Liverpool front-men Mohammed Salah and Roberto Firmino helped fire Liverpool into the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 10 years with a 2-1 win at Manchester City in the second leg of the Quarter-Final; sealing a 5-1 victory on aggregate.
City thought they had a fighting chance of staying in the tie after striker Gabriel Jesus found the net inside two minutes. City continued to dominate the first half after chances from Bernardo Silva and a wrongly disallowed goal by Leroy Sane, which could have conjured an inspiring comeback.
Klopp’s charges, who beaten their opponents in the first leg of the tie with a 3-0 win at Anfield, knew that one away goal could put a massive dent in City’s comeback. Salah and Firmino delivered the faltering blows to City’s chance of progressing to a Champions League semi-final.
City’s wait for Europe’s biggest footballing competition success continues.
City boss Pep Guardiola was sent to the stands for his protests on the Sane disallowed goal. Liverpool can dream of hunting for more European glory.
Jurgen Klopp warned prior to the second-leg tie of a brewing City “thunderstorm”after their Manchester derby defeat has put on hold their success of claiming the Premier League title.
City made the perfect start to the game as Jesus found the net after a square cross from Raheem Sterling.
A fluent City side, that we’ve seen so much of this campaign, maestro’s in midfield, played a possession game as Liverpool were run ragged and Jesus came close again following another ball from Sterling, before Sane’s looping cross forced Liverpool stopper Karius to palm it away.
City’s dominance on the game continued throughout the half, but they were cancelled out of what appeared to me a definite second goal three minutes before half-time when Sane poached the ball in from close-range, Milner’s intervention when Karius punched clear deemed Sane to be onside.
Following the disallowed goal, Liverpool’s first effort came. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain skewing his chance behind, however, Klopp’s men needed to only take one vital chance to cancel out City’s hopes of a comeback and Salah was the man who stepped up and scored his 39th goal of the season.
Guardiola put all his cards on the table; throwing on Sergio Aguero in search of a bit of flare going forward. The move was hindered as Liverpool sealed the victory with 13 minutes remaining as Roberto Firmino made the most of a Nicolas Otamendi error and put the ball calmly past Ederson.
City’s fluidity had evaporated, the tie in Liverpool’s hands and whilst Guardiola watched on in disbelief from the stands, the Reds fans’ celebrations were in full swing.