Liverpool vs Inter Milan LIVE: Champions League result, final score and reaction from fixture tonight
Follow live coverage as Jurgen Klopp’s Reds look to put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals with the first leg in Milan
Follow live reaction as late goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah earned Liverpool a 2-0 victory at Inter Milan in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday.
Inter had the better of the first-half chances, with Hakan Calhanoglu firing against the crossbar when afforded too much time in the penalty area. Liverpool were struggling to create many opportunities, with coach Jurgen Klopp ringing the changes in the second half, and one of those substitutes came up trumps - Firmino flicking home from a corner to break the deadlock in the 75th minute.
With their resistance broken, the errors started to creep in for Inter and Salah pounced when they failed to clear a long ball into the box to put the game to bed seven minutes from time. Even with the away goals rule no longer in force, the victory puts the 2019 Champions League winners in a commanding position ahead of the return leg on March 8 at Anfield.
Follow all the reaction below:
Inter Milan 0 - 0 Liverpool
Kick off: Liverpool take the knee before they get the ball rolling with an aerial pass over to the left wing. They win a throw in and work the ball to Andy Robertson. He swings a cross into the box but Inter defend it well and head the ball away.
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Here come the teams. Virgil van Dijk captains Liverpool tonight and leads them out onto the pitch at the San Siro. Manchester City cruised to a 5-0 victory away to Sporting Lisbon last night. Can Liverpool claim an away victory of their own this evening?
Inter Milan vs Liverpool: Pre-match thoughts of Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp, spoke to BT Sport before kick and explained his team selections and what he’s expecting from tonight’s game. He said:
It is a team that makes sense for tonight because of the way we have to play against this team. We have to play in half spaces and be good one on one offensively. We have to make the difference and from there we can go and that is why we felt this line-up made sense. To share the intensity a bit.
“When we qualified, I met Harvey [Elliott] on the pitch and I said to him ‘now you will be ready for the Champions League when you are back’. He is in good shape and in a good moment football-wise. He is exactly the kind of player for tonight. It is an opportunity and we will see how far it goes. If it works, it is all on him and if it does not it is all my fault.”
Inter Milan vs Liverpool: Liverpool return to Champions League determined to add further honours to golden era
In a landscape of cliches and manicured responses, it is rare to glimpse beyond the curtain and gain a true sense of dressing room sentiment - unless of course, disgruntled players are spearing a manager with all sorts of petty leaks.
Ahead of Liverpool’s Internazionale obstacle, however, Trent Alexander-Arnold was honest about something that has hung heavy in the Merseyside air. There has been a pang for more silverware, an acknowledgement that such a solid squad and supreme manager should be counting a lengthier list of honours.
He may have stopped short of fully admitting his boyhood club haven’t won enough in this golden era - offering only a “partially” when asked if he agrees that the medal collection could be bigger, but it has privately been spoken about by senior players.
Liverpool return to Champions League determined to add further honours to golden era
Jurgen Klopp’s men are targeting glory on multiple fronts this season and are now armed with a squad capable of fighting for honours both at home and in Europe
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Fabinho makes his 150th appearance for Liverpool tonight. Will he be celebrating a win over Inter Milan later on?
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Inter Milan come into tonight’s game on the back of a painful derby loss to rivals AC Milan at the start of this month and a 1-1 draw against Napoli in Serie A at the weekend.
In contrast Liverpool extended their winning run across all competitions to six matches with the 1-0 victory at Burnley on Sunday. In this season’s Champions League they’ve scored 17 goals in their six group wins, which included two victories over AC Milan.
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
This is Inter’s first appearance in the Champions League knockout stages since 2011-12. They finished runners-up to Real Madrid in Group D with 10 points after gaining just one point from their opening two games.
Inter have won their last five meetings with English teams at San Siro since drawing with Manchester United in February 2009.
The Serie A side have lost only three of their last 36 home matches in all competitions. They came against AC Milan, Real Madrid and Juventus – all by a one-goal margin.
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Mo Salah has scored in nine of his last 11 Champions League appearances, with 11 goals in that sequence. He has 33 European goals in total for the club – all in this competition.
Salah and Alisson Becker have started all six of Liverpool’s Champions League games this season, while Sadio Mane and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have also appeared in each fixture.
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Inter have only won six of their last 22 Champions League matches with seven draws and nine defeats.
Their victories against Sheriff and Shakhtar at San Siro are two of only three Inter successes in their last 11 Champions League home games (D5 L3),
The other was a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 3 in 2019/20. Victory against Sheriff ended a five-game run without a home win (D2 L3).
But, Inter are the last Italian team to win the Champions League, in 2010 – their third European Cup triumph, and first in 45 years.
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