A first-half blitz put Liverpool ahead in their Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with his 38th goal of the season after Ederson saved Roberto Firmino’s initial effort before it broke for the wingr.

That advantage was doubled on 20 minutes courtesy of a fantastic long-range effort by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain which comfortably beat the City stopper.

Salah turned provider for the Reds’ third of the night as his cross allowed Sadio Mane to put Jurgen Klopp’s side further ahead on the half-hour mark.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

TAA is no longer the weakest link

 

The past few weeks have not been the kindest to Trent Alexander-Arnold.

City’s decision to deploy Leroy Sane and David Silva against the Reds full-back suggested he had been identified as the weak link by yet another opponent.

Where Marcus Rashford and Wilfried Zaha succeeded, however, City could not find a way through even with arguably two of their most creative hubs.

Leroy Sane regularly failed to best Alexander-Arnold and found himself heavily restricted by his opposite number, as did teammate David Silva.

For all his setbacks, the teenager is capable of delivering high-calibre performances and produced arguably his best for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side.

No one can call him Liverpool’s weakest link on the strength of this performance.

Reds can finally afford to tempt fate

 

Overturning a three-goal lead became the stuff of legend at Anfield.

But the art of comebacks has plagued Liverpool in the 13 years since the ‘miracle of Istanbul’, in this competition as well as on the home front.

Klopp has already seen his side surrender a comfortable advantage at the midway point when Sevilla held them to a 3-3 draw earlier this season.

This time around promises to be incredibly different, though.

Loris Karius’ confidence continues to grow since that night at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, coincidentally aided by Virgil van Dijk’s presence.

City’s task is made all the more difficult by the fact that only two teams have overturned a three-goal deficit in the Champions League knock-out stage.

Finally, the Anfield faithful can again start believing rather than just dreaming.

Salah is the real Player of the Year

 

It was meant to be the definitive battle for this season’s Player of the Year awards. In the end, Mohamed Salah emerged a largely uncontested winner.

In truth, the Egyptian did not face much of a fair fight from Kevin De Bruyne.

Much like his teammates at Anfield, the City talisman was largely absent as Salah plundered his 38th goal in all competitions to open the scoring.

Chelsea’s trash has become the Premier League’s treasure in the current campaign but one of their ex-misfits remains favoured above the other.

What Salah may lack in title-winning credentials, he is more than capable of producing moments that matter in situations where they truly matter.

Maybe the award decision-makers need to have an overdue rethink.

Anfield produces the goods again

 

Guardiola already knew the power that Anfield harnesses even before his City team took what proved to be an unenviable route towards the stadium.

But that prior experience could not have prepared either him or the champions-elect for what lay ahead on either side of its threshold.

Vibrant sights and sounds which permeated the skies around Anfield transferred onto the Kop to produce an intense, ear-ringing exhibition.

City were clearly overwhelmed the raw intensity swirling around them and it showed in a first-half performance where they were virtually unrecognisable.