Liverpool were runners-up in the Champions League last season but you wouldn’t have guessed that from tonight’s match.
Klopp’s side were off the pace from the start and looked to be lacking concentration, organisation and motivation.
In the opening minute Napoli had already created a fine chance, when Osimhen broke away down the right and very nearly made Alisson pay for coming rashly off his line -
the striker’s shot hit the post. Did Liverpool heed the warning? They did not.
Napoli were allowed room to move the ball to Zielinski at the top of the box, who had time to get his shot off.
It was going wide anyway, but Milner, instinctively, moved his arm out and the ball brushed it. Penalty for the home side, converted neatly by Zielinski.
And the home side had a second penalty just 10 minutes later (having had the better of the play in the intervening moments) when Osimhen was brought down by Van Dijk.
The Nigerian striker grabbed the ball, only to see his effort saved by Alisson; that stop though in no way turned the tide of the match.
Napoli, while wasteful, were creating enough danger every time they came forward that the second was only a matter of time,