Mané hits hat-trick as Liverpool palliate past Porto
Liverpool constructed an glorious arrangement of counterattacking football and clinical finishing to journey past Porto in their turn of 16 initial leg during a Estádio do Dragão.
Porto were on a behind feet from a impulse Giorginio Wijnaldum slipped in Sadio Mané and a Senegalese forward’s bid crept underneath José Sá. Four mins after it was 2-0 as Mohamed Salah reacted quickest when James Milner’s expostulate smacked opposite a post, determining expertly and flicking a round past a goalkeeper before drumming in.
Porto were open to a harmful Liverpool counterattack as they chased a diversion and a Reds were ruthless. Mané finished his hat-trick with dual fatiguing finishes possibly side of Roberto Firmino’s coolly-placed bid to all though sign their thoroughfare by to a final eight.
Key player: Sadio Mané (Liverpool)
Industrious, energetic, stylish and clinical, Liverpool put on a uncover to light adult any UEFA Champions League arise and in Mané they had a actor who embodied any of those excellent attributes. If a 25-year-old’s initial idea of a night contained a tiny cut of fortune, his third was a thing of beauty, a right-footed expostulate from operation that followed an artistic one-two with Danny Ings.
Reporter articulate points
Paul Bryan, Porto: Backed by a assertive home crowd, Porto began this foe strongly, featuring a warn inclusion of Otávio in their starting choice within a plain 4-5-1 formation. Yet from a impulse a slip-up by goalkeeper José Sá helped Mané give a visitors a first-half lead a Dragões fell apart, succumbing to Liverpool’s aggressive force as a sleet spilled down and pang their heaviest European better on home soil.
Matthew Howarth, Liverpool: Crucially, Liverpool seem to have schooled a profitable doctrine from November’s 3-3 pull with Sevilla. A Porto idea during a start of a second half could have set adult a shaken finish during a Estádio do Dragão, though strikes from Mané (2) and Firmino finished a thumping victory. The Reds’ defence, marshalled well by Virgil outpost Dijk, frequency looked in risk of conceding. A glorious win for Jürgen Klopp’s side, who can now start formulation for a final eight.
Key stats
- This is Porto’s heaviest home European defeat, carrying never mislaid by some-more than dual goals previously
- Liverpool are now a tip scorers in this season’s foe with 28 goals
- Firmino has 7 goals this deteriorate and is corner second in a scoring charts with Harry Kane; Mané and Salah have six
- Mané is a fourth Liverpool actor to measure a #UCL hat-trick after Michael Owen (2002), Yossi Benayoun (2007) and Philippe Coutinho (2017)
- Porto were dominant in their initial 11 home games opposite English clubs; this is their fourth better in a final seven