Liverpool vs Hoffenheim Live Score and Commentary, UEFA Champions League 2017-18 LIV vs HOF

LIV 4 - 2 HOF (Can 10', 21', Salah 18', Firmino 64'; Uth 29', Wagner 79') (agg. 6-3)

Updated: 24 August 2017 02:07 IST - Published: August, 24 2017 12:24 AM IST

PEEP! PEEP! PEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

LIVERPOOL 4 - 2 HOFFENHEIM, 6-3 on aggregate

Liverpool are through after a cracking performance in the first half and a professional one in the second. A much deserved win, this, and Klopp's men should give themselves a pat in the back for this performance.

Julian Nagelsmann, though, might want to revisit those chapters named defence that they taught in coaching school. What his team did out there certainly doesn't qualify as anything akin to defending.

That's all from me, Anirudh Menon signing out!

Toodle-ooo!

91' Three more minutes before Liverpool are officially in the Champions League proper. It's been a long enough wait for this crowd that so craves the grandest stage club football has to offer

90' Hubner talks his way into the book as he simply can't understand why he was penalised for a push on Salah. Because it was a push, Benjamin

89' Hubner places a five-yard pass to Zuber astray. That's their game in a nutshell, isn't it?

87' OOOO! Liverpool work the ball around the edge of the box - from left-to-right - before Firmino lashes a shot onto the side netting. Klopp makes his final change as Mane is withdrawnn for Ragnar Klavan. Cue another standing ovation.

86' Firmino tries to pick out Salah but Baumann does superbly again to intercept with a catch. You've got to feel for the German keeper, his performance has been the highlight of this Hoffenheim performance.

84' Hoffenheim have a little over six minutes to get the three goals they need to make a match of this. Let me be frank with you - that doesn't look like it's happening.

83' Moreno, who has been superb going forward, finds himself with the ball at his feet and in acres of space some thirty-five yards from goal and hence smashes one at Baumann. Would have hit him too, if he'd been seated on row Z in the stand behind him.

81' Firmino's cleverness is such an underrated quality. His superbly timed run allows Wijnaldum to slip him into the box, but once there, Hubner does excellently to ensure the former Hoffenheim man doesn't get up to any mischief.

80' OOOO, Toljan plays in an interesting looking ball that Matip heads away a little frantically... Mane though screams through on another one of Liverpool's counters but Jeremy Toljan's pace comes to the fore and he nips back to win the ball. What if he'd started, eh? What if Uth had started... These questions will eat into Nagelsmann and his staff all through the remainder of this season, I feel.

Well, that's given the Germans something more to sing about. Demirbay sends in another one of his trademark crosses and Wagner does magnificently to rise above the Red defence and thump it home. Superb header.

79' GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! WAGNER!!!

78' OOOOO! DEMIRBAY! SOme neat passing from Hoffenheim allows Demirbay to unleash one at Mignolet that the Belgian does well to parry away.

77' To their eternal credit, Hoffenheim's travelling fans are still singing their hearts out... as for their manager he wears the look of a man who has died by the very sword he's lived by.

76' A flutter of excitement goes through the away crowd as Kramaric does well to swing a ball into the box, but it's juuuuust too much for Szalai to get his massive boot on

75' Lovren does well to slide in ahead of Wagner - the Croat has hardly put a foot wrong tonight.

73' Another ball into the box, another Matip clearance... Liverpoolm are seeing this through with the minimum of fuss

72' Hoffenheim tries to force their way through, but Lovren and Matip look impregnable - something I'd never thought I'd type in my lifetime.

70' Just as he did in the first leg, Demirbay goes to ground holding his ankle in pain. Just as in the first leg, it looks like he'll hobble through the last quarter of the game.

69' Toljan, a promising young German right back who shone in the U-21 Euros, skips past Moreno but can't get his foot on Demirbay's through ball. Klopp takes the break to take off Can, who gets another standing ovation for his outstanding performance tonight, and the wise old head of James Milner is on to see the Reds through to the Champions League proper.

68' Hoffenheim really need to improve their finishing if they are to hope to replicate their heroics of last season.

67' That really was horrifyingly poor defending from Vogt on that fourth goal... Emre Can then whisks past Gieger before squaring the ball - Baumann does well to react and catch the ball.

65' Substitutions all over as Jeremy Toljan replaces the absolutely deflated looking Kaderábek. Klopp takes off the impressive Alexander-Arnold, who goes off to a standing ovation from Anfield (what a dream come true, eh?), and 19-year old Joe Gomez is on in his stead

64' OH GOOD LORD. Henderson wins the ball back simply by pressing Vogt and runs clear into the box before squaring it to a completely free Firmino - with Baumann nowehere in the picture he strokes it into the net

63' GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! ROBERTO FIRMINO!!

