In the Zone: How Liverpool passed Milan into submission

They may have won the game with two set-play goals, but in Arne Slot's first UEFA Champions League fixture as Liverpool head coach, it was the Reds' quality on the ball in open play – particularly their central progressions – which proved especially compelling.

This was the verdict of UEFA technical observer David Moyes in the FedEx Performance Zone as he assessed an impressive display from the Merseyside team in their 3-1 victory at AC Milan. "I thought they passed the ball through the lines very well," said Moyes and the video analysis below, brought to you by FedEx, offers three examples of the penetrating passing which undid a compact home defence.

Clip one begins with a disguised Virgil van Dijk pass which dissects Milan's front two and continues with Dominik Szoboszlai feeding a line-breaking pass in turn to Alexis Mac Allister, who nearly plays in Diogo Jota.

"I'd highlight the quality of the passing through the lines, and the speed of players receiving and turning on the ball and then playing it through again," added Moyes, and the second clip reinforces his point.

We see Liverpool moving the ball around patiently before Van Dijk produces another forward pass, splitting Milan's front line, to Ryan Gravenberch, who has found space centrally. Receiving the ball on the half-turn, the young Dutchman advances with a positive first touch and then feeds Mac Allister in a move which ends with Cody Gakpo delivering a cross.

For Moyes, the 22-year-old Gravenberch displayed his rich potential in the No6 role at San Siro. "Lots of play went through him and he received the ball in good spaces and turned and played forward well," he said of the Player of the Match. "He also broke play up and showed athleticism to get back when required." To underline the scale of his defensive contribution, Gravenberch ended the game ranked first for both interceptions (seven) and ball recoveries (ten).

Clip three features another Liverpool passing sequence, with Gravenberch again highlighted for the way he receives the ball to play forward in the lead-up, finding Diogo Jota who in turn feeds Mohamed Salah for a shot against the crossbar. Although Milan keep a narrow shape, Liverpool – with 20 passes up to this point – have been able to work the space for Gravenberch.

According to Moyes, Milan did not just face the problem of Liverpool penetrating centrally but also the threat out wide of Salah, who hit the bar twice, and Gakpo, who was full of positive running in his maiden start of the campaign and ended the game first for take-ons (seven). "Liverpool still had their 1v1 threat and did well taking players on, with Gakpo running with the ball individually," added Moyes.

As for Slot himself, he offered the following reflection as his 46th birthday concluded with his first Champions League win in charge of the Reds. "The team took control of the ball and kept it for a long time and switched the ball really well, which led to numerous chances for us," he said, summing up a more-than-satisfactory start for the six-time winners.