Liverpool endured a tough test at Anfield to book their place in this season's UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Despite drawing 3-3 in Wednesday night's thrilling encounter, the Reds secured a 6-4 aggregate win to become the first English club after Manchester United to reach the semi-final of the European Cup/Champions League for a record 12th time.
As it was the case in the reverse fixture in Lisbon, Ibrahima Konate scored the game's opening goal inside the 21st minute to put Liverpool in front, nodding home Kostas Tsimikas kick from a corner. 12 minutes later Mathias Ramos pulled Benfica level, ensuring that the first half of the night's encounter ended all square.
20 - Roberto Firmino (20) has become the fourth @LFC player to score 20+ times for the club in the European Cup/Champions League, after Mohamed Salah (33), Sadio Mané (22) and Steven Gerrard (21). Dazzler.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 13, 2022
A double from Roberto Firmino in the 55th and 66th minutes put Liverpool in cruise control but Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez made a last-ditch attempt to inspire the visitors to an unlikely remontada by scoring in the 73rd and 81st minutes respectively. In the end, the Portuguese side could not fashion an adequate response as Jurgen Klopp's men sealed the tie with an aggregate win.
6 - Darwin Núñez has now scored six UEFA Champions League goals in 2021-22, the most by a Benfica player in a single season in the competition, surpassing Nuno Gomes with five in 1998-99. Evolution. pic.twitter.com/XbJJWowdvn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 13, 2022
The night's win also meant that Jürgen Klopp now has reached the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time as a coach, with no German manager achieving this more (Heynckes and Hitzfeld also 4 times). In his first three semi-finals, Klopp progressed to the final each time.