Jordan Henderson calls on Liverpool to make the 5-0 win over Porto the new normal
Sadio Mane's hat-trick has left the Reds all but qualified for the quarter-finals
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Your support makes all the difference.Jordan Henderson has called on Liverpool Fc to make their emphatic 5-0 Champions League victory in Porto their new norm as Jürgen Klopp’s side set their sights on progressing further in the competition.
A Sadio Mané hat-trick, plus goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, made Liverpool all but certain of progression to the last eight as the Portuguese league leaders were blown away at the Estadio do Dragao.
The five unanswered strikes made Klopp’s side the highest-scorers in the Champions League this season and increased their tally across all competitions to a staggering 99 goals.
Wednesday night’s performance established that Liverpool do not intend to merely make up the numbers in this year’s knock-out stages and club captain Henderson believes they will be a test for any side, provided they can find consistency.
“I think before this game, I am not sure how many teams would have wanted to play us anyway because when we are on it, like we were tonight, we are very hard to play,” he said. “That has to be our norm and we have to be consistent with the performances and to get results like this.”
Henderson added: “We have to do that more often. I thought the lads, the whole team, were brilliant from start to finish. That should be normal for us. You have to keep that going in the Premier League and in this competition.
“There is another leg at Anfield to finish the job off so there is a lot we need to do to improve but tonight was a good step.”
Liverpool have struggled when required to manage games and protect leads in the recent past but had no such problems in Porto, and Henderson was pleased there was no repeat of November’s collapse in Sevilla, when a 3-0 lead was squandered in a 3-3 draw.
“We knew after half-time they [Porto] would have a go so it was about staying calm and keep playing football,” he said. “We knew we would create more chances if we could find the space and we managed to do that. It was a great performance and a good result.
“I thought we started the game really well, very aggressive, very brave. We pressed up high to get the ball back. We defended well the whole game and with the quality we have going forward, we were clinical as well.”
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