Liverpool were, at times, at their ruthless, devastating best.
Ibrahima Konaté’s header – his first goal for the club – set them on their way, with Sadio Mané tapping in to make it 2-0 after Luis Díaz had met Trent Alexander-Arnold’s raking pass with a cushioned header. Though Darwin Núñez pounced to halve the Reds’ lead, Díaz applied a cool finish late on to put the Premier League side firmly in charge of the tie.
What the coaches say
Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool coach: “It’s 3-1 at half-time, it’s as tricky as 2-0. A good basis, but if they score one, like we felt against Inter, the game changes. We felt it when they scored last week. We really need to make them feel this is a place they don’t want to go.”
Nélson Veríssimo, Benfica coach: “We go into this game with ambition and belief in the work we are doing. We know we have a two-goal deficit, but things can change if you score, and if we score first we can change the course of the game […] We are facing one of the best teams in the world. We will have to be effective and consistent when attacking, and take into account Liverpool’s strategy.”
Predicted starting line-ups
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Henderson, Fabinho, Keïta; Salah, Jota, Luis Díaz
Misses next match if booked: Jota, Mané
Benfica: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Weigl, Taarabt; Rafa Silva, Ramos, Everton; Darwin Núñez
Misses next match if booked: Grimaldo, João Mário, Otamendi, Gonçalo Ramos, Rafa Silva, Taarabt, Weigl, Yaremchuk
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