Luis Diaz’s late strike helps Liverpool take big step to last four
Luis Diaz, right, scores Liverpool's third goal against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz.
Liverpool took a significant step towards securing a place in the last four of the Champions League after Luis Diaz’s late goal ensured they will take a two-goal advantage into their quarter-final second leg.
Having established a comfortable half-time lead with goals from Ibrahima Konate, his first for the club, and Sadio Mane, Jurgen Klopp’s side appeared set for a comfortable evening in the Estadio Da Luz.
A mistake by Konate, however, allowed Darwin Nunez to bring Benfica back into the game after the restart and trigger a more testing second period.
Yet, while their second-half display wasn’t particularly convincing, the result was all that mattered and allows the Reds to look forward to Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Manchester City satisfied they are firmly in control of this tie.
Liverpool could have few complaints about a draw that paired them with the Portuguese side, regarded as the weakest of the quarter-finalists and Klopp’s side set the tone for a dominant first half in the ninth minute, shortly after Luis Diaz’s testing low cross had unsettled the Benfica defence. Mohamed Salah played the ball into the feet of Mane and carried on his run into the Benfica area where he collected Mane’s clever backheeled return before his toe-poked shot was deflected wide by keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos. It was already becoming clear the Greece international would feature prominently in the game and Vlachodimos was again called into action to make a double save, first from Naby Keita’s left foot shot and then from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s follow up.
The keeper, though, could do little about Konate’s opening goal and had every right to believe he should have been better served by his defenders who did little to prevent the centre-back reaching Andy Robertson’s 17th-minute corner. Rising unhindered, Konate made no mistake with a powerful downward header.
Keita should have added a second when he found himself unmarked in front of goal but badly misjudged a routine header from Mane’s cross. And it took another fine save from Vlachodimos to prevent Diaz from scoring with a neat dinked effort.
The home side should have punished Klopp’s side for their wastefulness in the 33rd minute when former Manchester City centre-back Nicolas Otamendi headed wide from a corner when he should have done much better with a rare opening. And the miss appeared even more costly moments later when Liverpool crafted an excellent goal.
Alexander-Arnold created the opening with a floated pass to Diaz who headed the ball back across the face of goal towards Mane who had a straight-forward chance to add the second.
The start of the second half, was far less impressive from Liverpool’s point of view as Konate gifted Benfica a route back into the game. The centre-back should have dealt with Rafa Silva’s 48th minute cross but completely missed the ball, allowing it to reach Nunez who beat Alisson with a composed finish.
Suddenly Liverpool looked less assured.
Klopp responded by making a triple substitution with Jordan Henderson introduced to bring calm to the midfield in place of Thiago and Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, replaced Mane and Salah. The changes, though, could not prevent Nunez again breaking clear from halfway but the forward wasted the opportunity by going to ground under a challenge from Virgil van Dijk in search of a penalty.
That proved to be Benfica’s last clear chance and after re-establishing a measure of control, Liverpool wrapped things up when Keita sent Diaz through on goal in the 87th minute and the forward rounded Vlachodimos to score.
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