In the end, it had to be him standing there before them. Four minutes remained when Luis Díaz was sent dashing way, stepped past Odisseas Vlachodimos and rolled the ball into the empty net to finally secure a victory that had looked like it might slip through Liverpool’s hands during a second half in which they had been made to suffer more than anyone expected. Released at last, he ran to the corner, leapt and screamed. In the stands, Benfica’s supporters did too, a flag pole sent flying his way.
They had whistled him all game and indeed before it. Díaz stood for a moment, then pulled at his shirt and kissed the badge. The former Porto forward had beaten them again, this time in a Liverpool shirt. He has faced them eight times now and not lost any of them, this surely the most significant of all. Sent off against Benfica in the Portuguese cup final in 2020, a goalscorer against them in the Super Cup later the same year, he took another team to victory here. Not just in this match but perhaps in the tie, leading Liverpool towards the Champions League semi-final. At last, that big familiar smile returned to Jürgen Klopp’s face.
