Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah struck in the closing 15 minutes to earn Liverpool a 2-0 win away to Inter in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.
The Reds rode their luck for long periods, not least when Hakan Calhanoglu collected Ivan Perišić’s cross and shot against the bar 16 minutes in. Calhanoglu was instrumental for the hosts, providing excellent set-piece deliveries for both Milan Skriniar and Denzel Dumfries to go close with their heads.
Sadio Mane’s first-half header was the closest Liverpool had come when Jurgen Klopp, his team on the back foot, made a triple change just before the hour. Edin Džeko then had an effort ruled out for offside but the momentum soon began to shift, Firmino’s delightful header from Andy Robertson’s corner tipping the scales entirely.
Salah rubber-stamped a vintage away performance when he finished inside a crowded penalty area with just seven minutes left.
Salah has now scored 12 goals in his last 12 Champions League outings.
Klopp’s side have won ten of their last 13 Champions League games away from Anfield.
Fabinho made his 150th appearance for Liverpool.Firmino scored his 11th goal as a substitute under Klopp this evening – no player has managed more for the Reds from the bench under the German coach.
Virgil van Dijk has been named the Player of the Match. UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel said of the Dutch international: “He was a real leader of his team. He was very solid in defence, being in the right place with some great – and vital – interceptions. He rarely misplaced a pass and was a constant threat from set pieces.”
Inter defender Denzel Dumfries said , “I think we played well. We fought hard, kept the lines tight; it was difficult for them to play under pressure. Eventually we gave them opportunities to score but 2-0 is not a fair result. Of course it is possible to come back at Anfield, every game is different. It won’t be easy, but I believe in our qualities. We’ll go there to play and win.”
Inter coach: Simone Inzaghi said ,”Football is decided by small details and that Firmino header made all the difference tonight. This performance, however, should give us plenty of confidence because we played a great game.”
Liverpool’s Andy Robertson said ,”We need to be better than we were tonight to make sure we reach the last eight, but we have the benefit of having two goals. If we don’t put in a good performance [at Anfield] we won’t be through.”
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said “We didn’t have a brilliant day, but a good enough day to get a result.”
Virgil van Dijk, Player of the Match: “One of the messages before the game was that we needed to be ready to suffer. It was a very good performance and clean sheet.”
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