Napoli striker Victor Osimhen missed a spot kick and was also withdrawn as the Italian side fire four goal past Liverpool in a Champions League tie on Wednesday.
The Nigerian hit the post inside the opening minute and a James Milner handball gave the hosts a fifth-minute penalty, with Piotr Zielinski keeping his cool to score.
It looked like Liverpool’s night was going to go from bad to worse in the 18th minute.
Osimhen went down in the box as he attempted to cut past Virgil van Dijk and VAR Alejandro Hernandez advised Carlos Del Cerro Grande to consult the monitor.
The Spanish referee pointed to the spot and Osimhen stepped up rather than goalscorer Zielinski, with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker denying the Napoli striker’s attempt.
Van Dijk produced a goal-line clearance to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from scoring, but Napoli made it 2-0 in the 31st minute.
Joe Gomez was having a poor first half and was outmuscled by Kvaratskhelia, who kept the ball before cutting back to Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.
A one-two with Zielinski put the former Fulham midfielder through to slot low past Alisson.
Napoli were hit by Osimhen’s early withdrawal through injury as half-time approached, but his replacement made it 3-0 in the 44th minute.
Kvaratskhelia beautifully rounded Trent Alexander-Arnold and showed his strength to beat Gomez and send a low cross for Giovanni Simeone to tap into an empty net, leaving Liverpool with a mountain to climb in the second half in Napoli.
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