Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
On a chilly night in Merseyside, this was supposed to be another meaningless game for Liverpool as they had already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League after blowing their group competition away. However, with £2.5 million at stake for a win, there is no such thing.
Jurgen Klopp opted for a strong side with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara all starting the fixture against the Portuguese league leaders. A sprinkle of youth and squad players also made appearances with youngster Tyler Morton, who made his debut at the weekend against Arsenal, started in the midfield and did not look out of place.
In the first half, it was a cat and mouse affair with neither team creating many clear cut chances except for when Mane was put through in the 39th minute to slot the ball away into the back of the net only for it to be ruled out for a very slim offside decision.
The second period saw Liverpool come into their own as Man of the Match Thiago hit a sweet half volley from outside the box that went like an arrow into the bottom corner of the Porto goal. From that moment, there was no stopping Liverpool.
On the right-wing, there was a one-two combination between Salah and Jordan Henderson as the former got into the 18-yard box and unleashed a left-footed shot into the net to earn his sixth goal of the competition. Immediately afterwards, both Mane and Salah were taken off by Klopp as the job was done and dusted.
This victory saw the Reds extend their fantastic European form and it was the 16th consecutive match that Liverpool have scored two goals or more beating an 82-year-old record.
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