Liverpool 0-1 Inter (agg: 2-1): Reds hold on against ten-man Nerazzurri

Liverpool are through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, but the English side were given a fright as Inter threatened an upset.

Match in brief: Reds hold off blue wave

Lautaro Martínez celebrates his sumptuous strikeAFP via Getty Images

The onus was firmly on Inter after their 2-0 defeat in the first leg and, just for a moment midway through the second half, a famous Anfield comeback of another hue looked on the cards. Lautaro Martínez's stunning strike halved the deficit for the ascendant visitors; for once, the Kop quietened.

Hope did not spring eternal, though. It barely lasted a minute. A second yellow card for Alexis Sánchez left Inter down to ten, an uphill task became a mountainous one. Jürgen Klopp brought on his wise old heads in midfield and Liverpool played the game out with a degree of comfort.

The Reds, denied by the woodwork either side of half-time through Joël Matip and Mohamed Salah, and again through Salah in the closing stages, are through to the quarter-finals.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Milan Škriniar (Inter)

"Škriniar showed excellent composure for Inter, building from the back and managing to contribute to a rare clean sheet for the visitors at Anfield."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Joe Terry, Liverpool reporter

In both legs, Inter have looked the better side, but Liverpool are through thanks to their game management and a greater cutting edge. They've lost their perfect record in this tournament, but the most important outcome is that they're through.

Jürgen Klopp reacts at full timeGetty Images

Vieri Capretta, Inter reporter

A great performance from Inter, but it wasn't enough. The Nerazzurri did their best – riding their luck at times, with Liverpool hitting the woodwork on three occasions. They scored a beautiful goal, but their UEFA Champions League campaign ends on a bittersweet feeling – winning at Anfield but being knocked out.

Reaction

Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager: "The difficulties we had were pretty close to what I expected. Inter are a really, really good side, set up for these kinds of games. Without playing brilliantly we had clear-cut chances."

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool forward: "They were a tough team, even in the away game they were very good, though we managed to win that. The most important thing is that we qualified. Hopefully we'll be better in the next game."

Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach: "We're disappointed. Over the two legs it was well-balanced, but those two goals in the final 15 minutes of the first leg proved decisive."

Milan Škriniar, Inter defender: "Tonight we showed what Inter are made of; a game like this will make us grow. We exit with our heads held high."

Key stats

• Liverpool are through to the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.
• Inter's win was only their second in their last seven trips to England, the other five ending in defeat.
• The Nerazzurri are the first away team to win at Anfield in 29 games, since Fulham in March 2021.
• Liverpool's club record seven-match winning run in the competition, the last 100% record remaining, came to an end. Only Bayern, in 2019/20, have ever gone through an entire campaign with a 100% record.

Fantasy star performers

Milan Škriniar – 11
Alessandro Bastoni – 8
Lautaro Martínez – 8

Line-ups

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones (Keïta 65), Fabinho, Thiago Alcántara (Henderson 65); Salah, Diogo Jota (Luis Díaz 83), Mané

Inter: Handanovič; Škriniar, De Vrij (D'Ambrosio 46), Bastoni; Dumfries (Darmian 75), Vidal, Brozović (Gagliardini 75), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Vecino 83), Perišić; Martínez (Correa 75), Alexis Sánchez