Tag: UEFA Champions League

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JUV 0-3 VILL: JUVENTUS DUMPED OUT OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AS VILLAREAL STUN ITALIAN GIANTS

Villarreal stunned Juventus with a 3-0 win to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2009.

Gerard Moreno, Pau Torres and Arnaut Danjuma all scored in the final quarter as Juventus unravelled in embarrassing fashion.

Unai Emery’s side produced a defiant defensive show for most of the Turin return after the two sides had played out a 1-1 draw in Spain three weeks ago.

Villarreal took a 78th-minute lead when substitute Francis Coquelin tumbled over Daniele Rugani’s outstretched leg.

The penalty was awarded after a VAR review and Moreno, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, just managed to beat Wojciech Szczesny from the spot.

Torres added a second five minutes from time, stabbing in from close range after Serge Aurier had flicked on a corner.

Danjuma sealed victory in stoppage time with a third goal in 14 minutes, sweeping home a second penalty for ‘The Yellow Submarine’ after Matthijs De Ligt had handled.

Villarreal had earlier settled into their possession-based game, yet it was Juventus who carried the greater attacking threat.

Juventus should have broken the deadlock after 11 minutes when Juan Cuadrado’s whipped cross found Alvaro Morata unmarked in front of the Villarreal goal.

Contact on the header was good but Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli reacted superbly to claw the ball to safety.

Morata turned provider to free Dusan Vlahovic, but again Rulli was alert to the Serbian’s bending shot.

Vlahovic went even closer when he met Mattia De Sciglio’s centre to rattle the crossbar from a tight angle.

Giovani Lo Celso curled just wide as Villarreal countered at speed.

But the visitors were again indebted to Rulli’s reflexes when he kept out Vlahovic’s point-blank header at his near post – and Juventus were made to pay for their missed chances in the closing stages.

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CHELSEA CRUISE INTO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS

Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta helped Chelsea forget their off-field worries by firing the Blues into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win at Lille.

Pulisic latched on to Jorginho’s fine pass to cancel out Lille skipper Burak Yilmaz’s penalty, before captain Azpilicueta turned in Mason Mount’s cross midway through the second-half.

Chelsea prevailed 4-1 on aggregate in the last-16 battle, eventually dampening the raucous spirit of a packed Stade Pierre Mauroy.

The Champions League holders can continue their defence then, and will await a last-eight draw with an excitement to belie the Stamford Bridge club’s continued state of flux away from the pitch.

The Blues have now racked up five straight wins in all competitions, and have not lost in 90 minutes since the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City on January 15.

That is 13 matches without a loss in regular time, with the only defeat in that run being the penalty shoot-out loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

Chelsea’s build-up to this clash had seen coaches and players having to work out how the Blues would travel across to France.

Roman Abramovich’s UK sanctions have left Chelsea operating under a stringent Government licence, and a £20,000 travel budget limit per match had put a squeeze on their plans.

Statesmanlike boss Thomas Tuchel had even pledged to drive a seven-seater if that was required, such was the German’s determination to keep pushing the Blues forward on the field.

Chelsea’s sale continues apace away from the football, with the Government taking close oversight of the process.

Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

Downing Street sanctioned the Russian-Israeli billionaire last week having claimed to have proven his links to Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich has always denied those assertions, but the 55-year-old’s 19-year and 21-trophy tenure as the club owner is close to an end.

Any fears Chelsea still hold for their future, however, Tuchel and his players seem quite able to block out when taking the field.

This was a patchy performance in places – but the uncertainty can account for that, and ultimately the victory proved professional in the extreme.

Jorginho’s handball gifted Lille the chance to take the lead, a penalty awarded after a VAR check.

Yilmaz blasted home from the spot in the 38th minute, shaking off any nerves to deliver in style and put the hosts ahead.

Pulisic netted on the stroke of half-time, however, to ensure the Blues would keep their two-goal aggregate advantage at the break.

And that goal, coupled with the break to reassess, seemed to afford Chelsea the head space required to hit back and seal their progression.

Azpilicueta wrapped up that step into the quarters in the 71st minute, diverting Mount’s cross into the net for another smart Chelsea goal.

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SPORTING PLAY BARREN DRAW WITH MANCITY AS CITY SCALE THROUGH TO UCL LAST EIGHT

Manchester City were hardly tested as they formally confirmed their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon.

