Liverpool travelled to Rome to take on AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in the second leg of their semi-final clash of the UEFA Champions League. Jurgen Klopp opted to stick with his favoured 4-3-3 formation and hoped that his regular first-teamers will be able to cope with the pressure of the occasion and secure a positive result.
The Reds got off to a dream start courtesy of Sadio Mane’s opening goal in the 9th minute. However, the home side came back and equalised when Dejan Lovren’s clearance struck James Milner and deflected into the Liverpool net. Jurgen Klopp’s men regained the lead when Georginio Wijnaldum scored his first Liverpool away goal with his head. The Merseysiders went into half-time with a 2-1 advantage.
The home team came back in the second half looking to score four goals and managed to get one back in the 52nd minute when Eden Dzeko scored with a clever finish. AS Roma found the winner courtesy of Radja Nainggolan when he found the back of the net from long range. The Romans were handed a late penalty which they converted to secure a 4-2 victory on the night. However, Liverpool ended up progressing into the final of the Champions League with a 7-5 aggregate victory to their name.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the European contest.
GK: Loris Karius – 6.5/10
The German keeper made some smart saves during the game but was guilty of conceding 4 goals on the night.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10
The English youngster was outstanding going forward but made a few mistakes defensively. However, he did enough to see his side progress into the final.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 5/10
His wild clearance struck Milner and went into the Liverpool net during AS Roma’s first goal. The Croatian had a difficult outing at the heart of the Reds defence.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 6.5/10
The Dutch defender was calm and composed in the Liverpool backline but was guilty of conceding four goals during the encounter.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 9/10
The Scottish full-back was brilliant down the left flank and was by far, the best Liverpool player on the pitch.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7.5/10
He scored his first away goal for the Reds and it turned out to be a crucial one which saw Liverpool go through into the final.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
He put in a captain’s performance at the heart of the Reds midfield and passed the ball well to retain possession for his team.
CM: James Milner – 6.5/10
The Englishman put in another tireless shift and worked his socks off to ensure Liverpool’s aggregate victory on the night.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 5/10
The Egyptian was hardly in the game and struggled to create chances or get shots on goal during the match.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6.5/10
The Brazilian tried his best to be a threat in the opposition half. However, he was more effective while pressing the AS Roma defenders and won back possession for his team on a number of occasions.
LM: Sadio Mané – 8/10
He scored the all-important first goal which helped the Merseyside outfit ensure a passage through to the Champions League final.
Substitutes:
CB: Ragnar Klavan – 5/10
He was guilty of giving away a penalty in injury-time. However, it was quite a harsh decision by the referee.
ST: Dominic Solanke – N/A
He did not have enough time to make an impact in the game.
RB: Nathaniel Clyne – N/A
He came on to ‘run the clock’ in the dying embers of the contest.
