multiple occasions. However, solid goalkeeping and poor decision-making in the final third prevented either side from finding the back of the net until the added time of the second half. It was then that Jota scored from a counter-attack, doubling Liverpool's lead and securing the 2-0 victory.

The starting lineups for both teams were as follows:

Liverpool: Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas; Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota.

Union SG: Anthony Moris; Alessio Castro-Montes, Kevin Mac Allister, Christian Burgess, Koki Machida, Casper Terho; Lazare Amani, Charles Vanhoutte, Cameron Pue.