After winning the first leg of the last-16 tie 5-0 last month, City barely got out of second gear in Wednesday’s return at the Etihad Stadium.

Gabriel Jesus did have a goal disallowed while Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling also worked visiting goalkeeper Antonio Adan, but Pep Guardiola’s side showed little urgency against a side clearly resigned to elimination.

Such was City’s control that veteran goalkeeper Scott Carson was sent on for the latter stages while youngsters James McAtee and Luke Mbete also appeared in the second half.

Another of City’s promising academy products, defender CJ Egan-Riley was handed a place in the starting line-up, although that was enforced by the absences of Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake.

In all, Guardiola made six changes from the team that outplayed Manchester United on Sunday.

Among those to sit out key playmaker was Kevin De Bruyne, who is just one booking away from a ban in the competition.

City strolled through the first period, controlling possession but not putting the Sporting defence under much pressure.

It was 24 minutes before they mustered a shot on target with Foden’s effort from 20 yards testing goalkeeper Adan.

Jesus did feel he should have had a penalty after a challenge by Manuel Ugarte, and he was also given nothing after a tackle by Luis Neto on the edge of the area.

Sterling had City’s best chance of the first half after being played through by Foden but he failed in his attempt to dink over Adan.

City sent on McAtee and the in-form Riyad Mahrez at the interval and the latter created what appeared the breakthrough almost immediately.

Mahrez raced into the area from a long ball and regained possession after being tackled to slip in Jesus on the right.

The Brazilian slotted into the net from a tight angle but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review.

Sporting occasionally got forward but never troubled keeper Ederson. One counter-attack did have City back-pedalling but Matheus Reis blasted well over from the right.

So quiet was Ederson that Guardiola decided to take him off in the 73rd minute, replacing him with Carson. It was only the 36-year-old’s second City outing and his first appearance in the Champions League since his spell at Liverpool in 2005.

Carson was almost immediately into the action, needing to save from Paulinho at point-blank range and taking a blow to the knee in the process.

John Stones went close to grabbing an injury-time winner but headed just over and the game ended without score.

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KARIM BENZEMA SCORES HAT-TRICK AS REAL MADRID KNOCKS OUT PSG FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second league football match between Real Madrid CF and Paris Saint-Germain at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 9, 2022. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

Real Madrid fans started the evening by applauding Kylian Mbappé and ended it by cheering Karim Benzema and celebrating another epic Champions League night the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Benzema responded to another goal by Mbappé by scoring a hat trick in less than 20 minutes in the second half Wednesday as Madrid came from behind to defeat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

It was yet another frustrating result in Europe for PSG, which won the first leg 1-0 and doubled its advantage through Mbappé in the first half but again failed to live up to the massive expectations after adding Lionel Messi to its star-studded team this season.

“It turned out to be a spectacular night for us,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “It was a difficult match and it got even more complicated after their first goal. We suffered a lot. But after we scored the atmosphere in the stadium changed and the fans began to push us again and the players began to believe that they could finish the comeback.”

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 39th minute to increase PSG’s aggregate lead after the France striker also netted in stoppage time to secure the first-leg win in Paris.

Mbappé has been widely linked with a move to Madrid after his contract expires at the end of the season and was cheered by part of the Madrid fans when his name was announced in the PSG lineup before the match. His family was also at the Bernabéu.

But when it was all over the ovation was for Madrid and Benzema, who at 34 years, 80 days became the oldest player to score a Champions League hat trick. He surpassed Olivier Giroud, who was 34 years, 63 days when he hit a treble for Chelsea at Sevilla in 2020.

Benzema also reached 309 goals with Madrid to surpass Alfredo Di Stéfano for third place on the club’s all-time scoring list, and 67 in the Champions League to surpass Raúl González’s 66 with the club and become second-best to Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We needed the fans and they were behind us until the end,” Benzema said. “This victory is for them.”

More than 60,000 were on hand for the biggest crowd at the Bernabéu since the coronavirus pandemic started. The stadium, which remains under renovation, remained packed several minutes after the final whistle as players stayed on the field celebrating with the fans.

