Complacency is a rare visitor to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, but there is always a challenge in keeping focus on the present while eyes are on all the prizes. Liverpool’s assignment on Wednesday - a home, second leg in a Champions League quarter-final where they hold a 3-1 lead - could very easily look like the most straightforward match of the 13, across three competitions, that they hope they still have ahead of them this season.
Benfica’s visit to Anfield is sandwiched between the draw at Manchester City that maintained the tantalising poise of the Premier League title race and the same clubs’ FA Cup semi-final, on Saturday.
Wednesday should usher Klopp’s team to the third European Cup semi-final of his era in charge, and, if City are successful in Madrid, towards a possible further summit meeting with City in the Champions League final.
Talk of a quadruple - Liverpool have already won the League Cup - is a distraction quickly dismissed by the Liverpool manager, and Klopp’s immediate task of keeping his players alert to Benfica’s threat is well served by drawing attention to another treble - the three goals scored by Darwin Nunez on Saturday in the Lisbon derby against Belenenses.
Nunez, or just ‘Darwin’ to his growing number of fans, has been the breakthrough talent of this season’s Champions League. He is younger, at 22, than 27-year-old Sebastien Haller who set records for potency in front of goal for Ajax, and the figurehead for Benfica’s progress to the last eight of the competition for the first time in six seasons.
He has scored twice against Barcelona. He netted at Bayern Munich. He headed in the against-the-run-of-play goal that eliminated Ajax in the last-16 round, and he gave Benfica their slender lifeline against Liverpool, taking advantage of an error from Ibrahima Konate soon after half-time in the Lisbon leg.
Benfica v Liverpool ratings
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BENFICA RATINGS: Odysseas Vlachodimos - 7. The 27-year-old did not deserve to lose so heavily. He made a series of saves that stopped the scoreline getting out of hand. Action Images -
Gilberto Junior - 5. The Brazilian struggled to keep a handle on Diaz. He was also sloppy in possession, particularly in the first half. AFP -
Nicolas Otamendi - 5. The Argentinian did some good work in the air and made a number of blocks but the former Manchester City defender made two errors in the build-up to the third Liverpool goal. AFP -
Jan Vertonghen - 5. The Belgian’s lack of pace was exposed by the Liverpool attack. He made a couple of telling interceptions but was always a step behind the strikers. AFP -
Ajandro Grimaldo - 4. The Spaniard was pinned back by Salah and he produced little going forward. His passing was off, too, in a sub-par performance. EPA -
Julian Weigl - 4. The German was over-run and did not disrupt Liverpool’s attacks with any regularity. His passing was efficient but held little threat. Reuters -
Adel Taarabt - 4. The Moroccan ran down blind alleys in his attempt to dribble and wasted possession. He had scant influence on the game and made way for Meite with 20 minutes left. Reuters -
Rafa Silva - 4. The Portuguese’s control was poor and his passing was wayward. It was his cross that led to Benfica’s goal but Konate should have cleared it with ease. Getty -
Goncalo Ramos - 5. The Portuguese tried to drop deep to reinforce the midfield but he was unable to apply much pressure on Fabinho. He did not create much going forward and was substituted for Mario with four minutes left. AFP -
Everton - 6. The Brazilian tested Alisson and got into shooting positions on another two occasions. He worked hard defensively, too, before making way for Yaremchuk with eight minutes to go. Getty -
Darwin Nunez - 7. The Uruguayan was bright. He took his goal coolly and asked questions of Konate. His pace and strength troubled the defence. Getty -
SUBS: Soualiho Meite (Taarabt 70') - 4. He was unable to change the direction of the game, which had already turned against Benfica. EPA -
Roman Yaremchuk (Soares 82') - N/A. The Ukrainian came on for the last eight minutes for Everton but was kept quiet by the defence during his short cameo. Reuters -
Joao Mario (Ramos 86') - 4. The Portuguese joined the action for Ramos with four minutes to go. He made no impression on the match. AFP -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 7. The Brazilian made a good save to foil Everton and was generally secure. He was lucky to get away with an overconfident moment on the ball in the second half. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8. Secure when defending and dangerous on the ball, the 23-year-old showed his class. His pass in the build-up to the second goal was superb. Replaced by Gomez with a minute to go. Action Images -
