Liverpool 2-0 FC Porto
Goals can be like double-decker buses: You wait for ages for one to arrive and then two come along in the blink of an eye.
Having not scored for club or country since April 21 last year, Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita now has two goals in four days, both of which could be crucial.
It took him just five minutes of the first leg encounter with Porto to net his first home goal for Liverpool and, while there was an element of good fortune, every team needs luck when they’re challenging for honours as the Reds are.
Highlights of the game
Porto had actually started this Champions League tie as the more enterprising of the two sides.
Only two minutes had elapsed when the player dubbed their danger man before kick-off, Moussa Marega, saw his fierce right-footed effort flash wide of the upright with goalkeeper Alisson beaten.
But Liverpool took the lead within five minutes as Keita was left unmarked on the edge of the box from a Roberto Firmino pass. The midfielder’s shot looped up off defender Oliver Torres and beyond the helpless veteran Iker Casillas.
Porto were stunned, Liverpool buoyant.
After Keita and Mo Salah saw shots blocked and the Egyptian went close again following a poor back pass, the Merseysiders doubled their led to take a firm grip on the tie.
This time it was Firmino who applied the finishing touch after captain Jordan Henderson split open the visitors’ defence and Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a pinpoint cross.
Marega tested Allison on the half hour but Porto were still reeling after finding themselves two goals behind. The SBOBET Champions League 2019 betting odds were truly stacked against the side which thrillingly knocked out Roma in the last round.
There was another nervous first-half moment for Liverpool when Alisson tipped away a deflected cross with the ball deflecting off of Alexander-Arnold’s arm. The incident was checked by VAR but the referee awarded a corner rather than a penalty.
An offside flag denied Sadio Mane an addition to his increasing Champions League 2019 highlights three minutes after the break and a goal which would have made the tie safe.
While Marega tested Allison again midway through the second half, Porto faced the dilemma of whether to risk being ripped open again should they attack. In the end, they offered only a glimpse of a threat as the hosts were largely comfortable.
Jurgen Klopp even felt comfortable enough to replace both Firmino and Mane in the last quarter of the match.
It’s back to the Estádio do Dragão for Porto who will need to be more clinical in attack and ore resolute in defence if they are to pull off a shock.
Klopp’s side, Champions League runners-up last season, are strong favourites to reach the semi-finals for the second successive year.
Salah could have been sent off in the closing stages for a late tackle on Danilo. But he escaped serious punishment, perhaps another sign that this talented Liverpool team has lady luck on its side at a crucial stage of the campaign.
Key statistics
Since the start of last season, only Cristiano Ronaldo (24 for both Real Madrid and Juventus) has been directly involved in more goals in the Champions League than Firmino (21 – 13 goals, 8 assists).
Liverpool have now scored 14 goals in seven matches against Porto, conceding only two.
Porto are now without a win in their 19 visits against English opposition.
Liverpool and Porto have now met seven times in European competition, with Porto yet to be successful.
Porto’s only two victories in seven previous quarter-final appearances came in the seasons when they were crowned European champions, while their record in two-legged ties with English clubs is won three, lost nine.
This was Klopp’s 400th victory as a manager in his career. A total of 111 have been with Liverpool. He notched 180 triumphs with Borussia Dortmund and 109 with another Bundesliga club, Mainz.
What’s next?
Liverpool host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday (April 14) before travelling to Portugal next week for the second leg of this tie. They then face Cardiff City on Easter Sunday.
Porto, who are currently joint top of the Primeira Liga, travel to midtable Portimonense at the weekend and then host Santa Clara on April 20, with the second leg sandwiched in between.
Whichever side progresses will then only have a fortnight until the first leg of the semi-final against the winners of the Man Utd v Barcelona tie as the games come thick and fast in the closing stages of the campaign.
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