Liverpool 0 Porto 0 (agg: 5-0): Reds cruise into quarter-finals as first-leg rout sets them up
Jurgen Klopp's side did not have to get out of first gear after bringing a five-goal lead home from Portugal
For the first time in their history, Liverpool used a knockout Champions League match as a warm-up for a fixture against the club they detest the most.
Not that you could blame them whatsoever.
As we have seen this season, Liverpool’s results in Europe have been anything but conventional and at times spectacular - with this exception.
For the time being, all eyes on Saturday’s trip to Manchester United before the quarter-final draw in Nyon six days later.
And then, the club’s fans can start dreaming again.
This contest last night was never going to be anything but meaningless and dull
Jurgen Klopp made five changes from the side which beat Newcastle 2-0, including Mo Salah, Porto also made 10 changes from their 5-0 humiliation last month as they also eyed the League situation at home.
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For Klopp, the most important thing was to get through this game without anything injuries before a Premier League away game which the team, on current form, will fancy winning.
Equally, though, with a top four spot assured, it is the Champions League which really matters, regardless of what is one of the biggest games in club football.
As James Milner mentioned before the game, there is a growing belief that Liverpool can somehow win the Champions League, however unlikely this may seem.
From somewhere, they seemed to have used some of the spirit of 2005 to stick two fingers up at everyone who thought they would spend this season in the Europa League after getting knocked out by Hoffenheim in the play-offs.
There have certainly been some extraordinary goalscoring performances from Klopp’s team, notably 7-0 wins over Maribor and Spartak Moscow along with the night they broke Portuguese hearts on February 14 with that five-goal humiliation.
Liverpool are now through to the quarter-finals for the first time since in 2009, when they lost to Chelsea.
In the last 16 of that year, they saw off Real Madrid who had Iker Casillas in goal.
Last night, he enjoyed a quiet night in what is likely to be his last ever Champions League game but with two minutes remaining, in front of the Kop, he delivered a fine save to deny Danny Ings.
In a hopeless and tedious first half, even referee Felix Zwayer looked bored. That is probably the reason why he did not play a single second of added time.
If Zwayer had been given a choice, he would probably have been happy not to even bother coming out for the second half at Anfield which has hosted some famous nights in this competition, although this was certainly not one of them.
It was like a training ground game which, in many respects, it was, but both coaches were shouting at their players to move the ball quicker
Liverpool’s first effort was an acrobatic effort from Sadio Mane which was nowhere near on target after an overlap and decent cross from Joe Gomez, who should be in Gareth Southgate’s England squad next Thursday.
Mane then looked certain to make it with a more clear-cut chance to make it six goals in four games but his well-struck effort hit the post while Dejan Lovren flicked a header over the bar.
Liverpool keeper Loris Karius, who has now established himself as Klopp’s No1 despite some troubling spells, had been spectator with Porto offering nothing.
At the start of the second half, he finally had a save – the first shot on target – but he pushed away the effort from Majeed Waris. Porto’s only other chance came near the end but Oliver Torres’ effort was blocked by Dejan Lovren.
In one of only a few Liverpool attacks, Roberto Firmino found himself in space but Porto skipper delivered a block despite sliding along the surface on his backside.
You would have expected Firmino to score but considering the season he is enjoying, the Brazilian is allowed an off day.
Starting only his third game of the season was Adam Lallana who, hardly surprisingly, looked pretty rusty.
Over these next few weeks and months, he will still have a big part to play both for Klopp and Southgate.
Last season, Lallana was Southgate’s best perming player but on this evidence, is only playing at about 70 per cent in terms of sharpness.
He was clearly rushed back to fitness too early after three month out with a thigh problem and clearly, Klopp will not be making the same mistake again and you would expect him to return to bench for the lunchtime trip to Old Trafford.
With 17 minutes remaining, there was a double standing ovation. Mane left the pitch to be replaced by Salah who was given a run-out in a bid to score for the eighth game running.
He had one shot but Casillas was equal to it,so there was a rare blank alongside the name of the best Premier League signing of last summer.
So, goal number 33 of the season did not come for Salah but Liverpool fans will not care less.
They will all be hoping he reaches that total – and maybe beyond – in three days’ time at the home of United.
You would certainly not bet against it.