Full Time: AS Roma 4-2 Liverpool
We all knew that the second leg semi-final at Stadio Olimpico will not be a cakewalk by any measure. Turns out that we were right.
AS Roma beat Liverpool to win 4-2 last night but thanks to our 5-2 lead from the first game, we were able to walk away with a narrow win. It was a tense match but it was highly exciting as well. It all started with Sadio Mane opening the scoring for us followed by an own goal from James Milner which helped Roma equalise.
From there on, it was a back-and-forth tussle between the two teams. Georginio Wijnaldum scored the second goal for Liverpool but the second-half was completely dominated by Roma as Edin Dzeko scored one to get them back into the game.
Radja Nainggolan added to their tally before the final whistle with a well-taken shot after which he also successfully netted a penalty.
The final score read 4-2 in favour of Roma but the aggregate score of 7-6 was enough for the Reds to set up a Champions League final vs Real Madrid.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Loris Karius – 7/10
Despite initial hiccups, Karius put in a good display for Liverpool. In Simon Mignolet’s absence, he has truly made the position between the sticks his own.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6.5/10
We have seen the youngster do a lot better, particularly in recent times. It was a shaky display from Trent and he struggled to deal with Stephan El Shaarawy.
Dejan Lovren – 5/10
Lovren’s aerial prowess was the only great thing about his performance. He was not reliable enough and made an unnecessary foul on El Shaarawy.
Virgil van Dijk – 8.5/10
Andrew Robertson – 7.5/10
Robertson contributed equally on both fronts and was quite impressive in such a high-pressure situation.
Jordan Henderson – 7.5/10
Henderson had a few messy moments in possession but he stood tall and weathered through the storm in a manner that only he can.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 8/10
James Milner – 7.5/10
Mohamed Salah – 5/10
Salah failed to deliver at his former club’s home ground. He lacked the cutting-edge in front of the goal and it was an unusually quiet performance from the Egyptian.
Sadio Mane – 9.5/10
Undoubtedly Liverpool’s best player on the field, Mane dominated proceedings like no other last night. He netted the opening goal and his speedy movement and tricks were impressive to the eye.
Roberto Firmino – 8/10
More than anything else, Firmino’s generosity, creativity and intelligence make him stand out from his contemporaries. He became a tad sloppy in the second-half but he did provide Mane with an assist.
Subs:
Ragnar Klavan – 6.5/10
Was decent enough but could not make a strong impact.
Dominic Solanke – N/A
Came on too late.
Nathaniel Clyne – N/A
Lasted on the pitch for hardly a few seconds.
