Two shots, two late goals as Liverpool disappoints Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. 

The six-time European Champions were able to break through the barrier of caution that left the fixture goalless for 75 minutes. Finally, Roberto Firmino positioned himself at the far post to send in a header from Andy Robertson. The second goal came at 83 minutes from a set-piece. 

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Virgil van Dijk nodded down from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick, and Mohamed Salah was left unmarked to shoot the ball low into the net. Notably, this makes Salah the second player to score against both AC Milan and Inter in the same Champions League season, after Peter Crouch’s run with Tottenham Hotspur in 2010-11, as per Opta stats. 

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Speaking after the match, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport, “It was such a physical game. We had to find a way. We started really well then they came out a bit. We didn’t defend their directness too well but in a game like this you have to keep the ball longer. It didn’t happen often enough.” He added, “It wasn’t brilliant today but it was enough to score two wonderful goals. I am really happy” as per the BT Sport report.

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Further, BT Sport quoted Klopp saying, “We didn’t finish the situations off enough. Then the referees forget to raise the flag even though it’s clearly offside. These rules will kill me one day!”

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Defender Virgil Van Dijk also seemed delighted with the win, speaking to BT Sport, saying, “It is a tough place to come, they are a very good team with a good system. The atmosphere was incredible. I really enjoyed it out there. The set-pieces are a big strength of ours. A very strong performance to take back to Anfield”. 

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It indeed is a great score to take back to their home ground, Anfield, for the second leg. While Liverpool is well-cushioned with two away goals at San Siro, Inter didn’t manage a single shot on target in the 90 minutes. Now, the Italian side potentially faces missing out on the quarter-final for the first time since 2011. 

[Edited with AP Inputs]