Grounded Liverpool now crave that next step

As Liverpool fans come back down to earth, from somewhere over the blue moon, there is a rising opinion in football that after countless false dawns and near misses their current heroes may just be the real thing.

Liverpool’s Champions League victory at the Etihad on Tuesday, winning 2-1 to complete a 5-1 aggregate win against a side universally regarded as the best in England, has catapulted Jurgen Klopp’s side into the global spotlight ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final draw.

It wasn’t only the ruthless and skilful finishing of Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino — we have become rather used to that — it was the defensive steel, depth of character, and hugely mature game management which made erstwhile Anfield doubters think again.