Liverpool reached the Champions League semi-final with a 6-1 aggregate win over Porto.

Sadio Mane scored a controversial opener late in the first half that required VAR confirmation as he slotted home at the far post from a Mohamed Salah cut-back.

Salah added his own name to the score sheet after the interval from a Reds counter-attack with a stroked finish past Iker Casillas to double the advantage.

Porto defender Eder Militao offered the hosts a faint glimmer of hope in the tie when he pulled a goal back just minutes later with a header from a corner.

But the Portuguese champions’ comeback hopes were short-lived as Roberto Firmino powered Jordan Henderson’s cross past Casillas from close range.

Virgil van Dijk compounded Porto’s misery when Mane flicked on a James Milner corner for him to nod down with 10 minutes of play remaining.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will now taken on Barcelona in the last four of Europe’s elite club competition.

Here were the key talking points from the Estadio do Dragao:

Reds dreaming of the double

 

Supposedly you cannot have everything in life. Liverpool may beg to differ.

A second Champions League semi-final in as many seasons while in the midst of a title run-in on the home front shows the strides Jurgen Klopp’s side have made.

Overcome Barcelona in the last four of Europe’s elite club competition and a previously unthinkable double could be on the cards for last season’s finalists.

Manchester City’s shock exit to Tottenham removes arguably the Reds’ greatest obstacle as Europe’s elite club competition edges closer to its conclusion.

How the reigning Premier League champions respond to their crushing setback will determine whether the title will return to Anfield for a first time since 1990.

In Europe, Ajax or Spurs would not be pushovers by any means – and there is still the small matter of contending with the brilliance of Lionel Messi next month.

But hopes of Klopp emulating Bob Paisley’s iconic haul in 1977 are looking good.

Salah refuses to slow down

 

Logic dictated that Mohamed Salah would have become a spent force by now.

For club and country, the Egyptian has toiled relentlessly over the past 12 months; overcoming injury and ‘one-season wonder’ sneers in the process.

A tipping point appeared inevitable, especially as remarkably the sole ever-present in Liverpool’s side across 46 games in all competitions this season.

Salah, however, appears to thrive on shattering misconceptions. The goals have continued to flow while his energy levels refuse to sap even at this crucial stage.

Anyone expecting any let-up clearly underestimates Salah’s powers of longevity.

Porto offer pointers for Barca clash

 

One eye may have already been on a two-legged affair with Barcelona but Porto provided Liverpool with a brief sample of what to expect in the next round.

Sergio Conceicao’s side swarmed their visitors from the off but were let down by poor finishing, not least from Jesus Manuel Corona and talisman Moussa Marega.

Profligacy aside, there was plenty in the Portuguese champions’ performance for Klopp to mull over as he prepares to take on Messi, Luis Suarez et al next month.

Liverpool’s defence found itself regularly exploited, with Marega able to hare in behind a usually resolute back four at regular intervals during the first half.

Barca will not be as charitable in front of goal if presented with such opportunities. Klopp is unlikely to offer them a repeat showing.

Origi spurns chance in the spotlight

 

Klopp handed Divock Origi a starring role to give Roberto Firmino some respite.

In hindsight the Belgium international may have been better served on the bench instead of his teammate, who replaced him at the start of the second half.

Origi’s strength has often lay in his qualities as a super-sub; causing havoc and unpredictability in opposition defences as the clock ticks down.

None of those traits were on show at the Estadio do Dragao as he cut a frustrating figure with surging runs down the left flank amounting to nothing.

Memories of an all-encompassing display against Watford in late January appear increasingly distant – and December’s Merseyside derby heroics even more so.

This was Origi’s chance to shine in the spotlight. Instead, he well and truly fluffed his lines.