Liverpool booked their passage to the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over RB Salzburg.
The reigning European Champions came into the game knowing that they only had to avoid defeat in Austria in order to qualify for the knockout stages, though with the prolific Erling Haaland lining up for the Alpine side, there were lingering doubts of Liverpool‘s progress.
However, the Reds secured top spot in Group E with two goals within two second-half minutes, Naby Keita nodding home Sadio Mane’s cross to open the scoring in the 57th against the duo’s former club, before Mohamed Salah netted soon after from the tightest of angles to double the score.
Speaking afterwards, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was really pleased with his sides performance and the quality of their goals.
”What a team. What an effort. It was a tough game,” Klopp told BT Sport.
“They started so direct. They did so many smart things – playing in between the lines, running in behind, standing in offside positions. We were ready to defend it. It was a very tense game.
Liverpool are the first team to keep a clean sheet at Salzburg since Borussia Dortmund in March 2018. ???? pic.twitter.com/s3Lo5YmXTA
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) December 10, 2019
“In the second half they couldn’t cope with the intensity. We scored two wonderful goals. We could have scored six or seven which is crazy. We won the group, we won the game, all good.
“First half, we had to put a proper shift in. When we had the ball we had sitters and didn’t score. Then Mo [Mohamed Salah] scored the most difficult situation of the whole night – he scored that goal.
“I have no idea [how]. With his quality, how he didn’t score one or two of the others I have no clue.
“So many sensational performances. This kind of attitude, it’s great. A tricky one but we did it.”
Next up for Liverpool is a home tie with a struggling Watford side, before the first team jet off to Qatar to take part in the Club World Cup.
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See also – Five of the best individual performances in Champions League history