Benzema’s third Champions League hat trick started in the 61st after a blunder by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. He then scored again in the 76th and 78th minutes to give the 13-time European champions a 3-2 aggregate win. Madrid reached the last eight for the second straight season after consecutive eliminations in the round of 16.

PSG, seeking its first Champions League title, had advanced past the round of 16 the last two seasons, losing the final to Bayern Munich in 2020 and being eliminated by Manchester City in the semifinals in 2021.

In the other last-16 match on Wednesday, Manchester City advanced past Sporting Lisbon 5-0 on aggregate after a scoreless draw in England.

PSG appeared in control after Mbappé, who had been doubtful to play after picking up a knock in training on Monday, scored in the 39th after collecting a long pass by Neymar and making a run into the area before firing a low shot past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

It was the 27th Champions League goal for the 23-year-old France forward with PSG, leaving him three shy of Edinson Cavani’s club record in the competition. He has scored 14 goals in his last 14 Champions League appearances.

Mbappé had already had a few chances before opening the scoring, including a goal disallowed for offside in the build-up. He also had one goal called back for the same reason in the second half.

Neymar and Lionel Messi also threatened for PSG after Madrid looked in control early.

Vinícius Júnior and Benzema threatened the most for Madrid, and the French striker scored the equalizer off a pass from Vinícius after Donnarumma gave the ball away while being pressured by Benzema inside the area.

“The goalkeeper waited and waited, he lost the ball and it was a goal,” Benzema said. “He should have cleared it, simple as that.”

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino complained that Benzema had fouled Donnarumma.

“It was a clear foul and it wasn’t called,” Pochettino said. “We became nervous after that goal and things got complicated. We didn’t manage it well after that.”

Benzema added the second after a pass from Luka Modric and a couple of minutes later sealed the team’s spot in the quarterfinals with a one-time finish after another run by Vinícius down the left flank.

Madrid was without Ferland Mendy and Casemiro because of yellow-card suspensions, but Toni Kroos started after being doubtful because of muscle injury. Federico Valverde replaced Casemiro, while Nacho Fernández started at left back instead of veteran Marcelo.

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LIVERPOOL REACH LAST EIGHT OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DESPITE RARE ANFIELD LOSS

Liverpool suffered their first Anfield defeat in a year after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Inter Milan but still progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League courtesy of their two-goal first-leg advantage.

Lautaro Martinez’s 61st-minute goal had given the visitors a chance of overturning the deficit but Alexis Sanchez’s red card for a second bookable offence less than two minutes later blew a hole in their hopes.

Liverpool, who have not lost a European tie when they have won the first away leg – 37 times and counting – should have put the result beyond doubt as Mohamed Salah hit both posts in the second half.

But in keeping with what was, for periods, not the easiest of nights against the Serie A champions Jurgen Klopp’s side saw things out to reach a fourth quarter-final in five years despite losing their 100 per cent record in the competition this season.

The last team to win here was Fulham, at the end of an unprecedented six-match losing streak at Anfield, 366 days ago but the calibre of this opposition was considerably stronger and, very much like the first leg, Liverpool did not have things all their own way as they are used to doing domestically.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi had said pre-match his side had to score in the first half and they set about their challenge with determination with their 3-5-2 formation and high-intensity press giving their hosts plenty to think about.

Denzel Dumfries’ early shot was easily saved by Alisson Becker but aside from a Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick straight at the goalkeeper – who had purposefully left a gap for him in a two-man wall – Inter saw little reward for their effort.

In fact, Liverpool could have put the tie to bed before the interval as Joel Matip headed against the crossbar and Virgil Van Dijk had an effort deflected wide.

Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a free-kick wide deep in added time and then, soon after the restart, produced a strangely late-dipping shot which almost caught out Samir Handanovic

After the break Liverpool discovered the control they had been looking for as Inter’s intensity levels began to drop.

It should have brought the opening goal when, with goalkeeper Handanovic on the floor having beaten Diogo Jota to the ball, Salah shot against the post with only a couple of covering defenders to beat.

That was all the encouragement Anfield needed and, with the last eight edging closer, the noise levels were raised.

With the game opening up Martinez had a shot deflected wide when he should have really have hit the target, although he made no mistake with his swerving 20-yard effort in the 61st minute.

But within two minutes Inter’s task was made more difficult when Sanchez was sent off after his follow-through on Fabinho earned him a second booking.

