Liverpool lose to Inter Milan: 5 things we learned as Reds survive Champions League scare

Liverpool v Inter Milan: Match in pictures

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Liverpool have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League despite losing 1-0 on the night to Inter Milan after winning 2-1 on aggregate. But Jurgen Klopp will have concerns about complacency after his side put in a lacklustre display at Anfield.

The Reds had done the hard work in Milan after two late goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah handed them a strong 2-0 advantage heading into the return fixture.

Liverpool had won 34 away knockout ties and never failed to progress. However, the elimination of away goals would hand the Italian outfit a slight chance to challenge that record.

And it was the Italians who dominated possession in the first quarter of the game as they passed through Liverpool’s high press. Eventually, the hosts settled into the game and only the crossbar denied Joel Matip from a corner.

Lautaro Martinez’s goal in the second half put their lead under question before Alexis Sanchez was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Liverpool held on without too much bother and were relieved not to rue the woodwork going against them as they secured their spot in the last eight of the competition.

Here, Express Sport looks at five things we learned from Tuesday’s knockout tie.

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Lautaro steals the show

If any conclusion could be drawn from this night at Anfield, it is that this famous arena has seen better European nights than this one. But Lautaro Martinez decided to make it memorable for at least his own purpose.

The Argentinian forward had been largely frustrated in the final third by the indomitable Virgil van Dijk. But after Joel Matip gave the ball away, Alexis Sanchez found him waiting on the edge of the box and with a rare yard of space, he decided to make the most of it.

The 23-year-old used his body intelligently to let the ball run across his path and, with his first touch, thundered a strike towards the top corner. Alisson Becker sprung to his left but simply had no chance of stopping it — an incredible strike to silence the Liverpool crowd.

Sanchez’s red card just minutes later took the gloss of that goal and disrupted Inter’s momentum, but nothing can take the glory away from Martinez with a goal of this kind.

It is the same type of goal that has seen him linked with the likes of Barcelona and Tottenham in the past. With more performances like this, a big summer move to the Premier League could beckon.

Salah needs a rest

Is it time Mohamed Salah took a breather and sat a game out? On this basis, Jurgen Klopp must be considering handing his star winger a chance to recharge his batteries.

His incredible fitness levels means that Salah rarely misses a match, nor does he want to, as he chases another Golden Boot to add to his collection. Klopp is loathe to leave the Egyptian out of his starting XI, instead choosing to bring him off before the end of games when the result is a formality.

But the toll it is taking on the 29-year-old is starting to show after another sub-par display, to follow his off-colour performances against Chelsea and West Ham.

It is only natural, considering Salah returned to Anfield just days after finishing an exhausting Africa Cup of Nations tournament with Egypt and hasn’t enjoyed much of a break since.

But his influence in this game was limited as he was stifled by Alessandro Bastoni and the tireless Ivan Perisic. In the second half, he somehow missed an open goal by striking against the post. That was unlike Salah, and it points to a winger trying his best when really he needs a rest.

Reds have work to do

Liverpool were perhaps second-best in the Carabao Cup final and saw three Chelsea goals flagged for offside. West Ham squandered several gilt-edged chances to equalise in their fixture at Anfield on Saturday. And again, against Inter Milan in both legs, it was tighter than the scoreline would suggest.

While it just goes to establish that Liverpool do have a Plan B — grinding out a win when they are know they are not at their best — it requires some luck. Tonight, after hitting the woodwork three times, it was not on their side. 

Klopp addressed how his side “dig deep” in difficult periods in matches and it proved here again as Inter Milan took control of the early stages, albeit without truly testing Alisson Becker. Their passing was sloppy at times and the front three were certainly feeling the effects of a congested fixture list.

It was not a classic, dominant Champions League display that we have come to expect from the 2019 winners. The likes of Salah and Diogo Jota struggled to influence the game like they are used to.

But in knockout matches, teams don’t need to blow away their opposition in every game they play — progress is the only thing that matters. But this defeat showed that Liverpool must improve if they have any hope of winning the competition for a seventh time.

Trent shows defensive nous

With 16 assists in all competitions and one of the best deliveries in world football, it is no slight on Trent Alexander-Arnold to suggest the full-back is more adept attacking the opposition goal than he is defending his own.

But the 23-year-old looked determined to prove he can do it all, having been stationed against Inter duo Lautaro Martinez and Ivan Perisic.

On two occasions in the first half, the England international made two brilliant interventions to deny the tricky Argentinian from advancing further — shepherding the ball back to his goalkeeper. Virgil van Dijk would have been impressed.

There were doubts over his defensive attributes when Liverpool contested the first of their Champions League finals under Jurgen Klopp in 2018, with Joe Gomez selected over him.

However, it is safe to say now that those doubts have since evaporated — and Alexander-Arnold can rest easy knowing he has made the right-back position his own if Liverpool reach the final this season.

Alexis sees red after impressing outing

Simone Inzaghi dropped a surprise when he named his starting XI with Edin Dzeko on the bench, given how the veteran striker has linked up with Lautaro Martinez this season.

That gave Alexis Sanchez a chance to redeem himself and inflict damage on the rivals of his former club Manchester United, where he flopped and scored just five goals in 18 months at Old Trafford. The Chilean, now 33, does not quite possess the zip he once had in his step, but the forward has not lost his desire to press off the ball.

At Inter, he seems to have regained his passion for football again and that is reflected in his numbers. Sanchez has scored six goals in all competitions and laid on two assists for his team-mates, despite spending the majority of the season

Rio Ferdinand warned he could prove to be a menace before the game: “Today, he could pose a different threat, with Dzeko holding the ball up and playing the ball in behind Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip tonight,” he told BT Sport.

“It could unnerve van Dijk, so that’s an area I’m looking to see if it’s different to the first game.”

Here, he spent the early stages of the game hassling the Liverpool backline and won back possession high up the pitch on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately, his tackles were somewhat overzealous for the referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz’s liking. And already on a yellow card, he lunged into a 50-50 challenge with Fabinho, winning the ball first before clattering into the Brazilian. The Spanish referee brandished his second yellow card, bringing a premature end to a decent display.

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