Núñez grabs winner to keep Liverpool cruising

It is too early to pass judgement on Liverpool's credentials or the new Champions League format according to Arne Slot.

- Andy Hunter

It is not too early to pass judgement on Slot's start to life with Liverpool. Remarkable, with the new head coach racking up yet another victory on a difficult night in Leipzig.

For the first time in their rich history Liverpool have won 11 of the opening 12 games in a season and their first six away matches from the start of a campaign. Their latest came courtesy of a Darwin Núñez tap-in against the club that will soon be looked over by Jürgen Klopp, Red Bull's incoming head of global soccer, and a few escapes against a Leipzig team without a point in the Champions League. Liverpool, with three wins from three in the competition, are almost through. Probably.

Leipzig have made a fine start to the Bundesliga season, unbeaten and second on goal difference behind Bayern Munich after seven games, but the Champions League has proved a trickier affair. Marco Rose's side were handed a difficult introduction to the new long-winded format in fairness but defeats to Atlético Madrid and Juventus upped the ante for the visit of the Premier League leaders. They started impressively here and created enough openings to have taken the lead before conceding to Liverpool's first meaningful attack of the night.

There were parallels to Sunday's Premier League win over Chelsea in Liverpool's performance. For 25 minutes Slot's team were passive, careless in possession and dominated.