In the 17th minute, Liverpool rewarded themselves for their active start with the lead. From a corner kick, Ibrahima Konaté was free to head the ball and put the ball in the net from seven yards.
Benfica only appeared dangerously in front of the visitors’ goal after more than 20 minutes. Éverton put the ball on the side netting after a fine individual performance.
But Liverpool stayed on the trigger. In the 26th minute, Luis Díaz was released by Mané, but Vlachodimos could not be lobbed and a short time later Salah just missed Andrew Robertson’s cross in front of goal.
In the 34th minute, the “Reds” followed up. Long ball to Diaz, who headed the ball past Vlachodimos to Mané, who had run with him, and he just had to push in – and that in a phase in which the home side stabilized slightly.
Salah almost made it 3-0 just before the break, but the Egyptian lobbed the ball out as Vlachodimos ran out. Alexander-Arnold staged him against the Lisboners who had moved up.
That took revenge after the break. Because Benfica managed to connect out of the blue. Rafa Silva’s low pass from the right wing was harmless, but Konaté flipped the ball over in the center of the box. Darwin Núñez, lurking behind him, couldn’t take it from seven yards out.
Cheered on by the fans, Lucas Veríssimo’s team was back in action, but didn’t create any clear chances at first. Up to 60 minutes. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson prevented the equalizer when he defused a hard shot from Everton.
Klopp responded with a triple substitution, bringing on Roberto Firmino (for Mané), Jordan Henderson (for Thiago) and Diogo Jota (for Salah). As a result, the “Reds” managed to calm the game. The ball possession phases increased, the team from the Premier League regained access and control.
A little excitement then in the 69th minute: Núñez went down in a duel with Virgil van Dijk after a counterattack in the penalty area, but referee Gil Manzano allowed the game to continue.
As a result, Benfica retreated far and waited for mistakes and counterattacks. Liverpool FC didn’t do them the favor. Instead, the English put the lid on it. When the Portuguese advanced again in the final offensive, Dìaz made the decision with a counterattack. He almost even managed to score the fourth goal in the aftermath
The FCL also gained self-confidence for the top game in the Premier League at the weekend. On Sunday, the second in the table will take on leaders Manchester City.
Source: red/sid/dpa