Liverpool produced a resilient display in their Europa League quarter final with Borussia Dortmund.

Divock Origi’s first half strike gave the Reds the lead and a vital away goal midway through the first half on Jurgen Klopp’s highly anticipated return to Germany.

But Matt Hummels’ header restored parity shortly after the half time interval as the Reds tightened up defensively to set up a delicately poised return leg at Anfield next week.

Here were the four major talking points from Signal Iduna Park…

Origi justifies his starting place

 

Divok Origi repaid Jurgen Klopp’s faith to start him over Daniel Sturridge with a fine goal and he led the line tirelessly.

His persistence to unsettle Lucasz Piszczek presented him with the opportunity to get a quick shot off, and the impulsiveness of the strike meant Roman Weidenfeller was unable to make a save.

The Belgium international missed a fantastic chance shortly after, but his willingness to use his pace and physicality throughout the game was exactly what Liverpool needed.

Defence digs deep against Dortmund stars

 

Much was made in the build up the attacking flair of the Germans but Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren both put their bodies on the line to thwart them all game.

Sakho recovered from a poor early back pass to put in one of his most committed displays in a Liverpool shirt, blocking a certain goal from Henrikh Mkhityaran on 17 minutes.

Lovren was also in no mood to let the pace of Marco Reus and Co get the better of him, doggedly sticking to Pierre Aubameyang and winning the majority of his aerial battles.

Just as Sakho stopped a certain goal, Lovren’s intervention in first half injury time prevented Aubameyang from steering home from close range.

Dortmund roaming must be curbed at Anfield

 

While there are plenty of positives to be taken from this Liverpool performance, it was by no means a complete display.

The visitors were pegged back for much of the first half as they simply allowed Dortmund too much space in midfield, which encouraged the likes of Mkhityaran and Marco Reus to cause problems.

That freedom of space needs to be reduced significantly in next week’s return leg, with Emre Can and probably Joe Allen operating deeper to prevent Dortmund attacking from deep positions.

Zonal marking remains the Reds’ undoing

 

After a positive overall defensive display, Klopp will be bitterly disappointed with his side’s limp efforts to prevent Dortmund’s equaliser.

Liverpool had seven players in their own eighteen yard box, however they seemed all too static and not alive to the movement of Hummels.

Klopp admitted post-match that, it was Origi who was originally meant to be stationed in the area the goal was conceded from.

However it was the diminutive Adam Lallana, who was caught under the ball and beaten to the cross, as his fellow defenders watched on, unwilling to adapt their own position.