MILAN (AP) — Two shots on target. Two goals. Both from Liverpool.
After 75 minutes of caution — even tedium — the quality and pressure from six-time European champion Liverpool eventually led to a 2-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday.
Roberto Firmino drifted in near the far post to glance in a header — with his back to goal — from Andy Robertson’s corner. A set piece also produced the second goal in the 83rd minute after Virgil van Dijk nodded down from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free kick and Mohamed Salah was primed unmarked centrally to produce a shot that deflected past goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.
The late goals give 2019 champion Liverpool a crucial cushion to take back to Anfield for the second leg next month.
"I think we both took a lot of risk in the pressing," Van Dijk told CBS. "It’s about the hard fight, the battle when you have the ball — be brave, make the right decisions and keep it tight at the back."
Inter Milan didn’t manage a single shot on target in the 90 minutes and now faces missing out on a first quarterfinal appearance since 2011 in European football’s elite competition. How different it might have turned out for the Italian champions had Hakan Calhanoglu’s first-half shot from a tight angle not hit the crossbar.
It was a night when Alexander-Arnold lost his place in the Liverpool record books as the team’s youngest-ever Champions League player as Harvey Elliott was handed his first appearance in the competition at 18 years, 318 days.
Elliott played for the first 59 minutes, during which Liverpool were largely underwhelming and came closest to scoring when Sadio Mane headed over in the first half.
"It was tough," Van Dijk said. "We suffered but something that we expected as well."
The night’s other first leg produced a far tighter result with Bayern Munich needing a goal from Kingsley Coman in the 90th minute to recover a 1-1 draw at Salzburg.
