Liverpool's atmosphere summed up as Bologna boss makes telling Anfield comment

Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano commented on the Anfield atmosphere after seeing his side slip to a 2-0 Champions League defeat in the maiden meeting between the two clubs

Vincenzo Italiano may not be in a rush to return to Anfield - at least not as a member of Liverpool's opposition.

That's after Bologna struggled to mount an assault on Merseyside and succumbed 2-0 in Wednesday's Champions League clash. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring after only 11 minutes, but it was another hour before Mohamed Salah settled any lingering nerves with a second.

Bologna's Champions League debut ended with a draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, but their first trip to England produced a first European loss of the campaign. And Italiano couldn't help but feel his players were perhaps overawed by the reception that greeted them in his maiden voyage to one of football's most hallowed grounds.

"Playing in a stadium like this makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up," he said after the result. "The opposition players, playing at home, are lifted up by this support around the stadium. I think in the first few minutes we found this difficult to come to terms with."

Arne Slot's first European home game in charge of the Reds couldn't have gone much better, with almost a capacity crowd of 59,816 in attendance for the occasion. Liverpool are now two from two against Italian opposition this season, having opened the Champions League with a 3-1 win over AC Milan at the San Siro.

But Bologna were unable to replicate Liverpool's success by silencing the din in hostile territory. Not that it was for a lack of trying given the Rossoblu had more attempts at goal than their hosts managed, albeit managing to hit the target just twice.

The Serie A side remained somewhat competitive throughout but were largely restricted to pot shots from range in a display that will have pleased Liverpool boss Slot. The Dutchman hailed his side's performance as "a good one" considering the threat of the opposition, though he conceded Liverpool could have asserted more control at times.

The scoreline might have ended up tighter were it not for Salah's wonder strike in the 75th minute. Not only did his laser into the top-left corner make him the highest-scoring African player in the competition's history (45), but Salah also became the first Liverpool player to score in five consecutive Champions League campaigns.

It seems almost fated that the Egyptian icon should get to celebrate both of those achievements in what was a special night at Anfield. Just ask Vincenzo Italiano.

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