Jurgen Klopp has managed to take Liverpool to their 17th European semi-final as his side beat Pep Guardiola’s domestic Champions-elect over two legs in the quarterfinals of the competition. The damage was done on a noisy night at Anfield where Liverpool drew a 3-0 advantage and though an early error from Virgil van Dijk that helped Gabriel Jesus open the scoring gave Manchester City some hope in the second leg at Etihad, Liverpool managed to hold on to their lead, and also scored twice, to beat Pep’s side for the third time this season.
Leroy Sane scored a legal goal late in the first half, which was disallowed and had it been given to the home side, the tie could have been very different. Pep Guardiola had to watch his side from the stands for the second half after mouthing the referee about Sane’s disallowed goal as Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino scored in the second half to take Liverpool home. The Reds step into the semi-finals as the only unbeaten team in the competition and here are the player ratings in their mammoth effort at Etihad:
Loris Karius (7):
Could not have stopped Jesus from scoring early but was dominant in his box and kept City in check.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (7):
Was worked more than he was at Anfield and showed some vulnerability but never shied away and helped his side see out the siege in the first half.
Dejan Lovren (8):
Liverpool’s best defender on the night as his late tackle on Sterling was the only thing he did wrong all night.
Virgil van Dijk (7):
Played for the whistle which never came and allowed City into the lead but never switched off after that, winning everything thrown into the box, even from corners.
Andrew Robertson (7):
A gutsy performance from the youngster, who never gave any space on his side and was also happy to add numbers in attack when needed.
James Milner (6):
Was quick to close down the City players outside the box but sat too deep at times, inviting too much pressure on to his backline.
Georginio Wijnaldum (7):
Was shadowed past for most of the game in the first half but showed up for the first 20 minutes of the second half, which was enough to win Liverpool the game.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (8):
Was all over the City midfield, hurrying their passes and was not afraid to throw himself around, making a couple of crucial blocks and did well to keep his side on the front foot with every chance.
Sadio Mane (8):
Did the dirty work well when needed but was crucial to Liverpool creating space in the final third. It was his run into the box that earned Salah his goal.
Roberto Firmino (7):
Earned an early yellow and had to be cautious with his tackling but did well to keep the pressure on City and draw a mistake from Otamendi before sliding it coolly past Ederson to put the game beyond the hosts.
Mohamed Salah (7):
Had a breezy night where he was hardly involved in the first half but came to the fore in the second, and showed great composure to score the equalizer, that all but ended City’s hopes.
Substitutes:
Ragnar Klavan (6):
Gave Firmino a break and added numbers to the backline.
Danny Ings (N/A)
Nathaniel Clyne (N/A)