Klopp’s fighters come out swinging
WHEN the halftime whistle blew, Roma looked as though they might be through with this already. Their talented midfielder Radja Nainggolan stared at the ground as though he could not believe quite how quickly this had fallen apart.
If it is any consolation, Nainggolan and his teammates are in good company in Europe and the Premier League. Many have come here with hopes of achievement only to find themselves caught up in the ferocity of the Liverpool threshing machine.
At Anfield, things can get away from you very quickly indeed. The only sporting analogy that seems anywhere near appropriate is that it must be like walking on to a flurry of heavyweight punches. One moment you are in the fight and the next minute the lights have gone out.
Here at Anfield, Roma’s lights and indeed the ambitions of their coach Eusebio Di Francesco seemed to be shut down for good until two late goals gave them a fingertip’s grip back on the tie.
Di Francesco was brave here and that, ultimately, may prove to be his downfall. He clearly wanted to face this challenge like a man and credit to him for that. He tried to go toe-totoe with Liverpool and, years from now, will no doubt put it down to part of the education. In the short term, though, he will know that it didn’t really work.
Twenty minutes in and it did seem his plan was working.
But the problem with being brave at Anfield is that it takes you to the edges of calamity. It offers your players an opportunity to achieve something unlikely but it also exposes them to great risk.
By half-time, Roma knew all about that. In the early exchanges, their key players Kevin Strootman and Daniele De Rossi were finding space and angles to bring the Roma wing-backs into the game. But soon they discovered the very real dangers of playing such a high line against a team of sprinters.
Roma’s composure and their semblance of control was quickly replaced by complete disorientation. Suddenly, Liverpool were not just making chances but being presented with them as well. .
There was a sense of perfection about both of Liverpool’s first-half goals. Mo Salah’s first had to be perfect to beat Alisson and find the net off the underside of the bar. Then Roberto Firmino had to find the perfect pass into space ahead of a perfect Salah run before a perfect finish was once again applied.
Good coaches react when things go wrong. That takes courage, too, and again Di Francesco was not found wanting as Patrik Schick was sent on to form a partnership up front with Edin Dzeko.
The message from the Roma bench was clear. If this night was to not leave them with too much to do in Italy next week, they simply had to leave here with an away goal. Once again there was risk attached to the move but this time there had to be.
In the centre of the field, mind you, Roma were by now understanding just what it means to be crushed in the Liverpool juicer.
In the 53rd minute, Kostas Manolas tried to turn his way out of trouble and suddenly found himself faced by three red shirts.
Liverpool had sensed they could do this. They knew that Roma’s record away from home in the competition was not one befitting a semi-final team. The third Liverpool goal — created by Salah for Sadio Mane — was the 15th Roma had conceded away from home in Europe this season.
By the time Firmino headed in No 17 with 20 minutes left, Rome’s plans for the final in Kiev were in the same dustbin as Di Francesco’s coaching notes. Only a repeat of their remarkable second-leg defeat of Barcelona in the last eight can save them now.