Ibrahima Konate, one of the scorers in Liverpool’s 3-1 win in the first leg, netted another header for Klopp’s team for the first goal and Roberto Firmino added two more in the second half at Anfield.
Goncalo Ramos had made it 1-1 on the night in the 32nd minute — keeping Benfica in with the unlikeliest of chances — but Liverpool never looked like squandering their big advantage, even though substitute Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez scored goals for the visitors in the 73rd and 82nd minutes respectively.
Tempers flared in the other semi-final between Manchester City at Atletico Madrid.Credit:Getty
Liverpool stayed on course to win the competition for a seventh time, and for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies this season.
That Klopp was able to rotate so heavily after building a commanding lead in Lisbon last week should enable Liverpool to field a full-strength team against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.
City weren’t in such a luxurious position Wednesday, taken all the way by Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital where a fiery 0-0 draw sealed a 1-0 aggregate victory. City will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
In the end, it was Pep Guardiola getting the best of Diego Simeone in the battle of styles between City’s offensive-minded tactics and Atletico’s more cautious approach.
Atletico’s attack struggled again and the Spanish club managed only two attempts on target after having none in the first leg.
The hosts played the final minutes a man down after defender Felipe was sent off for kicking an opponent. The benches had been cleared a few moments earlier as Atletico’s players appeared upset with City’s attempts to waste time.
“When Atletico play the way City played today, we are very criticised. Let’s see what people say today,” captain Koke told Movistar Plus. “I’m proud of my teammates for the effort they have made, nothing to blame the team for. We’ve had our chances, we haven’t taken advantage of them and congratulations to the rival, but Atleti deserved more.”
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The City players acknowledged they had not been at their most fluent.
“It wasn’t our best game, that’s for sure,” defensive midfielder Rodri said.
“We were tired in the second half because of the calendar, we had a very intense match on the weekend with Liverpool and we were out of legs in the end.”
AP, Reuters
Liverpool eye magnificent seven as City grind into Champions League semis
Source: Philippines Alive
