Liverpool FC v SL Benfica Quarter Final Leg Two – UEFA Champions League
Liverpool booked their place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after a 3-3 draw with Benfica at Anfield as they won the tie 6-4 on aggregate.
The Reds came into the second leg with a two-goal advantage courtesy of their 3-1 victory against the Portuguese side away from home last week, with Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz getting the goals for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
With one eye on the FA Cup semi-final showdown against Manchester City, the German tactician named a much-changed lineup, with James Milner, Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas being handed rare starts, among others.
Just like the first leg, Konate broke the deadlock with a towering header, as he scored his second goal for the club to put the Reds in pole position. However, Benfica struck back before the interval through Goncalo Ramos, who capitalized on a lucky ricochet and slammed the ball past Alisson.
The second half turned out to be a goal-fest, with Roberto Firmino putting Liverpool well ahead on aggregate with a quick-fire brace. The tie looked done after the Brazilian’s double, but Benfica got their afterburners on and struck back through Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez, with the latter capping off a fantastic showing over two legs with a very well-taken goal.
Liverpool looked shaky on the night due to the number of changes they made to their starting XI, but their advantage never really came under threat despite Benfica’s late flurry of goals.
On that note, here’s how the Liverpool players fared in the game.
Liverpool Player Ratings against Benfica
Liverpool FC v SL Benfica Quarter Final Leg Two – UEFA Champions League
Alisson Becker – 6/10
The Brazilian conceded three goals and could do nothing about any of them due to the quality of the strikes. He did, however, make an outstanding save to deny Darwin Nunez and ensured Liverpool saw off the game rather comfortably despite drawing 3-3 on the night.
Joe Gomez – 5/10
Gomez defended well in the first half but marginally played Roman Yaremchuk onside for Benfica’s second goal. The Englishman was decent apart from that momentary lapse in concentration and got some valuable game time under his belt.
Joel Matip: 5/10
In Van Dijk’s absence, Matip was tasked with marshaling the backline but unfortunately failed to do so. Liverpool looked awfully shaky at the back and conceded three goals at home, with the Cameroonian a bit slow to react to danger on the night.
Ibrahima Konate – 5.5/10
Konate scored once again, but much like Matip, he could have defended a lot better. The Frenchman wasn’t in a very good position for Ramos’ first goal and didn’t look comfortable overall.
Kostas Tsimikas – 9/10
Undoubtedly Liverpool’s best player on the pitch and took his chance with both hands in the absence of the ever-reliable Andy Robertson. Tsimikas was a breath of fresh air on the left flank and registered two assists – the second of which was a fantastic cross to tee up Bobby Firmino.
Jordan Henderson – 5/10
Henderson didn’t have the best game and was guilty of being a bit careless on the ball. Was replaced with Fabinho with 30 minutes left on the clock.
James Milner – 4/10
The 36-year-old looked a little out of his depth and failed to make his presence felt in the center of the park. Thiago Alcantara replaced him after Firmino scored to put Liverpool 2-1 up on the night.
Naby Keita – 6/10
Keita was one of the best players on the pitch in the first leg and was once again in the thick of the action. He grew in stature as the game progressed and got a couple of decent efforts away from distance. The Liverpool midfield struggled as a unit in the first half, but Keita didn’t do too much wrong.
Luis Diaz – 7/10
The Colombian attacker produced another impressive display and looked sharp as long as he was on the pitch. Diaz has quickly become a fan favorite at Anfield and left the pitch to a standing ovation near the 60th-minute mark as he was replaced by Sadio Mane.
Roberto Firmino – 8.5/10
Marked his 50th appearance in the UCL with two goals after the interval, with his second goal a well-taken first-time finish from close range. Firmino has taken his goal tally up to 11 this season and could be an important player for Liverpool at the business end of the campaign if he can replicate his second-half display consistently.
Diogo Jota – 6/10
Jota wasn’t really in the game against Benfica at Anfield. He wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn’t the Portuguese attacker’s finest night as a Liverpool player, as he was withdrawn with 30 minutes left on the clock for Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool substitutes
Liverpool FC v SL Benfica Quarter Final Leg Two – UEFA Champions League
Mohamed Salah – 6.5/10
Came on and looked lively but failed to get his name on the scoresheet. Salah nearly curled one into the top left-hand corner in the closing stages of the game, but the ball fizzed narrowly past the crossbar.
Fabinho – 6.5/10
The lanky midfielder came on and mopped up well in midfield, as he added a sense of control to a Liverpool side that didn’t really make its presence felt in the center of the park in the first half.
Thiago Alcantara – 7/10
A brilliant cameo from the Spaniard, who much like Fabinho, added a sense of calmness and authority to the Liverpool midfield.
Sadio Mane – 6/10
Mane saw a lot of the ball after replacing Diaz on the left flank and combined well with Salah and Firmino during his 20-minute stay on the pitch.
Divock Origi – N/A
The Belgian attacker didn’t play long enough to warrant a rating.
