The Champions League is back with a bang as the knockout stages kicked off with some classic first-leg ties across Europe.
Paul Wilkes has been keeping an eye on all the action with Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester City all resuming their quest to claim the top prize – and the small matter of Real Madrid taking on PSG.
Here’s everything you might have missed as the biggest club competition in world football returned this week.
Mane’s confidence has been restored
Liverpool’s attacking trident have been exceptional throughout this season, but Sadio Mane has looked unusually out of sorts at times. The interchanging of positions between the Senegalese attacker and Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah has thrilled, although Mane hasn’t always been as clinical.
He was certainly assisted by Jose Sa to score in his third consecutive match in the Champions League, when the 25-year-old goalkeeper allowed the ball to squirm under his body. Sa became the regular number one for Sergio Conceicao’s team last October and has started only 19 games in comparison to veteran Iker Casillas’ 19 campaigns.
Four minutes later, James Milner hit the post and then Salah appeared to have all the time in the world to play keepy-uppys before finishing for the Red’s second. Salah now has an incredible 30 goals in all competitions and is only the 13th Liverpool player to achieve the feat.
Sadio Mané celebrates scoring Liverpool’s third goal against Porto.
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Liverpool had never previously won at Porto and their hosts were unbeaten in 20 domestic matches. Mane added a third in an outstanding counter attack from the now fab three, which included another clever back heel from Firmino.
The Brazilian still had time to get himself on the scoresheet, when he grabbed his eighth goal in European competition this term. There was love in the air for Mane, as he completed his hat-trick with sheer power to become just the second Liverpool player to score three in an away game on the continent.
Porto had a couple of half chances, when Otavio’s shot deflected off a sliding Dejan Lovren and flew over the crossbar and when Tiquinho Soares dragged an effort wide. However, they never really troubled Loris Karius and Liverpool looked extremely comfortable as they cruised to a 5-0 victory.
Tottenham’s formation is difficult to beat
Tottenham Hotspur got off to the worst possible start in Turin, when they found themselves 2-0 down inside the opening nine minutes. Mauricio Pochettino’s side haven’t lost when he has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation this term and they illustrated their character once again.
They switched off as Gonzalo Higuain struck a superb volley on the turn and again for Ben Davies’ mistimed his challenge on Federico Bernardeschi. Higuain dispatched the resulting penalty to double his return in the competition for this season, after he managed only two goals in the group stage.
Harry Kane should have scored when he headed at Gianluigi Buffon and then forced an unbelievable one-handed save from the 40-year-old moments later. He did get the better of the veteran when he rounded him and finished into the empty net to equal Steven Gerrard’s record of seven goals for an Englishman in a single campaign in the competition for an English side.
Paul Wilkes has been keeping an eye on all the action with Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester City all resuming their quest to claim the top prize – and the small matter of Real Madrid taking on PSG.
Here’s everything you might have missed as the biggest club competition in world football returned this week.
Mane’s confidence has been restored
Liverpool’s attacking trident have been exceptional throughout this season, but Sadio Mane has looked unusually out of sorts at times. The interchanging of positions between the Senegalese attacker and Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah has thrilled, although Mane hasn’t always been as clinical.
He was certainly assisted by Jose Sa to score in his third consecutive match in the Champions League, when the 25-year-old goalkeeper allowed the ball to squirm under his body. Sa became the regular number one for Sergio Conceicao’s team last October and has started only 19 games in comparison to veteran Iker Casillas’ 19 campaigns.
Four minutes later, James Milner hit the post and then Salah appeared to have all the time in the world to play keepy-uppys before finishing for the Red’s second. Salah now has an incredible 30 goals in all competitions and is only the 13th Liverpool player to achieve the feat.
More
Liverpool had never previously won at Porto and their hosts were unbeaten in 20 domestic matches. Mane added a third in an outstanding counter attack from the now fab three, which included another clever back heel from Firmino.
The Brazilian still had time to get himself on the scoresheet, when he grabbed his eighth goal in European competition this term. There was love in the air for Mane, as he completed his hat-trick with sheer power to become just the second Liverpool player to score three in an away game on the continent.
Porto had a couple of half chances, when Otavio’s shot deflected off a sliding Dejan Lovren and flew over the crossbar and when Tiquinho Soares dragged an effort wide. However, they never really troubled Loris Karius and Liverpool looked extremely comfortable as they cruised to a 5-0 victory.
Tottenham’s formation is difficult to beat
Tottenham Hotspur got off to the worst possible start in Turin, when they found themselves 2-0 down inside the opening nine minutes. Mauricio Pochettino’s side haven’t lost when he has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation this term and they illustrated their character once again.
They switched off as Gonzalo Higuain struck a superb volley on the turn and again for Ben Davies’ mistimed his challenge on Federico Bernardeschi. Higuain dispatched the resulting penalty to double his return in the competition for this season, after he managed only two goals in the group stage.
Harry Kane should have scored when he headed at Gianluigi Buffon and then forced an unbelievable one-handed save from the 40-year-old moments later. He did get the better of the veteran when he rounded him and finished into the empty net to equal Steven Gerrard’s record of seven goals for an Englishman in a single campaign in the competition for an English side.
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