Jurgen Klopp says he is wary of facing a man he dubbed "King of Cups" when his Liverpool face Unai Emery's Villarreal in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool drew 3-3 with Benfica in their quarter-final second leg on Wednesday to go through to the last four with a 6-4 aggregate scoreline.
The win sets up a meeting with Villarreal, who pulled off a shock victory over Bayern Munich in the last eight.
"I saw the results, the game was very impressive. I only picked up pieces but to beat Juventus and Bayern Munich they deserve to be in the Champions League semi-finals," said Klopp.
"Unai Emery is the king of the cups, it is unbelievable what he is doing. But give me a bit of time to prepare it properly," he added with a grin.
Emery's sobriquet is well earned. The Spaniard is a three-time Europa League winner with Sevilla and triumphed in the same competition with Villarreal last season - the club's first major trophy - having also guided Arsenal to the 2019 final. He also collected four domestic cups during a two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain.
Klopp was happy to overlook Liverpool's shortcomings against Benfica where as well as conceding three goals they also saw two efforts from the visitors ruled out for offside.
Liverpool v Benfica ratings
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LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian was left exposed on all three Benfica goals. He made an excellent save at the near post from Nunez just before the striker scored his team’s third. Reuters -
Joe Gomez - 5. The 24-year-old found Nunez a handful. He was unable to create much going forward but did manage a shot on goal. Reuters -
Joel Matip - 5. The 30-year-old was the senior figure in the defence and needed to organise the high line more effectively because Benfica got in behind too often. He was assured enough in his own game. AFP -
Ibrahima Konate - 6. The Frenchman scored another towering header to replicate his feat in the first leg. His understanding with Matip needs to improve if they are to be paired together. PA -
Kostas Tsimikas - 7. The Greek created two goals with his dead-ball play and troubled Benfica throughout. He defended well, too. EPA -
Naby Keita - 6. The Guinean was the most mobile midfielder and he had some good touches. He went close with a shot from outside the box. Reuters -
Jordan Henderson - 5. The captain’s passing was uncertain and his pressing was less effective than normal. He was replaced by Fabinho in the 58th minute. Reuters -
James Milner - 5. The 36-year-old was unlucky to deflect the ball to Ramos but it was because he was a step too late into the tackle, which happened too often. He made way for Thiago in the 58th minute. Getty -
Luis Diaz - 7. The Colombian caused the defence numerous issues and it needed heroics from Vlachodimos and Grimaldo to stop him scoring. Substituted for Mane in the 66th minute. PA -
Roberto Firmino - 8. The Brazilian found pockets of space and, although he should have shot instead of passing to Diaz, still scored twice. Origi replaced him in stoppage time. AP -
Diogo Jota - 7. The Portuguese was sharp, eager and set up the second goal. The defence did not enjoy his direct running. He was withdrawn for Mane after 66 minutes. EPA -
SUBS: Mohamed Salah (Jota 57') - 6. He was not quite at his best but curled a shot just wide. AP -
Thiago Alcantara (Milner 58') - 5. The 31-year-old's passing was assured without being particularly incisive. EPA -
Fabinho (Henderson 58'') - 5. The Brazilian was swamped as Benfica threw everything forward. PA -
Sadio Mane (Diaz 66') - 6. The Senegalese caused the defence some consternation on the left. Reuters -
Divock Origi (Firmino 90'+1) - 5. The Kop were baying for the Belgian in the first half. He finally got on the pitch in stoppage time but there was no time to have any impact. Reuters -
BENFICA RATINGS: Odysseas Vlachodimos - 6. The 27-year-old was quick off his line to foil Jota but took a knock to his head. It did not affect him and he made a fine save from Diaz. He was let down by his defence, particularly for Liverpool’s second goal. PA -
Gilberto - 5. The Brazilian struggled to cope with Tsimikas and Jota. He was also wasteful in possession. He made way for Dias in stoppage time. PA -
Nicolas Otamendi - 4. The Argentinian made a poor attempt to stop Konate scoring. He went to sleep for Firmino’s second strike. Both those goals came from set-pieces and the centre backs should have done better. EPA -
Jan Vertonghen - 4. The Belgian remained grounded while Konate scored but did manage to block Firmino’s goalbound header. His shambolic clearance was the catalyst for Liverpool’s second goal, though. PA -
Alex Grimaldo - 6. The Spaniard made a remarkable interception to deny Diaz an easy goalscoring opportunity. He played in Yaremchuk to allow the striker to score the second goal. PA -
Adel Taarabt - 5. The Moroccan never got going. He dwelt on the ball and dribbled down blind alleys. Mario came on for him in the 66th minute. Getty -
Julian Weigl - 5. The German did not do much to protect the defence. He produced one good pass but was generally ineffective going forward. AP -
Everton Soares - 5. The Brazilian went close with a shot from distance early on but faded very quickly. Almeida replaced him in stoppage time. AFP -
Goncalo Ramos - 6. The Portuguese drifted out of the game for spells but levelled the scores in the first half. Bernardo replaced him with 12 minutes to go. AFP -
Diogo Goncalves - 4. The Portuguese was only noticeable for his tendency to drift offside. He made way for Yaremchuk at half time. Getty -
Darwin Nunez - 8. The Uruguayan scored one goal and had two more disallowed for offside. He threatened with another two shots and worried the defence all night. AP -
SUBS: Roman Yaremchuk (Goncalves 45') - 7. The Ukrainian gave the attack a different look. He had just one shot but he made it count by scoring the second goal. EPA -
Joao Mario (Taarabt 66') - 6. The Portuguese set up Nunez to score the final goal of the game. EPA -
Paulo Bernardo (Ramos 78') - 6. The 20-year-old's movement was good but he saw little of the ball. EPA -
Gil Dias (Gilberto 90'+1) - 5. The 25-year-old had little time to impress. EPA -
Andre Almeida (Soares 90'+1) - 5. The 31-year-old's introduction was too late to affect the game. EPA
Liverpool's defence, featuring Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip in the middle and Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas at fullback, was opened up with some ease by the Portuguese side but Klopp said that was understandable.
"The day we qualify for the Champions League semi-final and I'm not happy please come and knock me out," he said.
"We made seven changes. The situation was the last line had never played together and it was about details, staying 100 per cent concentrated.
"It was not exactly what we wanted but it is absolutely not important because if we played the best game of the season tonight it wouldn't have made it more likely to get to the final. We are through and that's all that matters and I'm really happy."
Liverpool's quest for an unprecedented quadruple continues on Saturday when they take on Manchester City, who booked their place in the last four of Europe's premier competition with a 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid, in the FA Cup semi-finals.
