Liverpool defeat Bayern Munich on their way to Champions League last eight

Liverpool were able to once again put together one of those magical “European Nights” as their decisive 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich in their Champions League second leg booked their spot in the quarter finals.

Entering with a goalless draw in the first leg at Anfield, the stakes were high in the return fixture in Munich.   After a relatively cautious first 20 minutes, which saw Liverpool use an early substitution to replace an injured Jordan Henderson, the Reds struck first as a Sadio Mane chip shot flew over Manuel Neuer and into the back of the net in the 29th minute. Coming off of a long pass from Virgil Van Dijk, Mane’s expert first touch allowed the Senegalese forward to loft the ball perfectly over a charging Neuer.

The Liverpool goal seemed to rouse both sides, as Bayern played with a little more urgency.  They were rewarded in the 39th minute, as Serge Gnabry cross was accidentally deflected into goal by Joel Matip to draw both teams even at 1-1 going into halftime.

As the second half began, it seemed as if Liverpool understood the importance of the next goal more than the hosts and had much of the run of play early in the half, with the exception of a near goal from Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who was not quite able to get on the end of a Gnabry cross in the 61st minute.

The near miss ended up being all the more painful, as Virgil Van Dijk was able to put a James Milner corner into the back of the net in the 69th minute to give the Reds the lead.  

The goal by Van Dijk seemed to have deflated Bayern’s hopes as they never seemed able to gain control of the match again.

Mane put the nail in the coffin of Bayern’s Champions League run with a header off of a perfectly placed Mohamed Salah pass to put Liverpool 3-1 up and into the quarter finals.

Liverpool’s win punctuates a terrific run for English teams in the Champions League, as they join Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United in the final eight. The four English teams, along with Juventus, Ajax, Porto and Barcelona, will soon learn their fate after Friday’s quarter final draw in Nyon.