Reds fourth English side in last- 8
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Mane’s brace, Van Dijk’s header help Liverpool beat Bayern, join United, City and Spurs in quarters
MUNICH: Liverpool showed they are back as one of European football’s powerhouses after dispatching Bayern Munich 3-1 in the German champions’ back yard on Wednesday, manager Juergen Klopp said.
Liverpool, five-times European champions and last season’s Champions League runners-up, eased past the Bavarians and into the quarter-finals with two goals from Sadio Mane and one from Virgil van Dijk after a goalless first leg at Anfield.
In a dominant performance, Liverpool shrugged off an early ankle injury to captain Jordan Henderson and kept their cool after Bayern’s equaliser through Joel Matip’s own goal late in the first half.
Liverpool then scored with headers from Van Dijk in the 69th minute and Mane in the 84th to book their spot in the last eight.
“It is an important (win) for different reasons. Important money-wise but also confidencewise,” Klopp said. “Liverpool’s self-awareness now must be ‘we are back. We are back on the landscape. Back in big football’. That was part of the plan when we started the project. We still have space for improvement but beating Bayern here is a big one.”
Liverpool, who have slipped behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race in recent weeks, had lost all their away games in the Champions League competition this season prior to Wednesday.
Yet their victory saw them join Manchester City and Manchester United as well as Tottenham Hotspur in the last eight while Germany will be without a quarter-finalist for the first time in 11 years.
“We scored a wonderful goal in the first half, outstanding,” Klopp said. “We conceded, but everyone could see it was possible (for us to win). The second half I was really happy by how mature the performance was, how strong we looked, how good we defended.
“It’s a big step for us. We have set a mark that this wonderful club is really at the top of the landscape of European football. I am really proud of the boys because it is a massive achievement. We are on a good way and I like what the boys did tonight.” With Bayern Munich boasting of lethal forwards, Liverpool had to depend on their defence to thwart the Germans. And Liverpool did exactly that. Virgil van Dijk was brilliant at the back and was well assisted by Alexander Arnold, Joel Matip and Andy Robertson. Liverpool's defensive domination is evident from the fact that Before the match, the spotlight was on the Liverpool attack trioka of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane as they were yet to find their prolific scoring form of last season. But against Bayern, they combined superbly and were a constant threat on the counter. With Thomas Mueller suspended, a lot was expected of Robert Lewandowski, the tournament’s highest goalscorer so far, and James Rodriguez but neither managed to put their best foot forward. While the Polish striker did make a few attempts, he missed a crucial chance at the hour-mark. Before their loss to Liverpool, Bayern had lost only three of their previous 30 Champions League games at home since the end of 2013 — all of them at the hands of Real Madrid — who eventually went on to win the competition on each occasion.
A reason for them never being in the game was because they opted to sit too deep in their half, thus leaving attackers to do too much
GLUM KOVAC EYES DOMESTIC DOUBLE
Niko Kovac says his Bayern Munich side now have to concentrate on winning a German league and cup double after their UEFA Champions League exit.
“I want to congratulate Liver- Bayern could manage only two shots on target in the entire match. The German side had 58 per cent of the possession but failed to penetrate in the opposition box, often thwarted by the alert Liverpool back four. Mane scored two of their three goals, his first a great solo run that manager Juergen Klopp said he would love to watch "500 times". In the process, Mane also overtook club legend Steven Gerrard as
Reds’ most prolific scorer away from home in Europe. James failed to make a mark as well, with no shots on target while failing to link up play from midfield. Franck Ribery, who had assisted thrice in nine minutes in Bayern’s last game against Wolfsburg, also didn’t pose much of a threat down the wings and had to be substituted. on their own. The swagger with which they usually dominate was missing and they could never offer much barring a few counterattacks in between. pool,” said a glum-faced Kovac. “They were the better team over the two legs, we deserved to lose.
“They attacked us high up, were compact and made it hard for us. We also didn’t have our best day. We still have two titles to focus on. Our goal now is to win assissts provided by Liverpool’s James Milner since last season is the highest among all players. them both, we have to tick off the Champions League now and go again next year,” he said.
It has been a bleak last 16 for Germany this season whose three representatives all crashed out to English opposition.
Borussia Dortmund lost 4-0 goalkeepers have played in 100 or more Champions League matches. Bayern’s Manuel Neuer joined the list that includes Iker Casillas, Gianlugi Buffon, Petr Cech, Victor Valdes and Oliver Kahn. Matip 39-og Messi 17-p, 78 Coutinho 31 Pique 81 Dembele 86 Mane 26, 84 Van Dijk 69
Tousart 58 over two legs to Tottenham Hotspur while Schalke were humiliated 10-2 on aggregate by Manchester City.
“We have the right to be bitterly disappointed, it’s tough not being part of the Champions League any more, we have to be players before Joel Matip had scored an own goal for Liverpool — Sami Hyypia (2007), John Arne Riise (2008) and James Milner (2018). was the last time when Bayern Munich failed to go through to the quarter-final of Champions League Ajax, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Porto and Tottenham Hotspur. *2008-09 was the last season when four English clubs had qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League positive,” Kovac said.
Bayern went above Dortmund and back to the top of the Bundesliga last weekend for the first time since September.
“We have a good series in the Bundesliga and we have to focus on that,” Kovac said.