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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Victor

Andy Robertson identifies "huge difference" which saw Liverpool defeat Inter Milan

Liverpool are in pole position to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and defender Andy Robertson has pointed to one key change from Jurgen Klopp which led them to victory over Inter Milan.

The Reds will take a two-goal advantage back to Anfield after substitute Roberto Firmino opened the scoring at the San Siro and Mohamed Salah's strike completed a 2-0 victory.

There were some nervy moments, though - not least Edin Dzeko's disallowed goal for the hosts - and the absence of the away goals rule means Robertson and his teammates won't be resting on their laurels.

However, after a win which required Klopp's side to dig deep, the left-back has pointed to one change in particular which made the difference in Italy.

Is there any way back for Inter at Anfield? Have your say in the comments section

Roberto Firmino opened the scoring for Liverpool (REUTERS)

"I thought the subs made a big difference tonight," Robertson told LFCTV after the game.

"I thought Bobby [Firmino] when he came on was excellent, Hendo was unbelievable when he came on - I can’t speak highly enough of his performance, because we were under pressure when he came on, him and Naby made a huge difference as well, and Luis as well of course."

However, while there was plenty of praise for Firmino, who the left-back described as "an incredible footballer," Henderson was singled out for his impact on the game.

The former Sunderland midfielder was withdrawn early in Sunday's win at Burnley after an under-par performance, but returned in a big way after coming on as part of a triple substitution on the hour mark.

"We brought on three subs and that’s the beauty of it, and it kind of changed the game because we started getting a foothold in the game," Robertson said.

"I think that’s where credit has to go to Hendo because he got a hold of the ball and took the game by the scruff of the neck, which is never easy coming off the bench, and I thought he was terrific tonight."

Dzeko was denied a goal by the offside flag (REUTERS)

While Dzeko strayed slightly offside before beating Alisson, and Hakan Calhanoglu hit the bar in the first half, Inter ultimately failed to register a shot on target over the 90 minutes.

However, Robertson admitted Inter were on top for periods of the game and stressed the important of Liverpool getting a result when not at their best.

"We were a bit sloppy with the ball, we could have been a lot better with our final pass and things like that, but it’s so important to win these games," he said.

"Tonight we weren’t quite there, we weren’t quite at 100%, but when you’re not there you need to do enough to win the game, and I thought we always did that."

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