Porto 1-4 Liverpool: Champions League at a glance
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Article summary
Liverpool completed a 6-1 aggregate win to book a semi-final against Barcelona.
Article top media content
Article body
All you need to know in 60 seconds ...
Liverpool set up a mouthwatering UEFA Champions League semi-final date with Barcelona as their vaunted strikeforce proved too good for Porto.
The Portuguese side trailed 2-0 after the first leg and gamely sought a way back into the tie early on. Yet the gig was effectively up when Sadio Mané struck midway through the opening period, timing his run perfectly to tap in Mohamed Salah's cross.
Salah made sure himself after the hour on the counterattack after a Trent Alexander-Arnold through ball, and half-time substitute Roberto Firmino soon got in on the act as he met Andrew Robertson's centre. Éder Militão pulled one back but Virgil van Dijk had the last word with a thumping header.
View from the stadium: Carlos Machado
Porto played their part and had a good go as they sought the goal that would have opened up this tie. Jürgen Klopp did not cut a wholly comfortable figure early on but Mané's goal killed it. The hosts were playing for pride from then on but Liverpool were simply too good.
Man of the match: Roberto Firmino
Klopp raised plenty of eyebrows by leaving Firmino on the bench, but the Brazilian made a decisive contribution at both ends after entering the fray, winning the ball back inside his own half in the build-up to Liverpool's second before nodding in the Reds' third from close range. Firmino is the only player to feature in all 38 European fixtures under Klopp – he will hope to make it 41 before the end of the season.
Key stats
8: Liverpool have never lost a European match against Porto (W5 D3).
10: Liverpool have played ten two-legged European ties under Klopp and won them all.
2: The Reds are through to their 11th European Cup semi-final and second in a row – they have never reached the semis three seasons running.
2: Liverpool have kept just two clean sheets in their last 16 UEFA Champions League games away from Anfield.
2: Porto have lost two of their last 22 competitive home fixtures.
10: Mané has scored ten goals in his last ten appearances in the knockout stages.
What does it mean?
Barcelona await Liverpool in the semi-finals, starting the week after next with a trip to the Camp Nou, where Barça are unbeaten in Europe since 2013! The double dream is still on for Klopp's men. Similarly for Porto, who trail leaders Benfica only on head-to-head record with five league games left. The Dragons also face Sporting CP in the Portuguese Cup final on 25 May, seven days before Liverpool hope to be involved in the UEFA Champions League decider.
What's next?
Liverpool's blood-and-thunder run of matches continues on Sunday afternoon with a tricky trip to relegation-threatened Cardiff; title rivals Manchester City play Tottenham 24 hours earlier.
Porto will aim to keep the pressure on Benfica when they host mid-table Santa Clara on Saturday evening.