Klopp immediately stiffened his midfield by sending on Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita for Thiago Alcantara, making his first start after a three-match absence, and Curtis Jones, also just back from injury.

Sadio Mane’s lofted pass saw Salah volley against the other post while in added time substitute Luis Diaz had a certain goal denied when Arturo Vidal deflected his shot over.

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LEWANDOWSKI MAKES HISTORY AS BAYERN MUNICH DEMOLISH RB SALZBURG

Robert Lewandowski scored the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history as Bayern Munich destroyed RB Salzburg 7-1 to reach the last eight of the competition.

The Poland star reached the 40-goal mark for the sixth successive season with a treble blast inside the opening 23 minutes.

The previous quickest hat-trick from the start of a Champions League match came in 24 minutes from AC Milan’s Marco Simone, against Rosenborg in 1996.

Bayern were thankful for a last-minute Kingsley Coman equaliser when the two sides met in Austria last month.

But any thoughts of another close contest were quickly removed after Nicolas Capaldo had missed an early chance for Salzburg and Bayern turned on the style.

Lewandowski was brought down by Maximilian Wober after turning superbly on Coman’s pass to slot home a 12th-minute penalty.

Bayern’s second goal was identical as Wober again felled Lewandowski just inside the area and the forward’s second spot-kick found the same corner of the net.

The third arrived instantly as advancing Salzburg goalkeeper Philipp Kohn kicked the ball against Lewandowski and it looped onto a post before the striker claimed his 42nd goal of the season with a simple tap-in.

Coman robbed Mohamed Camara to set up Serge Gnabry after 31 minutes, his shot fired under the body of Kohn.

Thomas Muller smashed home the fifth nine minutes after the restart before Salzburg teenager Maurits Kjaergaard struck a superb left-footed consolation.

But Bayern had the final say as Muller swept home his 52nd Champions League goal and Leroy Sane completed the rout five minutes from time.

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UCL: VILLAREAL HOLD JUVENTUS AFTER DUSAN VLAHOVIC’S EARLY STRIKE

Dusan Vlahovic lived up to the hype by scoring 32 seconds into his Champions League debut on Tuesday but Juventus have work to do to make the last 16 after being held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal in the first leg. Vlahovic found the corner with just his second touch of the game at La Ceramica but a sensational start for Juve and the Serb’s Champions League career was not enough for victory. Instead, Villarreal’s Dani Parejo steered in a deserved equaliser midway through the second half to leave a compelling contest in the balance ahead the return leg in Turin.

At 22 years and 25 days old, Vlahovic is the second youngest player to score on their Champions League debut for Juventus after Alessandro Del Piero made his mark aged 20.

“He’s young, this is his first Champions League match,” said Juve’s Alvaro Morata. “Imagine the career he has ahead of him.”

Vlahovic was signed for an initial 70 million euros from Fiorentina in January and to huge excitement, with Juve toasting the arrival of one of the world’s most coveted young talents.

Juventus coach Max Allegri had tried to reduce expectations on Monday by insisting the striker would have to adapt psychologically and technically to the intensity of the Champions League – but Vlahovic needed less than a minute to find his feet.

It was his second goal in five appearances for Juve after he scored 12 minutes into his debut against Verona earlier this month, following a blistering 25 goals in 31 games for Fiorentina.

“When you play against this type of team, with top players, you can’t give them even half an inch. It was a great goal,” said Parejo.

Juventus will be favourites to finish the job at home next month but a well-organised and disciplined Villarreal, who won the Europa League last season, showed enough to suggest an upset is far from impossible.

“We feel a bit of frustration. You need to win at home,” said Villarreal’s Etienne Capoue. “But I think this team has the strength and mentality to win there. It’s difficult but we can do it.”

Nine Juventus players had not yet touched the ball when it hit the back of the Villarreal net.

Villarreal had stroked the ball back and across the pitch from kick-off but it was their ninth pass that went astray, Alberto Moreno choosing to dummy when he thought Arnaut Danjuma was behind him, only to find Danjuma had sprinted away.

Danilo intercepted and instantly drove a ball over the top, where Vlahovic had sped between Raul Albiol and Pau Torres. Vlahovic chested down and looked well-marshalled, with Torres tracking him across, but the striker fired early on the turn and the ball slid crisply into the far corner.