62' Liverpool are toying with their guests now. Salah and Alexander-Arnold combine to release Can on the right but his cross is blocked. Never mind...

61' OOOO! Hoffenheim play a high ball into the home box and Mignolet completely misses his punch as Szalai jumps in ahead of him, but the all bounces of Matip's noggin, and after a couple of fumbles, the Belgian keeper does well to ensure the ball's safely in his hands

60' Alexander Arnold leaves Geiger for dead with a quick shuffle of his feet, but Vogt reads it well. The young Liverpudlian though does well to win it back and he releases Mane into the six-yard box... where once again Baumann has to be at his best to beat the Senegalese's shot

59' For all of Hoffenheim's pretty passing in the final third, they are still frustratingly sloppy in their own - and once again hand Liverpool the ball.

58' Mane rips past Kaderábek on the outside once again, this really is starting to look like a human vs a training cone before smashing a goal that's destined for the roof of the net before Baumann gets a strong hand on it.

57' Looks like Gnarby has pulled a muscle, he's headed straight into the dressing room accompanied by what looks a member of the Germans' medical staff..

56' Gnarby rolls one onto Mark Uth, but the young man pass-shoots one well wide of the home side's goal. That's the Bayern man's last bit of action as Hungarian powerhouse Szalai comes on in his stead. Lovren will have fun dealing with him

53' OW OW OW!!! HOW DID HE HIT THAT HIGH? Salah holds off his marker before slipping in Wijnaldum who smashes it into orbit from eight yards with just Baumann to beat and the ref points for a goalkick... oooo wait, TV replays show clearly that it bounced off Baumann's shoulder. My apologies, Gini

52' Liverpool are channelling the very best of their late '70s sides to pass it around the back with all the patience in the world. The men in Red seem to be enjoying themselves - Anfield certainly is!

51' Mane runs past Kaderábek like the latter is a mannequin and wins a corner of Hubner. Matip sends the delivery well over.

50' vogt gets into the book for body-checking Firmino as he spun and twisted away from a bunch of white shirts and looked like he was about to burst through to the million sq. miles that lie between Hoffenheim's defence and keeper.

49' Salah screams forward on those lightning rods he has masquerading as legs, but the Egyptian is caught offside by a very high Hoffenheim backline. Nagelsmann loves to live on the edge, doesn't he?

48' In a word, no. In two, it's rubbish! Liverpool careen forward but for some inexplicable reason Mane slows things down just as Liverpool were 5v2 in Hoffenheim's half! They work the ball around before Alexander-Arnold sends in a lovely whipping cross which no one - once again, inexplicably - attacks.

47' Wagner does well at the other end to win a corner. Can Kerem Demirbay do something with this one?

46' Liverpool pick things up where they left it... Wijnaldum almost forces the ball through to Firmino, but Baumann does well to sweep up from behind his defence and smash it clear.

PEEEEP! We're back on!

PEEP! PEEP! HOFFENHEIM'S FIRST HALF NIGHTMARE COMES TO A CLOSE.

They need 3 goals to force this game into extra time; but they also need to keep Liverpool at bay... even if they do manage the first bit, the second looks the very definition of impossible.

Naglesmann has to give one helluva team-talk, doesn't he?

46' One minute added! Nothing happens.

45' Liverpool look like they can score when they want - but Can's through-ball to Mane is just a touch overhit.

44' Which ends in nothing. For a man with such a gifted left-foot, Demirbay's corners are often not up to the mark.

43' OOOOOO!! More slick forward passing from Hoffenheim allows Gnarby to play in Uth - whose shot is directed at the near post this time and Mignolet tips away for a corner.

42' OH MY! OH MY! OH MY! Liverpool once again draw Hoffenheim's defence all over the place and one turn from Mane sees the entire German defence sliding all the floor in the comical manner - Can runs onto Mane's cut and almooooost gets his hattrick goal. It curled just a little too late for it go on the correct side of the post.

41' Gnarby again works himself space on the left, but his curling shot from outside the box is never troubling Mignolet. Gnarby is Hoffenheim in nutshell - all brilliant build-up and horrific finishing.

40' Liverpool toy with Hoffenheim on the right flank but Zuber does well to force Henderson to ive away a goal kick. Anfield is in fine voice today - and why wouldn't they be?

38' Gnarby's pace really is something else. He skins Arnold and Henderson with utter ease before winning a corner off an alert Matip. From the set-piece, Hoffenheim can't do much.

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