Liverpool 2-1 Ajax: Joel Matip heads home a CRUCIAL 89th-minute winner as Reds bounce back from heavy defeat in Napoli... after Mohammed Kudus strike had cancelled out Mo Salah's opener

Liverpool defender Joel Matip scored a vital 89th-minute winner against Ajax in their clash on Tuesday night

Matip's goal saw Liverpool win their Champions League clash with Ajax 2-1 after previously losing to Napoli 

The 31-year-old German rose above the Ajax defenders to head home a Liverpool corner in the 89th minute 

There were two minutes remaining with scores tied. It was going to be one point from six for Jurgen Klopp’s men with home and away matches against Rangers next. 

Battle of Britain matches are notoriously difficult and hostile and Liverpool looked like they needed wins in both. And then, as so often happens to this team in Europe, they found a way.

A curling shot from Mo Salah was deflected onto the post for a corner. Kostas Tsimikas, in ahead of the injured Andy Robertson, went over to take it on the left. 

He picked out Joel Matip whose header crossed the line before an Ajax man could repel it. And that was enough. The linesman was signalling a goal even before referee Artur Dias got the notification that it was in. 

Anfield erupted, as it has done on so many nights like this, when the men in red have somehow found a way through. They were the best team, they deserved it. But these are stressful times, and Liverpool are vulnerable, still.

So yes, Klopp got the home win the reverse in Naples demanded, but this will not be an easy group for last season’s Champions League finalists. True, they have got out of tighter corners before, but Liverpool domestic inconsistencies have spread to Europe, where they are so often most at home.

Certainly, it could have been worse. In the 75th minute, a cross from Dusan Tadic picked out Daley Blind unmarked at the far post. It was a straightforward header, a gimme really. 

Blind tried to send it back across goal and in at the far corner, a smart angle, but he misjudged it. The ball flew wide. Had that gone in, Liverpool could have been close to adrift. 

Instead they will hope Napoli and Ajax do each other no favours in their head to heads, allowing them to take advantage against Rangers. Yet nothing is certain on this form.

Liverpool defender Joel Matip (above) scored a vital 89th-minute winner against Ajax in their clash on Tuesday eveningMatip's goal saw Liverpool win their Champions League clash with Ajax 2-1 after losing last week's fixture to NapoliThe 31-year-old German star rose above the Ajax defenders (centre) to head home a Liverpool corner in the 89th minuteHowever, it was goal line technology that confirmed the winner after Jorge Sanchez tried to clear Matip's effort off the lineMo Salah opened the scoring Liverpool in the 17th minute of the Champions League gameMohammed Kudus responded by securing an equaliser for Ajax in the 27th minute of the game 

Relive the action with Sportsmail's live blog for the Champions League clash between Liverpool and Ajax.