Dominik Szoboszlai's composed penalty decided a night that might otherwise have focused on Mohamed Salah's absence. Had the spot-kick been missed, the debate over Liverpool's form without their talisman would have grown louder. Instead Szoboszlai, Liverpool's standout this season, calmly converted from 12 yards while the usual taker stayed at home nearly 1,000 miles away.
The players' march to the away end and travelling supporters singing Arne Slot's name underlined the mood. After a testing few days, Slot and his squad finally had reason to smile. The victory was Liverpool's fourth at the San Siro in four years and their first Champions League away win without Salah since 2009 — a result made more notable by the presence of chief executive Michael Edwards in Milan.
Earlier in the week goalkeeper Alisson Becker had said the squad backed the manager following one of the most difficult spells of Slot's tenure. On the pitch Liverpool produced a composed display after tactical tweaks from Slot, and crucially kept a clean sheet to follow up the collapse at Leeds on Saturday.
The sense of spirit and togetherness after a turbulent 72 hours was striking. Liverpool travelled with a trim