Ibrahima Konate - 7. The Frenchman scored a towering header to open the scoring but made a bad error to allow Benfica to pull a goal back. He was effective apart from that one mistake. EPA -
Virgil van Dijk - 7. The Dutchman was at his finest when Benfica had their best spell in the second half. He calmed his colleagues and tackled with authority. PA -
Naby Keita - 9. The Guinean was on the top of his game, pressing and passing with elan. He said just days ago that Liverpool had not yet seen him at his best. This was a glimpse of how good he can be. Substituted for Milner with a minute left. AFP -
Fabinho - 7. The Brazilian was disciplined. He cut out danger and screened the defence. When Benfica got on top in the second half, he dug in and regained the initiative. EPA -
Thiago Alcantara - 7. The 30-year-old was key to his team’s control of the midfield in the first half. His passing was precise. Henderson replaced him after 61 minutes. PA -
Mohamed Salah - 6. The Egyptian forced two first-half saves from Vlachodimos but never hit the heights that he regularly reaches. He made way for Jota in the 61st minute. EPA -
Sadio Mane - 7. The Senegalese worked hard and showed some fine touches. He was rewarded with the second goal. Firmino came on for him after 61 minutes. AFP -
Luis Diaz - 7. The Colombian tormented Gilberto and set up Mane for the second goal. Always a threat, he gave Liverpool a two-goal cushion when slotting home the third. AFP -
SUBS: Jordan Henderson (Alcantara 61') - 6. The 31-year-old grafted away in midfield and produced one dangerous through ball to Jota. AP -
Diogo Jota (Salah 61') - 6. He wasted a superb chance to score a fourth when through on goal. Reuters -
Roberto Firmino (Mane 61') - 7. The Brazilian's intelligent movement and clever passing kept the defence off balance. Action Images -
Joe Gomez (Alexander-Arnold 89') - N/A. The 24-year-old saw out the game without any alarms. AFP -
James Milner (Keita 89') - 6. The 36-year-old is a reassuring presence at the end of games. PA
That was the third of the six goals he has registered in his last four games, and some of the homework set for Liverpool’s defenders will have focused on the hat-trick at the weekend.
His first against Belenenses featured a moment of high-class control ahead of his opening goal; there was clever movement to drift between markers for his second; and an excellent angled finish to complete his treble.
The Uruguayan is brimming with confidence, fully knowing he will be animating the transfer market this summer, with interest in him from various elite clubs, and that stand-out performances on the biggest stages, like Anfield, only burnish his reputation.
Klopp identified Darwin as a principal danger. "We know more [now] how they play,” said Klopp of Benfica, “In Lisbon they wanted to isolate Darwin with Konate. We have a lot to do. But we were good at Benfica, I liked it. The main target again is being the one team no one wants to play.”
What does Klopp expect from Benfica? “All I know is what I would do. I would go for it - put us under pressure and try to score early. That's what we expect.”
Klopp has reminded his players that a two-goal lead can very quickly feel fragile. In the last-16 stage, they came back from Milan with a 2-0 first-leg advantage over Internazionale, and had Inter not had Alexis Sanchez sent off two minutes after the Italians took a 1-0 lead at Anfield, the last half hour might have felt more uncomfortable.
“3-1 at halfway is as tricky as 2-0,” said Klopp. “It’s a good basis but if they score one, like Inter did, the game changes. We felt that when Darwin scored last week. We need to make them feel like this is a place they don’t want to go.”
He meant Anfield, of course, with its special acoustics and atmosphere on European knockout nights, although the stadium has not been Liverpool’s greatest ally in the last two years.
Last month Inter came there and won, albeit that the Serie A champions lost the tie. Last season Real Madrid came to Merseyside in the quarter-finals, albeit without a crowd because of Covid-influenced restrictions, and drew 0-0 to go through 3-1 on aggregate. Two years ago, famously, Atletico Madrid eliminated Liverpool at the last 16 stage, turning around an overall deficit to win 3-2 in extra-time at Anfield.
Enough precedents for caution, then, although Klopp declares this season’s squad better equipped than in either of the past two seasons and the most complete he has been in charge of in his six and half years at Liverpool. “We have a bigger squad, high quality, all fit, and more experienced. It’s the strongest.”
