Spartak Moscow 1-1 Liverpool: Russian football's 'Gentlefan' initiative, Virgil van Dijk's prediction and debut for the Fab Four - SIX THINGS YOU MISSED
- Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Russian champions Spartak Moscow
- Virgil van Dijk predicted Reds to go the furthest of the Premier League clubs
- The Reds have not kept a clean sheet in their last nine Champions League games
- Ryan Babel scored second group goal having gone on seven-year barren run
Liverpool's seven-year wait for an away win in the Champions League continues.
Fernando fired home a free-kick which some feel Loris Karius could've saved, before Philippe Coutinho levelled after tidy link-up play with Sadio Mane.
The draw leaves Klopp's side second in Group E with two points, placing huge importance on their forthcoming double-header with Maribor.
Here are six things you missed from the match in Moscow…
Liverpool were thankful to a Philippe Coutinho strike to earn a 1-1 draw at Spartak Moscow
The Brazilian made no mistake having been put through on goal by Sadio Mane to equalise
Fernado fires in the opener with a free-kick which flew over the wall and past Loris Karius
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remonstrates with the match officials at the full-time whistle
Gentlefan initiative continues
Russian football's 'Gentlefan' initiative was in full swing on Tuesday night.
Spartak Moscow academy players greeted Liverpool fans with the special jerseys, which feature a timeline of results between the two clubs. When Manchester United face CSKA on Wednesday, travelling Red Devils will be presented with a similar custom shirt.
The scheme began in March 2017 when Rostov fans handed their Manchester counter-parts with warm blankets to help them deal with the adverse weather conditions, and his since continued with Russia's national team.
Russian football's 'Gentlefan' initiative is designed to create a more friendly atmosphere
Spartak Moscow academy players greeted Liverpool fans with the special jerseys on Tuesday
Passion is in plentiful supply for Spartak Moscow fans
'Win or Die'. That was the message that greeted Massimo Carrera's Spartak Moscow side ahead of kick-off against Liverpool. Presented through a detailed tifo, the name given to choreographed displays by fans in stadiums, the Spartak fans made their feelings clear.
The Russian outfit sit in eighth in the Russian Premier League, winning just three of their 11 games so far, adding to a disappointing draw away to Maribor in the first Champions League game week.
A draw with Liverpool at home then, will probably not go down well among the Spartak Moscow ultras.
The partisan crowd at the Otkrytie Arena Stadium greeted the Reds for the tough assignment
A detailed tifo which read 'Win or Die' was presented by the Spartak fans before kick-off
First start for the fearsome foursome
Prior to kick-off, the quartet of Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah accounted for 71 per cent of the 20 goals Klopp's side have scored this season. But the quartet were yet to all feature on the pitch at the same time.
Coutinho played a tidy give-and-go with Mane before coolly slotting home for Liverpool's first goal, providing an immediate teaser of the deadly potential that Klopp's frontline hold.
Given that Liverpool have kept just two clean sheets in 11 games, the reliance on the front-four to out-score their opponents has never been higher.
Philippe Coutinho scored the equaliser as he combined well with team-mate Sadio Mane
Mohamed Salah was one of the four attacking players chosen by Jurgen Klopp from the start
Van Dijk's predictions
Liverpool's fruitless pursuit of Virgil van Dijk may be over for now, but it appears to the magic of a European night at Anfield hasn't been lost on the Dutch defender.
Nor has the allure of playing under Pep Guardiola, another who was willing to part ways with in excess of £50million to secure his services.
The Southampton man said Liverpool or Man City would go the furthest of any English side in the Champions League this season.
The two names mentioned were also coincidentally the two Premier League sides to show the most interest in signing him this summer.
Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk provided a cheeky Champions League prediction
The Dutch defender has been linked with a move to both Manchester City and Liverpool
Liverpool's defensive fragility isn't exclusive to the Premier League
Throughout their first six league fixtures, Liverpool have conceded 11 goals, leaking a further three in just two Champions League outings.
That form that has halted a genuine title charge in recent years and has also hindered their bid for European glory too.
Fernando's free-kick ensured Liverpool have not kept a clean sheet in their last nine Champions League games, with their last shut out coming against Debrecen in 2009.
That slender win against the Hungarian minnows also represents the last time Liverpool won away from home in the Champions League, a winless run that now extends to seven games.
Liverpool have now not kept a clean sheet in their last nine Champions League games
Liverpool were unable to keep a clean sheet although Fernando's free-kick was fiercely struck
Former Red shows how it's done
Ryan Babel now has two goals in consecutive Champions League games after going nearly seven years without one.
The Dutch attacker opened the scoring for Besiktas in their 2-0 win away to RB Leipzig, adding to his strike that wrapped up the three points away to Porto in the last gameweek.
Before this season, Babel's last Champions League goal was a screamer that came in a 1-1 draw away to Lyon back in 2009, when Liverpool finished third in a group containing Lyon, Fiorentina and Debrecen.
Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel celebrates after scoring for Besiktas on Tuesday night
Babel has made a brilliant start to his season and he was on hand to slot home against Leipzig
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