Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool outclassed Primeira Liga champions Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at Anfield.
Porto coach Sergio Conceicao admits that he made special plans to try and stop Mo Salah and Sadio Mane before their Champions League quarter-final defeat at Anfield on Tuesday, in quotes reported by Desporto Sapo.
Liverpool were clear favourites as they welcomed the reigning Primeira Liga champions to Merseyside and they didn’t disappoint in the first-leg.
Naby Keita’s deflected drive gave the hosts a fourth minute opener before Roberto Firmino doubled the advantage, meaning The Reds will have a two-goal lead when they head to Portugal next week.
Salah and Mane didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet, however, thanks in part to Conceicao’s decision to field a back three to restrict the spaces in the inside channels.
“We tried to hinder the areas where Liverpool are strong. We wanted to maintain good control of the space in our defensive third because Salah and Mané both play well on the inside,” said the former Nantes boss, who started veteran Uruguayan Maxi Pereira in an unfamiliar central defensive role.
“(Salah and Mane) are extremely dangerous.”
Salah often had the beating of Porto’s Brazilian left-back Alex Telles but he wasn’t quite at his unstoppable best, while the in-form Mane found himself on the periphery on the opposite flank.
Conceicao can take some comfort, then, after his tactics delivered the desired result – although it still wasn’t enough to stop this Liverpool juggernaut from powering on.
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