Liverpool put one foot in final despite late Roma rally
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Updated 24/04/2018 at 21:34 GMT
Champions League semi-final, Anfield – Liverpool 5 (Salah 35’, 45’, Mane 56’, Firmino 61’, 68’) Roma 2 (Dzeko 81’, Perotti P 85’)
Liverpool feiert Mo Salah
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A devastating, thrilling, ridiculous, incomprehensible match at Anfield left Liverpool on the verge of the Champions League final. And yet after all we've seen in this devastating, thrilling, ridiculous, incomprehensible season, no one could be that surprised if Roma end up in Kiev.
For the first half hour of tonight's game Roma were in control, their midfield far superior to Liverpool's. But one error from Edin Dzeko allowed Mohamed Salah to conjure a fantastic opener and for the next 45 minutes Roma were ravaged, midfield missed out and their three-man backline, defending high up the pitch, absolutely ravaged by Liverpool's three-man forward line.
So it was that Salah added a second goal just before half-time and then on 56 minutes Sadio Mane added a third. Roma looked befuddled and bedraggled, desperate to concede more to put themselves out of their misery, and Roberto Firmino nabbed a brace on 61 and 69; Liverpool had scored five times in 33 minutes, and the tie was over.
Except with nine minutes left, Dejan Lovren switched off, Edin Dzeko scored, and then Diego Perotti stroked home a penalty to finish a wild night, setting up what promises to be another wild night in Rome. Do not, under any circumstances, miss it.
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Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino (L) celebrates with Liverpool's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah after scoring their fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Liverpool and Roma at Anfield s
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TALKING POINT
What was Eusebio Di Francesco thinking? Plenty of teams have struggled to contain Liverpool's front three - they're good - but to go man to man, with a high line and no pressure on the ball? Had he ever seen them play? His players seemed none too impressed, constantly coming over to the bench, he somehow did nothing to change things at half-time, and is lucky that things got better at 5-0, not worse.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): Yet another brilliant performance. His first goal was unbelievably good and his second very well taken, followed with a composed cross that set up his team's third. Juan Jesus will hope he did enough to dropped for when the teams reconvene.
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Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah celebrate
Image credit: Getty Images
PLAYER RATINGS
Liverpool: Karius 6, Alexander-Arnold 7, Lovren 5, Van Dijk 6, Robertson 6, Henderson 6, Milner 6, Oxlade-Chamberlain 6, Salah 9, Firmino 8, Mane 6. Subs: Wijnaldum 8, Ings 6, Klavan 6.
Roma: Alisson 6, Fazio 4, Manolas 4, Jesus 2, Florenzi 5, De Rossi 5, Strootman 4, Kolarov 4, Nainggolan 6, Cengiz 4, Dzeko 5. Subs: Shick 7, Gonalons 6, Perotti 8.
KEY MOMENTS
29’ - LIVERPOOL HAVE WOKEN UP! Roma get caught again, a ball over the top finding Firmino out on the right. A turn inside sends Kolarov off for a bag of chips and he crosses low towards the penalty spot where Mane lurks! This time it's on his right foot, but he just can't get his arse around it, and again can only larrup high!
36’ - WHAT A GOAL! WHAT A GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Roma (Salah) Dzeko dallies on the ball 40 yards from goal, Henderson hunts him down, Wijnaldum scavenges, and finds Firmino, again on the right, He feeds Salah who comes inside, of course he does, to curl a beauty towards the far top corner, arcing over Alisson's drive, kissing the bar, and that is absolutely expletive brilliant.
36’ - WHAT A GOAL! WHAT A GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Roma (Salah) Dzeko dallies on the ball 40 yards from goal, Henderson hunts him down, Wijnaldum scavenges, and finds Firmino, again on the right, He feeds Salah who comes inside, of course he does, to curl a beauty towards the far top corner, arcing over Alisson's drive, kissing the bar, and that is absolutely expletive brilliant.
45’ - GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Roma (Salah) A humped clearance from Van Dijk happens to find Salah on the left. He moves the ball into Firmino, who runs at Manolas and barges through a pathetic challenge before setting Salah away. You so know the rest, but here it is anyway: Salah outstrips the defence, Alisson comes out when he should probably stay, Salah gently caresses a chip over his dive, and what a brilliant finish that is!
56’ - GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Roma (Mane) Roma are a joke. A lump over the top and down the right finds Salah - he's offside but no one seems to care. So he moves towards the line, slides across, and Mane slips into the far corner. If Roma can't score in the next 35 minutes, this tie is O-V-E-R, OVER.
61’ - GOAL! Liverpool 4-0 Roma (Firmino) LIVERPOOL ARE GOING TO KIEV! ROMA ARE A DIZGRAZE! Rom. Van Dijk lifts a pass out to Alexander-Arnold round about halfway and he lifts a leg to flick down the line for Salah. Onto he races, entirely unmolested, squares up the frankly useless Jesus, glides past, and taps across for Firmino to finish.
69’ - GOAL! Liverpool 5-0 Roma (Firmino) Roma look about ready to cry. Liverpool win a corner on the right, Milner swings it out, and Firmino jumps unaccompanied, nodding down and inside the far post. This could be eight or nine!
81’ - GOAL! Liverpool 5-1 Roma (Dzeko) Lovely ball over the top from Nainggolan. Just outside the centre-circle, he lifts one towards Dzeko, left side of the box and pulling off Lovren, who attack it for no reason. He misses, and the finish is expert, curved inside the near post as Karius goes towards the far.
85’ - GOAL! Liverpool 5-2 Roma (Perotti, pen) This a fine effort. Perotti pauses, opens his body, and places into the top right as Karius goes bottom-right. Football!
KEY STATS
- Liverpool are only the second side in Champions League history to score five goals in a semi-final game (also Ajax in 1995, 5-2 v Bayern Munich).
- Roma have won just one of their last 15 away Champions League games (D5 L9).
- This game produced the joint-most goals of any Champions League semi-final game ever (also seven when Ajax beat Bayern Munich 5-2 in 1995).
- Liverpool are the first side in Champions League history to see three players score 8+ goals in a single season in the competition (Salah 10, Firmino 10, Mané 8).
- Mohamed Salah has netted 10 goals in the Champions League this season, the most by a Liverpool player in a single season in European competition ever.
- Salah has netted 43 goals in all competitions this season; only Ian Rush in 83/84 (47) has scored more in a single campaign for Liverpool.
- Salah’s haul of 43 goals in the most by any player in all competitions in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
- Salah has scored in each of his last five Champions League starts for Liverpool, something only Steven Gerrard had previously done (Steven Gerrard between October 2007 and February 2008).
- Only Cristiano Ronaldo (18) has been directly involved in more Champions League goals this season than Firmino (16, 10 goals, 6 assists).
- James Milner has provided eight assists in the Champions League this season, the joint-most ever in a single campaign in the competition since Opta started recorded this data (03/04), level with Neymar in 16/17.
- Edin Dzeko has scored three goals in his last four starts at Anfield against Liverpool (also Man City in January 2012 and March 2015).
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