On Tuesday night, Premier League title contenders Liverpool traveled to Benfica’s home ground for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The Reds, who had lost their previous three visits to Benfica, ended their losing winless streak with a 3-1 victory at the Estadio do Luz.
Liverpool kicked up their campaign in front of a raucous crowd. Within the first five minutes, they worried Benfica’s backline with their slick passing and pace. Sadio Mane was found in the centre by Andy Robertson’s cross from the left flank, but the Senegalese international could not keep his header on target. Mohamed Salah was passed through on goal five minutes later, but the Egyptian unexpectedly missed to strike.
Ibrahima Konate headed the ball in from Robertson’s inch-perfect corner kick in the 17th minute, capping off their early pressure. Mane added the final touch to Luis Diaz’s headed pass across goal 17 minutes later, doubling the Reds’ lead.
Despite being down two goals, Benfica refused to give up and attacked the six-time Champions League champions with anything they had. Darwin Nunez scored for the Portuguese four minutes into the second half, benefiting on a rare error by first-half goalscorer Konate.
Following their conceding, the Merseysiders became uneasy in possession and were giving Benfica plenty of space. Everton, a Brazilian star, had a clear shot on goal in the 60th minute, but Alisson, the Reds’ goalie, saved it brilliantly.
Jurgen Klopp made a triple substitution to take control of the game, bringing on Jordan Henderson, Diogo Jota, and Roberto Firmino. The Merseyside giants quickly reclaimed control of the situation.
The Premier League heavyweights recovered their energy in the closing stages of the game, and Diaz properly scored their third goal of the night. The Colombian’s goal gave the Reds a 1-3 victory in Lisbon, giving them a comfortable advantage heading into the return leg next week. The victory was well-deserved, but Klopp and his team did not have it easy.
We’ll look at five players who stood up to help secure a crucial win, as well as two who made the process extremely complicated.
5. Performed: Trent Alexander-Arnold
It was difficult to keep Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of Robertson, especially given how good the Scot was from set-pieces.
However, the Englishman’s outstanding first-half performance and juicy long balls almost secured the game for them.
He was absolutely assured in control, effortlessly dispatching long balls (11 of 13), and preventing Benfica strikers from dribbling past him.
His best moment of the game came in the 34th minute, when he found Diaz inside the box with a magnificent long-ball. Mane took care of the rest as the Colombian headed the ball in his direction.
4. Underperformed: Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara, a center midfielder for Liverpool, is practically unplayable when he’s on shape. He controls the midfield, squirts passes in all directions, and never seems to run out of brilliant solutions.
Unfortunately, none of the preceding characteristics were evident in his performance on Tuesday night.
The Benfica midfielders brushed him aside with ease. In the final third, the Spain international missed a finishing touch and lost control several times.
Thiago lost five ground duels, failed to make a critical pass, and lost possession ten times before being replaced in the 61st minute by Jordan Henderson.
One of the best midfielders in the world was having a difficult day at work.
3. Performed: Naby Keita
While the natural talented brilliant midfielder struggled to take control of the game, Naby Keita showed Benfica how to win.
On Tuesday night, he was nearly everywhere, generating a slew of chances and assisting Luis Diaz on Liverpool’s third goal.
Keita won the ball back in a threatening area in the 87th minute and played an inch-perfect pass into Diaz’s path. The Colombian found the back of the net with ease to reclaim Liverpool’s two-goal advantage.
Aside from the critical assist, Keita also made two crucial passes, won ten duels, and recovered eight balls.
2. Underperformed: Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah, the Premier League’s top scorer (20 goals), has not looked his best since Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Friday weekend, he was a difficult figure against Watford in the league, and he wasn’t any better last night.
In the first half, the Egyptian squandered two one-on-one moments, was easily pushed out of control, and even struggled to work well with his teammates.
Salah had lost five of his seven duels, abandoned possession 22 times, and only had a 76.7 percent passing accuracy before being replaced in the 61st minute by Diogo Jota.
A concerning indicator for Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s important Premier League match against Manchester City at the top of the table.
1. Performed: Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz, the obvious star of Tuesday night’s event, was a live wire from beginning to end. He went for every ball with passion, and when the time came, he maintained his composure.
The Colombian international played a key role in Liverpool’s second goal of the night, assisting Mane. He expertly passed Alexander-long Arnold’s ball into the path of the Senegalese, allowing him to finish from 10 yards out.
Diaz also scored a fantastic goal in the 87th minute. The former Porto man latched on to Keita’s pass and around the keeper before putting the ball home from a tight angle to give the Reds an important win.
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