Assifuah strikes back as Sion stifle Liverpool
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Article summary
Liverpool 1-1 Sion
Ebenezer Assifuah struck on the break to cancel out Adam Lallana's early opener as the Reds were held to a second 1-1 draw in Group B.
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- Adam Lallana gives Reds early lead from close range
- Ebenezer Assifuah equalises on break in 18th minute
- Result means Sion sit top of Group B with four points
- Liverpool have two after second successive 1-1 draw
- Next games: Liverpool v Rubin, Bordeaux v Sion (22 October)
Liverpool are still without a win in UEFA Europa League Group B after Ebenezer Assifuah struck to earn Didier Tholot's men a point at Anfield.
The Reds had taken an early advantage through Adam Lallana but as in their opening fixture at Bordeaux, they had to settle for a draw which leaves Sion – victors over Rubin on matchday one – two points clear at the group summit.
Brendan Rodgers will have hoped for better when Divock Origi forced his way to the byline and cut the ball back for Lallana to turn in after four minutes.
Liverpool might have had further goals in a bright start. Following more good work by Origi, Jordon Ibe tested Andris Vaņins with a near-post shot while Danny Ings had an effort blocked by Jagne Pa Modou.
Sion's equaliser came out of the blue after Nathaniel Clyne lost possession inside Liverpool territory and the visitors' captain Xavier Kouassi lifted a ball over the home defence to Assifuah, who got behind Ibe and poked it under the advancing Simon Mignolet.
That seemed to knock Liverpool out of their stride, yet while Ings had a goal ruled offside, the Reds will still feel they had enough chances to win on a night when the fit-again Daniel Sturridge was not even on the substitutes' bench.
The second half began with Ings testing Vaņins and Kolo Touré striking the bar with an overhead effort. Origi later failed to beat Vaņins when played through by Joe Allen, while Lallana was equally profligate with just the Latvian to beat, the Anfield crowd voicing their disapproval at the final whistle.
Vaņins Sion's saviour
When Sion first visited Anfield in October 1996, their goalkeeper Stephan Lehmann was beaten six times. This was a happier night for Vaņins, today's Sion No1, who along with scorer Assifuah played a key role in the Swiss side securing a point in front of their noisy travelling fans.
Rodgers' reshuffle inconclusive
Rodgers made seven changes from Liverpool's last Premier League game and though Lallana got a goal and Allen made a pair of defence-splitting passes, it is a moot point whether any of the players brought in did enough to demand inclusion at Everton on Sunday.
Spirits seem low at Anfield
In the match programme Rodgers said that "confidence is a commodity that takes time to build". Although his team had beaten Aston Villa last weekend to earn an injection of self-belief, their mood is still fragile after some early-season hiccups, and the longer the match went on, the more inevitable became the outcome before a subdued Anfield crowd. Indeed it might even have been worse for Liverpool, Mignolet saving well from Assifuah when he turned Joe Gomez inside the box in the closing stages.