RB Leipzig 0 Liverpool 1: Angry Nunez, Liverpool make three from three and Leipzig stutter

Darwin Nunez's poacher goal gave Liverpool victory at RB Leipzig and confirmed their flawless start to this season's Champions League.

Arne Slot's side secured their third of three wins in the competition with a 1-0 win in Germany, with former Leipzig players Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai celebrating victory against their old side thanks to Nunez's first-half goal.

Despite Lois Openda hitting the target twice only to be ruled offside and Caoimhin Kelleher making a series of saves in the second half, Liverpool successfully kept their opponents' talented attack at bay at the Red Bull Arena.

Andy Jones and Seb Stafford-Bloor break down the game's key talking points.

Nunez radios in Jota's absence

It was a performance from Darwin Nunez that had everything – and, above all, was crowned with a winning goal.

His second goal of the season was an example of Nunez making the most of an opportunity. After a relatively quiet start to the game, the 25-year-old was alert and shot Mohamed Salah's header into the goal from a meter away.

It's not the type of goal that's typical of Nunez's repertoire. The spectacle is usually more likely than a throw-in, but the striker was still alive to deflect Salah's angled header, which did not go safely into the goal, into the net.

Nunez earned plenty of praise for his performance against Chelsea last weekend and with Diogo Jota out injured, the key is to consistently reach that level.

This was an excellent follow-up. His opening goal brought him and Liverpool to life. The Uruguayan showed a lot of action on and off the ball. Shortly after the goal, Nunez was back deep in his own half and helped win the ball back. Two minutes later he almost doubled his goal tally with a close-range header, but was denied by an excellent save from Peter Gulacsi.

His connection and movement were excellent throughout the evening. He was denied a penalty when he was brought down by Willi Orban, and seconds later he vented his frustration by knocking over the centre-back as he tried to put the goalkeeper under pressure.

Nunez is a firecracker and his commitment and desire to succeed in the Arne Slot era is beyond doubt. This was another positive step forward.

Darwin Nunez protests with Leipzig's Willi Orban (Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images)

Andy Jones

Liverpool exerts control when necessary

It was a relatively quiet 70 minutes for Caoimhin Kelleher – but as has become the norm, Liverpool's second goalkeeper rose to the occasion when needed.

After Konate was dispossessed in his own half, Xavi Simons replaced Benjamin Sesko. It was a great opportunity but instead of seeing the net, it was denied by the Republic of Ireland international.

Kelleher was called into action shortly afterwards and directed a deflected shot from Simons over the crossbar, but before and after this brief period of pressure the home side struggled to create much of a chance to put the Liverpool goalkeeper in trouble.

It was another promising defensive performance from Liverpool as they kept their seventh clean sheet this season after 12 games in all competitions.

They were able to keep Leipzig at bay and, despite the slow start, limit their opponents to shots from the edge of the penalty area. The German team had the better chances when they gained an advantage from offside positions – although the second goal, which Openda had ruled out, was rather fortunate.

Trent Alexander-Arnold meets Leipzig's Xavi Simons (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

It would have been more pleasant if they hadn't been up against an impressive goalkeeper themselves. Gulacsi made impressive saves from Nunez, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo.

Liverpool's one-goal lead led to a nervy finish, but as Liverpool's attackers became careless in possession, Leipzig repeatedly fell into a wall from Konate and Van Dijk.

In stoppage time, they restored calm in Leipzig's half with excellent possession of the ball, calming the game and securing victory.

Andy Jones

Leipzig's top three flatter to deceive

Leipzig's main actors are clearly the first three, consisting of Sesko, Openda and Simons. It's a trio that fits their playing style perfectly: it's made up of players of different styles who complement each other in interesting ways.

But – and this game highlighted a common problem they face – they often just irritate connectivity and cohesion, look threatening in attacking areas but fail to find the final pass or, worse, outplay at the crucial moment.

Most of Leipzig's best chances came in the second half, with Kelleher making excellent saves to preserve Liverpool's lead. But the hosts' attacking play was characterized by the fact that it was never quite skilled enough when it needed to be, meaning that while they managed to open up their opponents, they lacked the precision to take full advantage in those moments .

Two goals from Lois Openda were ruled out for offside (Oliver Hardt – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Typically one of these three players was responsible, whether through an errant or poorly timed pass, a misrun, or just general confusion among them. No wonder Sesko was substituted midway through the second half.

Simons quickly followed him to the bench due to injury, but form and fitness aside, are they a natural attacking group? They are certainly three talented players, but – and this is something of an issue in the Bundesliga – the theory of what they can be together often goes beyond reality.

This was one of those evenings.

Seb Stafford Bloor

Castello Lukeba looks like it – but it’s still in its infancy

On Tuesday, Leipzig announced a contract extension for Castello Lukeba, the 21-year-old French defender who joined the club from Lyon just 15 months ago.

Lukeba's new contract runs until 2029 and contains an extensive release clause, as reported by The athletehas caught the attention of Real Madrid, among other top European clubs.

No wonder. Lukeba is a compelling talent: a model of a modern central defender who enjoyed it He is encouraging in his first Bundesliga season and is off to a good start in his second. However, this was a tough evening against an opponent who was a little too skilled for him.

Lukeba is elegant, skilled and physically imposing, but can also be overly impulsive. Against Liverpool, an impetuous attack into midfield earned him a yellow card within 10 minutes. Still, his defensive passing was good, and before Leipzig fell behind, he made several excellent attempts at marking and closed the gates at critical moments.

Castello Lukeba clears his lines under pressure from Mohamed Salah (Luciano Lima/Getty Images)

But he was twice responsible for Nunez's goal – first because of the errant long ball that gave the ball away cheaply and started the move, then because he misplaced his jump and allowed Salah a free header. Without a great save from Gulacsi, he might have been punished again a few minutes later when he regained his position late and was beaten by Dominik Szoboszlai from a cross.

It's not hard to see him developing into one of Europe's best defenders. Liverpool have a quality of movement at the top of the pitch that would also cause problems for most players. He also had many good moments with the ball, passing or carrying beyond the press box. But overall, this was a reminder that Lukeba is 21, has barely 100 senior games under his belt and still has plenty of experience to gain. It will be fun to watch him learn, but nights like this will be part of that journey.

Seb Stafford Bloor

What did Arne Slot say?

Liverpool coach Arne Slot told TNT Sports: “We are really happy with the win. We knew it would be a difficult away game, but what pleased me most was that we controlled large parts of it, except for the last 15 to 20 minutes when we really needed our two central defenders to keep a clean sheet stay, and also our goalkeeper two great moments. In my opinion that was unnecessary.”

What's next for Liverpool?

Sunday, October 27th: Arsenal (A), Premier League, 4:30pm UK, 12:30pm ET

Recommended reading

(Top photo: by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)