Half of the Villarreal team were yet to have a touch but they responded, dictating possession and tempo while Samuel Chukwueze went close, a flicked finish flashing wide of the near post.

Juventus were compact and organised while up front, Vlahovic remained a brooding presence. He held up three defenders in the area and laid back for Manuel Locatelli but the midfielder shot over.

Leonardo Bonucci, fit again after recovering from injury, replaced Alex Sandro at half-time but Villarreal finally found an equaliser in the 66th minute. Etienne Capoue held the ball in midfield and looked short of ideas, until Parejo spotted a gap and darted in behind.

Capoue lifted the ball over the top to the midfielder, who swung his left foot, a scuffed finish enough to beat Wojciech Szczesny at the near post.

The game tightened up late on as neither team wanted to risk opening themselves up, preferring to defer to the rematch in Turin.

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CHELSEA BEAT LILLE 2-0 IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 FIRST LEG CLASH

Chelsea showed they can thrive without Romelu Lukaku as Kai Havertz scored after replacing the axed Belgium striker for the 2-0 Champions League last-16, first-leg win against Lille on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel’s side took control of the tie thanks to Havertz’s first-half header and Christian Pulisic’s clinical finish after the break at Stamford Bridge.

The holders will expect to complete their progress to the quarter-finals when they travel to France for the second leg on March 16. But Chelsea’s sixth successive win in all competitions was more a referendum on their Lukaku conundrum than an indication of their chances of retaining the trophy.

Lukaku has scored just 10 goals since a club record £97 million ($131 million) move from Inter Milan last year that was expected to launch a period of sustained dominance for Chelsea.

He touched the ball only seven times in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, the lowest total by a Premier League player since 2003-04.

Despite being infuriated in December by Lukaku’s public questioning of the way he was being used, Tuchel had appeared to back him on Monday, insisting his problems were no laughing matter.

But, tellingly, Chelsea were more potent in Lukaku’s absence and it remains to be seen if Tuchel will trust his beleaguered star in the League Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.

At least Tuchel knows Chelsea have the ammunition to damage opponents while their supposed leading man labours.

“For Kai, I’m very pleased. He’s been very strong for several weeks now. He really stepped up. The work rate is immense. The areas of the pitch he covers for us is very good. He is never shy of defending,” Tuchel said.

“Romelu struggled in the last game to deliver. Not only mentally tired, but physically, which I can understand. It was the moment to take a step back.

“Today we went with other players. For Sunday we have four days to recover and decide who plays.”

Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi paraded the Club World Cup around the pitch just before kick-off.

However, that victory in Abu Dhabi will be only a footnote in the story of Chelsea’s season if they don’t mount a strong finish to an inconsistent campaign.

This was a step in the right direction and Havertz didn’t take long to get involved.

Cesar Azpilicueta’s low cross was begging to be finished off, but the German forward poked his effort over the bar from six yards.

If that was a concern for Tuchel, he would have been relieved that Havertz looked more threatening as he cut inside for a fierce strike which Leo Jardim pushed away at full stretch.

From the resulting corner, Havertz gave Chelsea an eighth-minute lead.

Taking advantage of Lille’s woeful marking, Havertz met Hakim Ziyech’s corner with a downward header that bounced in for his seventh goal this season.

Havertz, more forceful and energetic than Lukaku on current form, needed just 15 minutes to record more touches than the Belgian managed in the entire Palace game.

After an initial bout of stage-fright, the French champions probed intelligently for openings, with Benjamin Andre’s long-range drive held by Edouard Mendy.

Tuchel’s agitated body language betrayed his frustration at Chelsea’s failure to build on their lead in the first half.

However, he got his message across and there was more urgency about Chelsea after the interval.

Marcos Alonso’s goalbound drive was diverted to safety by Zeki Celik before Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic were forced off.

Chelsea weren’t hindered by the injuries and doubled their lead with a sweeping counter-attack in the 63rd minute.

Thiago Silva started the incisive raid with a superb pass to N’Golo Kante, who advanced at speed towards the Lille area before slipping a pass to Pulisic.

Taking two touches, Pulisic steadied himself and clipped a composed finish past Jardim from 10 yards.

