Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah struck in the closing 15 minutes to earn Liverpool a 2-0 win away to Inter in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.
The Reds rode their luck for long periods, not least when Hakan Çalhanoğlu collected Ivan Perišić’s cross and shot against the bar 16 minutes in. Çalhanoğlu was instrumental for the hosts, providing excellent set-piece deliveries for both Milan Škriniar and Denzel Dumfries to go close with their heads.
Sadio Mané’s first-half header was the closest Liverpool had come when Jürgen Klopp, his team on the back foot, made a triple change just before the hour. Edin Džeko then had an effort ruled out for offside but the momentum soon began to shift, Firmino’s delightful header from Andy Robertson’s corner tipping the scales entirely.
Salah rubber-stamped a vintage away performance when he finished inside a crowded penalty area with just seven minutes left.
Reaction
0 seconds of 1 minute, 46 secondsVolume 0% Klopp reaction to Liverpool win
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager: “We didn’t have a brilliant day, but a good enough day to get a result.”
Virgil van Dijk, Player of the Match: “One of the messages before the game was that we needed to be ready to suffer. It was a very good performance and clean sheet.”
Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach: “Football is decided by small details and that Firmino header made all the difference tonight. This performance, however, should giv
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