UCL: Boniface caged, Tella hits milestone as Luis Diaz hat-trick inspires Liverpool to beat Bayer Leverkusen

Victor Boniface was unable to find the net and his international teammate Nathan Tella hit a milestone as Liverpool triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen with a 4-0 victory in a UEFA Champions League clash at Anfield on Tuesday night. 

In search of their first win at Anfield since 2002, Leverkusen's manager Xabi Alonso chose to start Boniface alongside Florian Wirtz in the attacking line.

Boniface had been in impressive form this season, netting eight goals and providing one assist in thirteen matches across all competitions.

Leading up to the game, he had scored three goals in his last four Bundesliga appearances.

However, despite his recent successes, the Nigerian striker faced significant challenges against Liverpool’s defense, particularly the strong partnership between Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté.

In the 23rd minute, Boniface and Alexander-Arnold battle for the ball with the Nigerian hurting himself in the process. 

Leverkusen believed they had opened the scoring when Jeremie Frimpong outpaced Kostas Tsimikas on the right, cutting into the box and slotting the ball past Liverpool’s goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher.

However, the goal was disallowed after it was determined by VAR that Frimpong had handled the ball in the buildup.

After a largely uneventful first half, the action picked up in the second half as Liverpool sought their fourth consecutive European victory under Arne Slot, while Leverkusen aimed to maintain their unbeaten streak in the league phase.

The breakthrough for Liverpool came from Colombian forward Luis Diaz, who scored in the 61st minute after Curtis Jones delivered a perfectly timed defence-splitting pass. Diaz deftly chipped the ball over the approaching Hradecky into the net.

Just two minutes later, Cody Gakpo found the net as well, arriving at the far post to head in a cross from Salah.

Initially ruled offside, the goal was awarded after a lengthy VAR review confirmed that Gakpo had remained behind the last defender.

As Liverpool took a comfortable two-goal lead, Boniface struggled to make an impact, leading Xabi Alonso to substitute him for Patrick Schick with nine minutes remaining.

Boniface's difficulties were evident, with no shots on target from his three attempts, and he lost possession ten times while managing just one successful dribble.

Seven minutes from the end, Liverpool extended their lead to 3-0 when Alexis Mac Allister found Salah on the right, and the Egyptian whipped in a cross that Diaz converted after a tussle with Hofmann.

In stoppage time, Diaz completed his hat-trick in the 92nd minute, capitalizing on a blocked shot from Darwin Núñez, which fell perfectly for him to slot past Hradecky.

Meanwhile, Nathan Tella came on in the 81st minute, replacing Alejandro Grimaldo, for his 50th appearance in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen since joining them in the summer of 2023 from Southampton. 

Tella has played in 29 Bundesliga matches, 6 in the DFB-Pokal, 11 in the Europa League, 3 in the Champions League and one in the DFL-Supercup, totaling six goals while registering six assists. 

Adeyemi Adewale

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