Liverpool forward Luis Diaz scored upon his return to Portugal to guarantee Jurgen Klopp’s side secured an impressive two-goal victory at Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The Reds were in full control of the encounter in the first half and entered the half-time break with a deserved two-goal advantage. Ibrahima Konate – restored to the starting line-up – headed in from an Andy Robertson corner before a punchy counter-attacked resulted in Sadio Mane doubling the advantage.
However, the hosts roared back in the second half with a display full of energy and belief, with star striker Darwin Nunez halving the deficit shortly after the break with a composed finish following an error from Konate. Yet a late third goal from Diaz put gloss on the win ahead of the second leg later this month. These are five talking points from Tuesday’s clash.
Mane’s central role
Klopp has rejigged Liverpool ’s attack since the January arrival of Luis Diaz – who also found the net on Tuesday night - from FC Porto with the Colombian establishing himself in the Reds attacking trio.
Diaz excels on the left-side of attack, where he impressed so much during his tenure in Portugal and has now settled into the Reds line-up. The player most naturally at risk from Diaz’s arrival had been Sadio Mane, who was commonly selected on the left-side of the attacking trident under Klopp.
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However, the Senegalese forward has retained his place in the side and has switched to a central role – with Mohamed Salah continuing in a right-sided role, with Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino starting the match in Lisbon on the bench. Klopp has persisted with Mane in this role in recent weeks and he ended his mini goal drought – without a goal in six games for club and country – with a composed finish to double Liverpool’s lead in Lisbon. Alongside Salah, Mane was substituted off just after the hour mark.
Konate in thick of the action
Ibrahima Konate was Liverpool’s only major acquisition in last year’s summer transfer window, but the 22-year-old has not been handed a prominent role at Anfield this campaign. Indeed, he has only been involved in eight of the Reds 30 Premier League matches to date this season despite not enduring major fitness issues.
Tuesday night was the Frenchman’s fourth start in the Champions League as he was preferred to Joel Matip in the heart of defence for the second successive away knockout tie. Konate showed his strength by heading home from Robertson’s corner but, despite a largely faultless display, he did miscue to allow Nunez to pull a goal back for Benfica in the second half.
Darwin Nunez
Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez has already netted 27 goals this campaign for Benfica and had been the club’s standout player. The 22-year-old has been linked to some of Europe’s biggest clubs due to his potential – with Manchester United and Arsenal among the club’s linked to the star.
He had already starred in this season’s Champions League and most notably in the group stage victory over Barcelona, where the striker bagged a brace in the 3-0 win over the Catalan side. His biggest goal came in the Round of 16 win over Ajax, with his second half header decisive in Amsterdam last month.
The South American once again made an impression tonight – with his cool and composed finish following Konate’s error bringing the home side back into the tie. Nunez impressed on the ball, showing a good first touch, positional awareness, strength and a burst of speed. Expect to hear a lot more about him in the months to come ahead of the summer transfer window.
Liverpool’s away dominance
Porto. Atletico Madrid. AC Milan. Inter Milan. Benfica. Five of Europe’s biggest clubs, five of Europe’s most difficult away venues. Liverpool have won at all five this season. That is a club record.
Tuesday night’s victory came against a Benfica side who had won six of their last eight home matches in the Champions League, with only Bayern Munich coming away victorious in that run. The Portuguese giants may be struggling for form this season, but they are a side full of self-belief and defiance: as shown by their progress past both Barcelona and Ajax this campaign.
The Estadio da Luz is always an intimidating atmosphere and that this was played in front of a 65,000-sellout capacity made this one even more challenging for the Reds. Klopp will be hoping for a more serene second leg with their two-goal lead.
New Reds record
Liverpool’s clean sheet in the first half brought up a remarkable new club record for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Their shutout against their Lisbon opponents in the opening 45 minutes meant that they had not conceded a goal in the first half of any match for 19 games in a row, across all competitions – moving past their previous record for such a run.
Indeed, the last team to breach Liverpool’s defence in the opening half of a match were Shrewsbury Town back in January’s FA Cup Third Round tie – when Daniel Udoh gave the visitors a shock lead at Anfield before the Reds roared back to win 4-1.