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LIVERPOOL GRAB TWO GOAL LEAD AT INTER MILAN AHEAD SECOND LEG TIE

Liverpool executed an old-fashioned European smash and grab in the San Siro as goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah handed them a huge advantage against Inter Milan

Jurgen Klopp’s side were well below their best, especially for 30 minutes of the second half, but have the knack of knowing how to win when it matters and late goals left their opponents with a 2-0 deficit to overcome at Anfield in the second leg of this Champions League last-16 tie next month.

At Burnley on Sunday they had proved they can grind out results in difficult circumstances but this was something of a step up in class against the defending Serie A champions.

But with Virgil Van Dijk at times seemingly single-handedly holding the defence together they weathered what storm there was and struck with clinical efficiency like the Liverpool sides of old in Europe.

Half-time substitute Firmino produced a superb flicked header from Andy Robertson’s inswinging 75th-minute corner and eight minutes later Salah’s deflected shot – the eight successive Champions League away game in which he has scored – made Inter’s task all the more difficult.

The gamble of handing teenager Harvey Elliott his first Champions League appearance with a place in the starting line-up, making him Liverpool’s youngest player in the competition, excluding qualifiers, by surpassing team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold (18 years and 354 days), did not pay off but it was far from the youngster’s fault.

There were far too many more senior players having off days and for a time, especially after the break, it looked like it might cost them.

The game was strangely open for a Champions League knockout tie with Lautaro Martinez lashing a shot wide from just outside the area, Hakan Calhanoglu’s angled shot glancing off the crossbar and Milan Skriniar heading wide at a corner for the hosts in the first half.

Liverpool arguably created better chances with Sadio Mane heading over a Robertson free-kick when he should probably have scored before planting an acrobatic overhead effort into the side-netting.

Either side of those Thiago Alcantara’s dipping volley dropped onto the roof of the net and Alexander-Arnold whipped wide a free-kick.

The visitors’ pressing game was paying dividends in the final third with Inter often getting caught in possession or giving the ball away but there was no profit to be made from that.

Liverpool at least had the reassuring presence of Van Dijk, who usually saves his absolute best for the business end of the season, at the other end.

Edin Dzeko looked to have gained a couple of yards on the edge of the area but the Dutchman’s recovery was effortless to casually dispossess the former Manchester City striker.

Firmino replaced Diogo Jota at the interval but it was Inter who started better with Martinez failing to get on the end of Ivan Perisic’s inviting cross.

Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Luis Diaz arrived midway through the second half with the hosts threatening to push home their dominance and the latter was immediately into the action forcing Skriniar to block a shot.

But Liverpool’s play continued to be ragged, only offering more encouragement to their opponents, who frequently tried to exploit the channel between Alexander-Arnold and centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

Denzel Dumfries headed over a corner but Firmino was far more clinical from Robertson’s inswinging delivery and Salah matched that decisiveness when he doubled their lead soon after.

The fact Klopp eschewed his customary fist pumps despite the urging of the travelling support suggested he knew they had probably got away with one and he did not want to push his luck further.

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KINGSLEY COMAN NETS LATE EQUALIZER FOR BAYERN AT RB SALZBURG

Kingsley Coman struck a last-minute equaliser as Bayern Munich drew 1-1 at RB Salzburg in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Substitute Chukwubuike Adamu put the Austrian underdogs ahead after 21 minutes and it looked as if the six-time European champions would see their record unbeaten away run in the competition end at 21 games.

But Coman, who scored the winner against Paris St Germain in the 2020 final, latched onto Thomas Muller’s flick on to drill home at the far post.

Salzburg started in brisk fashion, but Bayern went close after 10 minutes when Serge Gnabry forced a smart save from Philipp Kohn.

Bayern fell behind after Karim Adeyemi drove at the home defence and Brenden Aaronson touched the ball into the path of Adamu.

Aaronson soon forced a fine low save from Ulreich and English referee Michael Oliver ruled there was no contact from Benjamin Pavard when Karim Adeyemi fell theatrically in the Germans’ box.

Leroy Sane flashed a shot wide at the other end and Bayern dominated the second period without creating too many chances.

Kohn denied Kingsley Coman and Sane as Bayern belatedly bared their teeth.

But the visitors were fortunate when Ulreich thwarted Adeyemi and the outstretched Pavard brilliantly blocked Adamu’s follow-up effort.