The Reds take a big step toward the quarter-finals as they beat Inter at Giuseppe Meazza.
Liverpool defeated Inter in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie. Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock for the Reds as they clinched a crucial win over Simone Inzaghi’s men.
Smash and grab task completed! ✅
Inter started out as the dominant side in what turned out to be a physical first half. Hakan Calhanoglu missed the Nerazzurri’s biggest chance when he rattled Liverpool’s bar with a precise shot in the 16th minute.
Inzaghi’s side re-started their efforts to get the opener as soon as the second period started. However, their half-chances failed to cause real problems for the Reds backline, mainly due to their misplaced last passes.
It was Liverpool’s turn to gain possession after the hour-mark, and the Reds used it to their benefit perfectly. Following an inch-perfect cross from Andrew Robertson, Roberto Firmino raised above Inter defenders to score the opener for his side with a brilliant header.
Only eight minutes later, Klopp’s side put the victory to bed by scoring the entire game’s second shot on target. Virgil van Dijk nodded Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross into the box before Mohamed Salah slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner. It was the Egypt star’s eighth goal of the UCL campaign, which places him two goals behind top-scorer Sebastian Haller.
The two sides will meet again for the second leg at Anfield on March 8.
Player Ratings
Inter: Handanovic (5), Skriniar (7), De Vrij (7), Bastoni (6), Dumfries (6), Vidal (7), Brozovic (6), Calhanoglu (7), Perisic (7), Martinez (5), Dzeko (6).
Bench: Dimarco (5), Gagliardini (6), Ranocchia (6), Darmian (6), Sanchez (5).
Liverpool: Alisson (7), Alexander-Arnold (6), Konate (7), Van Dijk (7), Robertson (8), Thiago (7), Fabinho (6), Elliott (6), Salah (7), Jota (6), Mane (6).
Bench: Milner (5), Keita (6), Diaz (6), Firmino (7), Henderson (6).
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