The Rossoneri went into the break with a lead but, unable to keep the Reds at bay, ended the match on the wrong end of the 3-2 scoreline.
Stefano Pioli has pointed out the mistakes by AC Milan that cost them the game against Liverpool.
Wednesday night witnessed an electrifying encounter at Anfield. Liverpool made the breakthrough inside the first 10 minutes but Milan responded strongly near the end of the first half as not only they equalized but also took the lead.
The hosts, showing great fighting spirit, struck quickly after the break to level matters before ultimately sealing the victory – a showing that appeared somewhat similar to the two prior contests between the two heavyweights of Europe in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals.
“The team was motivated, we expected Liverpool to start strong, but were a bit too static and couldn’t get past their first press. When you don’t have the ball, you run into danger,” Pioli told post-match, per Football Italia.
“We lost because on a set play we cleared the ball to the edge of the box and that is not what we ought to be doing.
“They were very careful covering the central areas and blocking the channels, so we kept getting pushed out wide and that makes for a less advantageous situation. Rebic managed to run at them a few times, but we didn’t always make the right runs.
“We know Liverpool make pace and intensity a big part of their game. We needed more movement off the ball to shake off our markers. When you are pressed so much, you need to pass the ball quicker and that’s what we got wrong.
“What disappoints me and we must work on is that we can do better, because we allowed Liverpool some give and go situations that we usually defend better against. We could’ve created a lot more problems for the Liverpool forwards and made it more difficult for them.”
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