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BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Stephen Warnock has criticised Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota's performance in the 3-1 win at AC Milan in the Reds' UEFA Champions League opener on Tuesday.
After Christian Pulisic had given the Rossoneri the perfect start inside three minutes, Ibrahima Konate drew the visitors level 20 minutes later. In the 29th mnute, the Reds squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead.
Jota decided to shoot at goal instead of passing the ball to an unmarked Cody Gakpo, for what would have been a simple tap-in, angering the Dutch attacker. Reflecting on the incident, Warnock said (as per TBR):
"It is greedy. Not good enough from Jota, he has to square. Gakpo is furious.”
Gakpo had an impressive outing at the San Siro without scoring, completing four dribbles, laying out two key passes and assisting Dominik Szoboszlai's 67th-minute strike.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for Arne Slot's men, as they had slumped to a 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at the weekend.
"It was an extremely professional performance from Liverpool" - Stephen Warnock
Liverpool recovered from an early setback to walk away from the San Siro with a convincing win against a Milan side that have stuttered in the new campaign. The Rossoneri - who are tenth in Serie A after four games - kicked off their Champions League campaign with a defeat.
The Reds' performance on the night drew praise from former defender Warnock, who said that the San Siro can be a daunting place for visiting sides. He said on BBC Radio 5 Live:
"Liverpool got a foothold in the game and Arne Slot changed things. The possession Liverpool had was dominant - it created so many opportunities. They got complete control going 3-1 ahead, and it never looked in doubt from there.
"Against (Nottingham) Forest, Liverpool found it difficult to break them down and they were impatient in the way they played - today there was a real calmness. (The San Siro is) a difficult stadium to come to and one that can be toxic for an away team."
He added:
"The way AC Milan are struggling themselves, it might not have been as hostile as we thought it would have been.
"There will be moments Arne Slot will be disappointed where AC Milan got too much possession and counter-attacked when it was a sloppy pass from a Liverpool player. But from 15 minutes onwards it was an extremely professional performance from Liverpool."
The Reds next take on Bournemouth at home in the Premier League on Saturday.
