HISTORY MADE: DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI 'S SPOT-KICK IS LIVERPOOL'S LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AWAY GOAL
Liverpool gained a crucial win via Szoboszlai's late penalty. While defence improved without Salah, critics argue Arne Slot's strategy sacrifices the team's attack.
Dominik Szoboszlai's late penalty secured a 1-0 win for Liverpool against Inter Milan in the Champions League. It was the latest winning goal the club has ever scored away from home in the competition.
The penalty came after Alessandro Bastoni fouled Florian Wirtz late in the game. Szoboszlai converted the spot kick in the 88th minute (87:24).
This was Liverpool's second-latest penalty winner in the tournament, just behind Steven Gerrard's goal against Ludogorets in September 2014 (92:29).
For Szoboszlai, getting the three points was probably more important than making club history, as Liverpool had struggled in their previous six games, failing to win five.
Liverpool is currently eighth in the Champions League table with 12 points from six games. They are only three points away from 18th-placed Monaco.
Last year, 16 points were needed to finish in the top eight and qualify for the round of 16.
Arne Slot's next Champions League game is against Marseille in France on January 21, followed by a home game against Qarabag on January 28.
Liverpool's recent form has been mixed, with five wins, two draws, and nine losses in their last 15 games. They need to secure four points from their remaining two games.
They have struggled away from home recently, losing five of their last nine games, so a loss against Marseille is possible.
Slot can point to the Inter win as proof that benching Mohamed Salah was the right call, but there are still issues.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last four games and have improved defensively without Salah, but their attack has suffered.
Striker Alexander Isak didn't have a single shot in the box against Inter, and Liverpool relied on mistakes from Leeds United to score last Saturday.
The poor attack against Inter Milan could be excused, but considering similar performances against West Ham United, Sunderland, and Leeds, it seems Slot has focused on defence at the expense of attack.
It remains to be seen if this strategy will work. Liverpool will face a test this weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion.
CORNERED: HOW ALEX GRIMALDO ENDED NEWCASTLE'S AWAY-DAY UCL HOPES AT BAYARENA
Lewis Miley's historic goal looked set to secure a huge UCL win, but Alex Grimaldo's late strike exposed Newcastle's severe issue with conceding goals late in games.
Alex Grimaldo scored late, stopping Newcastle from completing a Champions League comeback win against Bayer Leverkusen, ending the game in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.
Newcastle thought they had pulled off an amazing turnaround when Lewis Miley wrote his name in the history books, becoming the club's youngest-ever Champions League scorer at 19 with a second-half goal. Anthony Gordon, who had earlier scored Newcastle's tying goal, set up Miley perfectly. The goal raised hopes that Newcastle's struggles away from home were over, but Leverkusen didn't agree.
After losing to Marseille after leading, Gordon lamented Newcastle's tendency to concede goals late in games.
"It's happened way too often," Gordon told TNT Sports after the match. I really don't know why they are scoring late goals. Maybe it's because we're tired with so many games coming up. I think it comes down to mentality.
Newcastle's struggles with late goals continue. They've lost the most points (11) from winning positions in the Premier League this season. Only three teams have lost more points from winning positions in the Champions League than Newcastle this season (5). Of Premier League clubs, only Burnley (8) have let in more goals in the final five minutes of games than Newcastle (7).
After beating Manchester City in their last game, the Bundesliga team had their sights set on another English team when Robert Andrich's header, deflected into his own net by Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, gave them the lead in the 13th minute.
Leverkusen almost got a second goal when Malick Thiaw fouled Patrick Schick just outside the box. VAR checked if the foul deserved a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring chance, but the original yellow card decision stood.
Newcastle got lucky at one end, and then, in the second half, they couldn't believe their fortune when Mark Flekken's hesitation led to him bringing down Nick Woltemade in the box. Gordon took the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way to score his fifth Champions League goal of the season.
Newcastle then had their best period, with Gordon hitting the post while seeking a second goal. Miley, who came off the bench, then scored what Newcastle needed to improve their chance of finishing in the top eight. But Grimaldo ruined the party, firing past Aaron Ramsdale to tie the score in the 88th minute.
Howe's team has two more Champions League games in January to try and move into the top eight, starting with Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven at St. James' Park on Jan 21. They will then finish their league games with a tough trip to current champions PSG on Jan 28.
ANALYTICAL: TWO BODO/GLIMT COMEBACKS EXPOSE BORUSSIA DORTMUND'S DEFENSIVE FLAWS
Borussia Dortmund missed a vital chance for UCL knockout stage qualification after an unheralded Bodo/Glimt side came back twice to secure a frustrating 2-2 draw.
Borussia Dortmund's chances of immediately getting to the Champions League knockouts took a hit when Bodo/Glimt came back twice to tie the game.
This tie puts Dortmund at 11 points, a point away from the top eight. The Norwegian team is in 32nd place, still searching for their first win after six games.
Julian Brandt's goal, assisted by Fabio Silva, seemed like it would lead to an easy win for Niko Kovac's team, especially after their big win against Villarreal at home.
But Haitam Aleesami, the experienced defender, scored with a header from a great corner kick, tying the game for the visitors.
In the second half, Jens Petter Hauge, who used to play for AC Milan, scored from close range, tying the game again after Brandt had put Dortmund back in the lead.
Dortmund controlled most of the game, taking 22 shots compared to Bodo/Glimt's seven. Still, Kjetil Knutsen's team earned the praise of their traveling fans when the game ended.
Before the game started, Dortmund icons Dede and Marco Reus were honored on the field. Reus, now with LA Galaxy in MLS, was named a club ambassador. He played over 400 games for Dortmund and was the team's captain for five seasons.
Dortmund's next game is against Tottenham on Tuesday, January 20. Bodo/Glimt will play Manchester City on the same night.