Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah (right) celebrates scoring a penalty during the UEFA Champions League match against Girona on Tuesday. AFP
GIRONA, Spain — Liverpool maintained its 100 percent record in this season's Champions League and has a healthy lead at the top of the standings after a 1-0 win at Girona on Tuesday, with the only goal of the game coming from Mohamed Salah's second-half penalty.
A sixth win from six puts Liverpool, already guaranteed at least a playoff place before kickoff, on 18 points, five ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter Milan and Brest, while Girona is in 30th place on three points.
Girona suffered its fifth defeat of the competition but made Liverpool work for the victory and in the opening half had chances to take the lead but was foiled by the visitor's keeper Alisson.
Liverpool struggled against a side happy to sit back and bide its time, but found the breakthrough from the penalty spot with Salah converting in the 63rd minute after Luis Diaz was fouled.
"Six wins out of six, you can't ask for much better than that. It's not easy to do or there would be more teams doing it," Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said.
"We've played a lot better than tonight, we weren't at our highest level, but at this point it's about winning the games and securing qualification."
Girona was pinned back in the opening minutes by Liverpool's pressure, with the visitor creating two early chances.
Defender Joe Gomez was denied his first goal for Liverpool by a reaction save from Paulo Gazzaniga from a close-range header, with the keeper also saving a shot from Darwin Nunez minutes later.
Girona, with every player behind the ball, was happy to break on the counterattack and Liverpool keeper Alisson, making his first appearance since early October after a hamstring injury, was soon called into action.
Daley Blind completely missed a cross on the edge of the six-yard box but the ball fell to Alejandro Frances and Alisson held his effort at the second attempt, and later punched away a shot from Miguel Gutierrez.
"We competed toe to toe, we had our chances and, well, we have to accept that we lost," Girona's Frances said.
"It's time to move on. The main thing was to have chances against a great team and we had them."
Nunez had another effort saved when put through by Salah and Girona responded with a shot from outside the area by Yaser Asprilla which Alisson parried away for a corner, with Girona growing in confidence.
Fight on
Girona coach Michel said they would keep fighting until the very end with two crucial matches still to play in the Champions League after a narrow defeat to Liverpool.
With Michel's side in 30th place in the standings with three points, four points below the final playoff place, and matches against AC Milan and Arsenal remaining, it looks as though Girona's first Champions League adventure may be coming to an end.
"Qualification looks far away but so long as there's the faintest chance we'll keep fighting for it," he told reporters.
"We are going to compete in the two matches we have left, enjoy ourselves, and look for victory in both."
Despite the loss Michel was happy with his side's performance.
"We competed really well, we fulfilled my objective of filling key spaces and we tried to leave Liverpool's central defenders without a reference man to mark so that we could then find our free man," he said.
"We created chances, especially for Danju (Arnaut Danjuma). We gave a good account of ourselves but we went out to win."
Agencies
