A poor performance by Liverpool was finally exploited by Napoli with one late goal. They could have conceded more.
Positives
The scoreline could have been more embarrassing, but some consolation came from another good display by centre-back Joe Gomez. The next two games in the group against Red Star Belgrade may see Liverpool regain their advantage.
Negatives
Too many to count but passing was especially abysmal, making extended possession virtually impossible and encouraging the home side to take chances and go for the win.
Manager rating out of 10
5 -- Jurgen Klopp clearly needed to change his side early in the second half, but when it came it was Fabinho trying to protect a point. If anything Liverpool were even worse after the German's half-time talk. Not a good sign.
Player ratings: (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Alisson, 7 -- Good saves, calm passing and all-round composure were of no consequence in the end. Nothing he could do about the winner, he'd already done his best to keep the score respectable.
DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 4 -- Wretched performance from start to finish. Lots of poor touches and even his forward play lacked merit. The space he continues to leave behind him needs to be addressed by the manager at some point.
DF Joe Gomez, 8 -- Outstanding from the young Englishman. One back-heel clearance was excellent and he even baled Alisson out on one occasion. Probably the only player in red who didn't deserve to be on the losing team.
DF Virgil van Dijk, 7 -- Cooler than ever, on a night when he was the secondary central defender for once. Even he was affected by the general passing malaise and began causing problems by the end.
DF Andrew Robertson, 6 -- Not one of his better games and caught out for the goal. Defensively fairly solid before that but with few chances to charge down the left to support the forwards.
MF James Milner, 5 -- Erratic display. Trying to press, he was often caught chasing shadows and failed to utilise his experience to calm the younger players down. He's often been booked before but this one was borne of frustration rather than any strategic advantage to be gained.
MF Georginio Wijnaldum, 5 -- Invisible on an away ground again, the Dutchman worked hard but failed to impress himself on the game or stem the tide of continuous Napoli attacks.
MF Naby Keita, 3 -- Had already been very poor before injury saw him leave the pitch early on.
FW Sadio Mane, 6 -- The best of the forwards, which isn't saying much. He showed some pace and a little trickery, but seemed to run into blind alleys most of the time. Earned some free kicks which a more pragmatic side should use to take the sting out of the game. Liverpool just kept giving the ball back to the opposition instead.
FW Mohamed Salah, 4 -- Totally out of sorts now. Nothing stuck to him, and one decent shot was not a good return for an evening's work. Defenders are clearly alert to his threat these days, but even when given room he failed miserably.
FW Roberto Firmino, 5 -- Often on the fringe of things, which isn't like the Brazilian at all. A lack of support from midfield didn't help, but can usually be relied upon to hold the ball before help arrives and tonight it simply didn't happen.
Substitutes:
MF Jordan Henderson, 6 -- Looked energised and out to prove a point when first coming on, but quickly sank into the tired and fragmented mood of the rest of the team.
MF Fabinho, NR -- Brought on to try and save the point, he was foiled by Napoli going all out for the win and Liverpool failing to capitalise on the break. Still hard to figure out what he's supposed to bring to the party.
FW Daniel Sturridge, NR -- Peculiar decision to bring him on as Mane at least was offering some protection for Robertson, something which proved fatal late on, and the Reds weren't really going for the win by that stage. The goal at Chelsea was a miracle but lightning failed to strike twice.