FC Porto vs Liverpool result: Reds thrash opponents with little fuss and plenty of quality to reach semi-finals
Porto 1-4 Liverpool (1-6 agg): Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk all scored on a smooth night for Jurgen Klopp's side
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Your support makes all the difference.It was the game barely anyone was focusing on, but that has been oddly in-keeping with Liverpool’s entire Champions League campaign, and could yet play into why everyone actually watches them win lift the trophy at the end.
This was another low-key, high-quality win, as they ultimately thrashed Porto 4-1 on the night and 6-1 on aggregate.
What stood out here wasn’t the abandon of the scoring, though, but rather the solidity of the entire performance. Their focus on the Premier League has meant many have been overlooking just how singularly good they look in the Champions League, where the lesser pressure may have actually made them a better side.
They may well be the most complete team left in the competition, and should not fear Barcelona.
They just keep going, and keep so obdurate.
It wouldn’t seem like there was too much jeopardy with hindsight, but Porto had been genuinely putting it up to Liverpool. Just like in the first leg, they were looking a lot better than the eventual scorelines against a much wealthier super-club suggested.
There was also a real intricacy to their attacks, as all of Moussa Marega, Jesus Corona, Hector Herrera and Yacine Brahimi interchanged with speed and ingenuity. The movement of Marega, in particular, was distracting and posed thread of bringing disconnection at the back. Against lesser defences, they could really have found a fair few openings.
Against Liverpool, though, they only found more and more barriers. If they get post Fabinho in midfield, there was Virgil van Dijk. If they got past van Dijk, there was Alisson.
This was why Porto were mostly reduced to long shots, that the goalkeeper so firmly held. There has been a little bit of debate of late that Alisson has been more erratic and posing his own danger of mistakes, but that has generally been with his feet. It certainly wasn’t the case with his hands here.
And it meant that, even though Porto were looking dangers against the sound of a fervent crowd, Liverpool as a team had more than a handle on the game.
They were under pressure but never under threat of caving.
And that was the case with the tie as a whole when Mane – eventually – got his goal. In what was Liverpool’s first real attack of the game, Salah diverted an effort towards the net and the Senegalese strike made sure… but only after the referee made sure.
The linesman’s flag had gone up, so Dutch referee Danny Makkelle turned to VAR. After a long wait – and one that was so tense for a home crowd that had up to then sensed that something defiant and historic might be on – the goal was given.
That, however, had been somewhat given away prematurely by Salah’s celebration after the referee had appeared to mouth to him that “it’s a goal”.
The manner of that, and the very wait, will of course of provoke more debate about the implementation of VAR but it was just another case where the system got the call correct.
The main issue with this one wasn’t so much “killing the emotion” but the separate problem of killing the tie as a contest. That of course had nothing to do with VAR.
It had everything to do with how good and business-like this Liverpool team have become. With an advantage of 3-0, and one of those away goal, they were just never going to give up four goals against Porto.
They were instead going to hit the next, as Trent Alexander-Arnold fed Salah for the striker to slip the ball under Iker Casillas.
His fine form going into the most testing stage of the season continues.
There was one surprise to the game as Liverpool did actually concede through a set-piece, but the source of it shouldn’t be a surprise. This is why so many of Europe’s super-clubs want Porto centre-half Eder Militao. He showed his force, and his acumen, by powering in a header.
It was by that point just a detail, though, as were Liverpool’s next two goals. Roberto Firmino came off the bench to head a third, before Van Dijk got a goal of his own.
The 4-1 scoreline did seem a little unfair on Porto, but yet oddly still reflected just how good Liverpool look for this competition – and maybe more.
That was what really mattered. Liverpool were again through, with little fuss, but an awful lot of quality.
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