JURGEN: IT’S STILL GOING TO BE TOUGH
JURGEN KLOPP warned that Liverpool still face a fight to reach the Champions League semi-final despite running out comfortable first-leg winners against Porto. Goals from Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino in the first half mean Liverpool are oddson favourites to reach the last four but Klopp saw enough from the Portuguese champions — who wasted three excellent openings — to know the return fixture next Wednesday is no foregone conclusion. Klopp said: ‘The game is still on, we have to go there and fight. Porto will try to strike back, it will be a tough game but that is what you expect in the quarter-finals of Champions League. ‘There is still a lot to do, the atmosphere will be really tough. This is the result we wanted. I’m happy, it’s the first game ahead of an intense second leg. We scored two wonderful goals and controlled the game most of the time — 2-0 is a very good result. We kept the clean sheet. But we knew we cannot decide it here.’ Klopp is fortunate that he will be able to call on Mohamed Salah in Portugal after the Egyptian was fortunate to escape without punishment for a misjudged tackle on Porto full back Danilo. Salah got the timing of his challenge wrong but VAR did not examine the challenge and he will be available for the return. Mark Clattenburg, Sportsmail’s columnist, said: ‘Mo Salah was very fortunate not to be sent off for his challenge on Porto’s Danilo Pereira. The Liverpool forward comes over the top of the ball and clearly plants his studs onto the shin of his opponent. UEFA guidelines on this type of challenge are clear — anything with studs above the ankle is a red card. The VAR should have sent the referee to the review area, where I am sure he would have decided that Salah should be sent off. Instead, he is free to play in the second leg.’