KLOPP STARS SET UP BARCA BLOCK BUSTER
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IT WAS not until the 65th minute that confirmation arrived. A wonderful pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold sliced Porto’s defence in half and Mohamed Salah skipped through to apply the calm finish.
You could not wish to see a goal any easier on the eye, but what followed was revealing. Liverpool’s players jogged over to celebrate soberly while manager Jurgen Klopp’s first reaction was to make a substitution.
It was all surprisingly subdued, but complacency did not come into it. Liverpool are heading into a semi-final against Barcelona with the ruthless look of a team who could go all the way.
For all the talk about Liverpool winning the Premier League, Europe may yet provide the most glorious moment of their season. This was a difficult night in northern Portugal, but they got through it with a combination of indefatigable defending and clinical finishing.
They are a better team than the one who lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid last May. True, Lionel Messi and company will provide an altogether different test, but with a defence as good as this, who is to say Liverpool can’t go all the way?
Porto boss Sergio Conceicao described Liverpool as the best team in the world in the build-up to this clash. That is arguable, but without doubt they have the best back four and keeper in Europe.
The hour before kick-off saw a downpour so heavy it threatened to delay the kick-off. In the event we began on time, but the affect of so much rain on the playing surface was apparent in the opening moments.
Liverpool wanted to take the sting out of the contest by keeping possession at the back, but it was a dangerous tactic, as each pass between Van Dijk, AlexanderArnold and Alisson would check on the spongy pitch.
There was no zip and it invited Porto to come forward.
It was not as if the hosts needed any encouragement. The noise inside this cavernous arena was wonderful, with ear-splitting whistles aimed at Liverpool and the match officials, and bellowing screams of encouragement for those in blue and white.
Bookmakers had made Liverpool 1-50 to progress but those odds were an insult to the Portuguese, who had their first shot after 37 seconds when Jesus Corona skipped inside Andrew Robertson and crashed a drive just over Alisson’s bar.
This was a sign of things to come. Too many Liverpool players had started slowly and the contest could easily have been given a different complexion had Moussa Marega not been so profligate. The Malian had been wasteful in the first meeting at Anfield and the same was true here. Twice in the space of 60 seconds, Marega had the opportunity to bring this cauldron to the boil, but he planted one header wide from 10 yards after sneaking between Joel Matip and Van Dijk, then scuffed a volley from an Alex Telles cross the wrong side of a post. There was anguish in the roar that accompanied the latter miss. Porto had to connect with one of their big swings, because sooner or later Liverpool were going to get an opening of their own. When it arrived in the 26th minute, any lingering doubt about the outcome of the contest was removed.
For once, Liverpool put a sequence of passes together; Robertson and Mane played a one-two, Gini Wijnaldum helped it along to Salah and the Egyptian’s attempted shot squirted to the back post, where Mane slid in to apply the finish.
Inevitably, there was fury among the home supporters, who felt Mane was offside. The goal was checked by VAR. Salah, who had been watching the replays on the pitchside monitor, started celebrating 10 seconds before the signal was given.
The footage showed Felipe, the Brazilian left back, had played Mane onside. How important the Senegalese flyer has become to Liverpool. He has scored the first goal for Liverpool eight times in the last 14 matches and his quality and consistency have been such that it will be a surprise if he does not make the six-man shortlist for Player of the Year.
This is a special talent at the top of his game.
One goal was always likely to be enough, but Liverpool went through the gears in the second half. Salah’s strike was glorious, Roberto Firmino added the third and Van Dijk rubbed salt in Porto wounds late on with a header to render Eder Militao’s strike nothing more than a footnote.
Klopp, undoubtedly, will pick faults in this display but, generally, Liverpool are in outstanding shape. They have won their last eight matches in all competitions and, should they carry on in this manner, they might yet win the trophy that was once part of this club’s furniture. PORTO (4-3-3): Casillas 7; Militao 7, Pepe 7, Felipe 7, Alex Telles 6; Otavio 6 (Soares 6, 46min), Danilo 6, Herrera 6; Corona 7 (Fernando 78), Marenga 5.5, Brahimi 6 (Costa 81). Subs not used: Vana, Maxi Pereira, Torres, Andre Pereira. Scorer: Militao 68. Booked: Pepe. Manager: Sergio Conceicao 5. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson 7.5; AlexanderArnold 6.5 (Gomez 6.5, 66), MATIP 8, Van Dijk 7, Robertson 7 (Henderson 7, 71); Milner 6.5, Fabinho 6, Wijnaldum 6; Salah 7, Origi 6 (Firmino 7, 46), Mane 7.5. Subs not used: Mignolet, Keita, Sturridge, Shaqiri. Scorers: Mane 26, Salah 65, Firmino 77, Van Dijk 84. Booked: Mane. Manager: Jurgen Klopp 7. Referee: Danny Makkelie (Hol) 7. Attendance: 49,117.