Liverpool Not in a Celebratory Mood Following Victory Over Porto

The Reds may have won the match but they didn’t put the tie away, meaning there’s still more work to do.

It’s hard to feel anything negative about a victory in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, especially one involving a clean sheet at home that gives you a clear edge heading into the second leg.

Still, Liverpool probably deserved a little more than the two goals they got on Tuesday, and a little more would have meant less to do next week when they travel to Porto. As it stands, the tie is far from over.

“We’ve taken the first step,” was striker Roberto Firmino’s take on things. “We played well and we scored goals. Now we have to keep our feet on the ground because the next game will be difficult as well.”

It will be especially difficult coming with just two days between it and the preceding match against Chelsea in the league—a game Liverpool will need to win to keep their dreams of league glory alive.

With that in mind, a bigger margin of victory on Tuesday night would have been especially welcome, allowing the Reds to focus fully on Chelsea before rotating some of their key stars against Porto.

Still, a 2-0 lead really is nothing to turn your nose up at, not at this stage of the Champions League, and it’s a lead that means if Liverpool now score an away goal Porto will then have to score four times.

“It’s a good result,” insisted star centre half Virgil van Dijk. “If we score one then it’s going to be even more difficult for them to go through. But the only thing is that we go in there to play our game.

“Hopefully we will create chances and finish them off. It’s going to be tough because their fans are pretty extreme, like here, and I’m definitely going to enjoy that.”

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com