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Liverpool secure a comfortable 2-0 win over Porto in their Champions League quarter-final first leg encounter.
Porto had a chance to probe the Liverpool defense in the 2nd minute as Moussa Marega's half chance sailed harmlessly away from goal. The Reds made Porto rue their missed chance as Naby Keita saw his deflected attempt sail past the reach of Iker Casillas to give Jurgen Klopp's side a 1-0 lead.
The Reds dominated proceedings with their crisp passing moves and doubled their lead in the 26th minute through Roberto Firmino. Porto's best chance fell to Marega as his shot was smartly saved by Alisson. Sergio Conceicao's side managed to trouble Liverpool on a few occasions in the second half but failed to beat a sturdy Liverpool defense.
Without much ado, let us take a look at the three reasons behind Liverpool's 2-0 win over Porto.
#3 Keita and Henderson shine as Liverpool take a two-goal advantage to Portugal
Jurgen Klopp made three changes to the side that faced Southampton in the Premier League, as Jordan Henderson, Dejan Lovren and James Milner came in for Gini Wijnaldum, Joel Matip, and Andy Robertson respectively.
The midfield trio of Fabinho, Henderson, and Keita took control of proceedings as Porto failed to live up to Liverpool's high-intensity style of play during the initial stages of the first half. Henderson, operating as the box-to-box midfielder, created opportunities with this incisive passing. He continuously exploited the gaps between Porto's Centre Back and Left Back, which freed Salah to run behind the Porto defense.
Henderson played a crucial part in the build-up to Liverpool's second goal as his delightfully weighted ball between Militao and Telles found Alexander-Arnold who squared it to Roberto Firmino to tap into an empty net. Overall, it was a fantastic performance from the skipper as his energetic display did not allow Porto to find a way back into the game.
Naby Keita continued his fine run of form with a much-improved display as the Guinean scored his second goal for Liverpool. Keita linked up well with Mane in attack and his timely interceptions in areas near the center circle helped his side recover possession to mount sustained pressure on the visitors.
The former Leipzig man ended the game with a pass success rate of 85%, making two key passes, winning 6/8 tackles and recovering possession on ten occasions.
#2 Liverpool's defense deal with the danger posed by Marega
Dejan Lovren made his first appearance in a while, as the Croatian paired up with Virgil Van Dijk to take on Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final encounter.
Up against a generally well organized Liverpool defense came Moussa Marega, who has been Porto's talisman in their domestic campaign. The duo of Lovren and Van Dijk took a gamble of playing a high line on various occasions but went unpunished during the course of the game.
There were certain instances where Marega broke the offside trap and ran behind the Liverpool defense, only to be denied by some smart saves and interceptions by the likes of Alisson, Lovren and Van Dijk. The duo of Lovren and Van Dijk dealt with the threat posed by Soares and Oliver Torres as they emerged with an all-important clean sheet and denied Porto from scoring a vital away goal.
Lovren ended the game with a pass accuracy rate of 88% and made four recoveries while Van Dijk ended the game with a pass accuracy rate of 89%, winning 3/3 tackles and recovering possession on ten occasions.
#3 Clinical Liverpool left Porto with a mountain to climb during the second half of the game
Porto were made to chase the game in the second half as Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino scored in the first half to give the home side a 2-0 advantage heading at the half time.
Liverpool took the lead during the early stages of the game as former Leipzig midfielder fired in his second goal for his new side. From then on, Jurgen Klopp's side established control on the game as the likes of Henderson, Keita and Fabinho created quite a few chances after dispossessing their opponents off the ball.
Roberto Firmino scored his 15th European goal in his side's win over the Portuguese outfit. Liverpool could have scored a few more goals in the first half, only to be denied by poor finishing from Salah and good keeping from Casillas.
Due to conceding two early goals in the first half, Porto needed to chase the game in order to get a crucial away goal. This caused Liverpool to shift through the gears at their own pace and take control of proceedings in the first half. Porto were also to be denied by some lackluster innovation and finishing in the final third as the likes of Oliver Torres, Tiquinho and Marega drew blanks at Anfield.
A combination of sloppy defensive organization and an inability to take their chances condemned Porto to a 0-2 loss as Liverpool head into the second leg with a comfortable lead.
