LIVERPOOL: Liverpool stuttered into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate win over Inter Milan after suffering a 1-0 loss to the Italian side, who were reduced to 10 men, at Anfield on Tuesday.

The Italian champions were unable to scale the mountain they had to climb after losing the first leg 2-0 at home three weeks ago despite Lautaro Martinez’s sensational strike into the top corner just after the hour mark.

Alexis Sanchez’s red card shortly afterwards punctured any Inter momentum and Liverpool comfortably held out with the extra man despite slipping to just a third defeat in 44 games in all competitions this season. The Reds had been on a 12-game winning run to keep alive their hopes of a historic quadruple of trophies.

After lifting the League Cup last month, Juergen Klopp’s men are now into the last eight of both the Champions League and FA Cup and have a game in hand to cut Manchester City’s six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Italian champions again controlled the first half still, it was the home side who came nearest to taking a first-half lead with Joel Matip heading against the bar and then Virgil van Dijk heading wide from a Trent Alexander Arnold corner.

Liverpool struck the woodwork again after the interval, with Mohammed Salah hitting the post after Inter keeper Samir Handanovic had rushed out to foil Diogo Jota.

But the game truly came alive when Martinez, having just wasted a good opportunity, picked the ball up on Liverpool’s right and took a step inside before unleashing an unstoppable drive.

Inter’s joy lasted barely a minute before they were reduced to 10 men by Sanchez’s ill-discipline. The Chilean had been lucky to escape with just a yellow card for a dangerous lunge on Thiago Alcantara just before half-time and stupidly dived in on Fabinho to earn a second yellow.The dismissal killed Inter’s momentum with Liverpool never looking in danger of conceding again.

“Lautaro’s goal had hit Liverpool, but Sanchez’s expulsion influenced the last half hour of play,” said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi ruefully.

“A victory at Anfield it’s nice, but it’s useless for the qualification,” he added.

Salah hit the post again 15 minutes from time and only an incredible block from Arturo Vidal denied Luis Diaz in stoppage time as Liverpool failed to make their numerical advantage count.

“The art of football is to lose the right games. I still hate it, but if there’s any game we could afford to lose it was tonight,” said Klopp.

“Over the two games I think we deserved it. It is fair that we are through against a tough opponent”.

Tuesday’s other round of 16 game was an one sided affair as whatever hope RB Salzburg had of overcoming Bayern Munich was extinguished by Robert Lewandowski scoring a hattrick in 11 minutes.

A second leg that started at 1-1 was tilted 4-1 in Bayern’s favour by the striker’s scoring masterclass. An 8-2 aggregate win to reach the quarter-finals was completed by further goals from Serge Gnabry, a double from Thomas Mueller, and Leroy Sane. At least Salzburg avoided complete humiliation of not scoring with Maurits Kjaergaard netting for the Austrian team in Munich.

“That was a statement win,” Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said. “I think we showed a different side of ourselves today and didn’t concede as many chances on the break”.

It was three weeks ago when Bayern was reliant on a late equaliser from Kingsley Coman to avoid losing the first leg.

After failing to score or even hit the target in Salzburg, Lewandowski has now taken his season tally to 42 goals in all competitions.

It took only 12 minutes to score his first against Salzburg, from the penalty spot after being brought down by Maximilian Wober. The defender fouled him again and Lewandowski converted his penalty again in the 21st.

The third came from open play, running onto Mueller’s pass and then knocking a shot past the advancing goalkeeper Philipp Kohn from the edge of the penalty area.

“Today it was an opponent on a different level,” Salzburg defender Rasmus Kristensen said. “We had some chances but if you dont make them count, it is difficult. They simply have been better in all aspects that’s it”.

Coman seized the ball off Mohammed Camara to set up Gnabry in the 31st to shoot under Kohn.

Mueller scored nine minutes into the second half before Kjaergaard struck a superb left-footed consolation for the knockout phase newcomer.

But Mueller swept in his 52nd Champions League goal in the 83rd after exchanging passes with Lewandowski and Sane in the buildup.

The rout was completed when Lewandowski back-heeled the ball for Sane to net the seventh in the 85th.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2022