SADIO FINDS HIS FEET AS MAIN MAN
DURING the shooting drill that Liverpool’s players undertake before every game, Sadio Mane was getting increasingly irritated. The routine sees them take a shot from the edge of the box, run into position to receive a cross from the right wing and then swiftly turn to take a ball from the opposite flank. It is done to help the forwards find rhythm. It all seemed easy for Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino but Mane had trouble with his accuracy. Although a few strikes whizzed in, a succession of shots crashed into the advertising boards or were smothered by goalkeeper Loris Karius, leaving Mane kicking at the turf in frustration. Here was a snapshot of what the season has been like for the Senegal flyer. To look at his numbers, you wouldn’t think there was an issue. By February 14 last year, when he was being acclaimed for a superb debut campaign, he had played 28 times, scored 12 goals and provided seven assists. This year? 28 games, nine goals, seven assists. So you would hardly think there has been cause for concern but the reality is that the electricity which Liverpool’s No 19 so often produced has been absent in spells. If the pre-game signs were ominous, the opening stages of this contest in Porto’s noisy home did little to quell the unease. He was tackled by Ricardo when receiving his first touch then under-hit a pass to Andy Robertson. Then came the incident which changed everything. In the 25th minute, his shot when teed up by Gini Wijnaldum lacked conviction but, crucially, it squirmed under the body of Porto keeper Jose Sa and apologetically rolled over the line. Lift-off Liverpool, lift-off for Mane. Suddenly the legs were moving that bit quicker, his pressing was a little more intense, but more than anything you could see the confidence flooding through him. He belongs on this kind of stage and now he was ready to let rip. He would go on to get a second after the break, emphatically converting after Roberto Firmino had been thwarted. It effectively put Liverpool in the last eight but, on a personal level, his reaction was just as telling. Looking up to the Liverpool fans, he was smiling and pointing his fingers. The relief was tangible. He needed this desperately, but still it could get better. As Estadio do Dragao was emptying, Mane saved the best for last. At the end where he had earlier been peppering the advertising hoardings, when it mattered he let an arrow fly from 25 yards to complete his treble. ‘If you keep working really hard like he did, then it will come,’ said Klopp, who hailed his side’s complete performance. ‘Sadio was always important, he was always fantastic even in his not that good moments. That’s real quality.’