Organised Napoli deny Liverpool of qualification

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Victory against Napoli yesterday would have sealed round of 16 qualification for Liverpool. But the current Champions had to settle for a draw in a well planned match by Ancelotti.

Jurgen Klopp and his team were left frustrated in a match that would have decided the faith of Liverpool for the knockout stages. Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw against a Napoli side that came prepared.

Liverpool away game to Napoli saw them lose by 2-0. This reminded us of a similar encounter last season which saw Napoli winning by 1-0.

Although in the return leg last season, Liverpool restored their pride by beating Napili 1-0 in front of the Anfield fans. This couldn't be achieved this time around as Napoli went 1-0 up in the 21st minute. A 65-minute equaliser ensured the points were shared.

Dries Mertens opened the scoring for Napoli and they defended the early goal throughout the first 45 minutes. Dejan Lovren rescued a point for Liverpool and Napoli stuck to their game plan by frustrating Liverpool with a solid defence.

Klopp admitted that Napoli have never been an easy team and this was shown by their performances in the Champions League.

Their plan was to defend solidly and take Liverpool on a counter attack which worked and provided them with a 1-0 lead.

Liverpool, after their equaliser were unable to find the winning goal after utilising Napoli's wings that were left open. Klopp says this was due to the fact that they crossed the ball early.

Liverpool last group match is against Red Bull Salzburg away from home. Liverpool are fully aware of the fact that a lose to the Red Bull Salzburg in Austria will affect their passage to the knockout stages of the competition.