Liverpool have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after beating Benfica 3-1 on Tuesday night – and Gary Lineker was blown away by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz.
The Reds took the lead in Lisbon as Ibrahima Konate powered in a header from a first-half corner, with Sadio Mane added a second.
Alexander-Arnold’s stunning pass allowed Diaz to head across for Mane to score.
Darwin Nunez pulled one back for Benfica but Liverpool restored their two-goal lead with Diaz racing away to score.
Having coasted through the first leg, Liverpool will now be confident of seeing off the job at Anfield.
The impact of Diaz has been astonishing. Signed from Porto in January, the Colombian has quickly become a Premier League star.
Some players like Fabinho and Andrew Robertson have taken time to settle into Jurgen Klopp’s style. Not Diaz.
A constant threat in the final third, Diaz has been the perfect complement to Liverpool’s attack and the sky seems to be the limit for him.
A goal on Diaz’s return to Portugal wasn’t a huge surprise, and neither was the performance of Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool were boosted by the return of Alexander-Arnold, who was only on the bench against Watford at the weekend.
Alexander-Arnold’s passing was ridiculous as ever, being able to completely dissect the Benfica defence with one pass.
That happened on multiple occasions, with Alexander-Arnold yet again proving to be Liverpool’s creative force even from right back.
The performance of both Alexander-Arnold and Diaz attracted praise from pundit Lineker, who was simply blown away.
Lineker praised a ‘superb goal’ from Diaz, remarking at what a signing he has been for Liverpool.
Lineker was just as impressed with Alexander-Arnold’s stunning pass for Mane’s goal, hailing both players.
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