Liverpool are on the verge of a Champions League semi-final place after a 2-0 win over Porto.
Naby Keita broke the deadlock in the last eight tie with a well-struck effort which took a Oliver Torres deflection en route to Iker Casillas’ goal in the fifth minute.
Barely 20 minutes later, the lead increased as Jordan Henderson’s defence-splitting pass allowed Mohamed Salah to tee up Roberto Firmino from close range.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
No let-up in Reds’ fight to the finish
Anyone claiming Liverpool’s Premier League title hunt would distract from their European prospects clearly underestimated how much this competition means.
The noise inside Anfield before kick-off and indeed throughout this first leg encounter hit home the Champions League’s continued importance here.
Flags remained in plentiful supply on The Kop while the entire stadium brought its usual din, not least when Naby Keita opened the scoring after five minutes.
A first title since 1990 remains the primary aim for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season – it was always going to – but not at the expense of continental pursuits.
Keita finally looks like the real deal
Pressure can undermine a player’s career while one bad performance can kill it.
Naby Keita has already endured both during his brief time on Merseyside but a corner appears to have finally been turned with a second goal in as many games.
A helping hand may have played its part, but his well-hit effort to break the deadlock highlighted an ability to be in the right spaces at the right time.
More than that, though, Keita now appears at ease with the level of expectation that a £57 million price tag invariably levelled at him by a feted summer arrival.
His eight tackles won against Sergio Conceicao’s side was more than any other player has recorded to date in this season’s Champions League knockout stage.
Klopp’s perseverance with Keita has finally paid off as he appears every inch the midfield dynamo who regularly caught the eye with RB Leipzig last term.
Late no-show sums up Shaqiri’s struggle
Xherdan Shaqiri’s debut campaign has been very much one of contrasting halves.
Once an early-season revelation, the £13.5 million signing from Stoke City now somewhat inexplicably finds himself overlooked for any form of starring role.
Cameo appearances have become Shaqiri’s only viable outlet in Klopp’s current plans but even that is proving to be a difficult ask on this evening’s evidence.
Shaqiri was poised to a late entry against Porto and fully prepared when the fourth official indicated the amount of added time at the end of the game.
By the time the three additional minutes had elapsed, however, the Swiss winger was still on the touchline when referee Mateu Lahoz called time on proceedings.
He really cannot catch a break at the moment.
Milner turns back the clock
James Milner could have been forgiven for wondering if it was Groundhog Day.
The last time that Liverpool’s evergreen midfielder was asked by Klopp to deputise in the left-back role, it became a season-long residence.
Times have changed significantly since he was deemed a more suitable option than Alberto Moreno but Milner is clearly not one for turning himself.
In place of a suspended Andy Robertson, the 33-year-old delivered a performance against Porto that was both reliable and resolute throughout.
Milner admitted that the time spent as a makeshift left-back was not enjoyable but his short-lived return to the role was definitely one for Liverpool to savour.