Liverpool came out comfortable winners against Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final last night.

It certainly wasn’t the perfect display but they got the job done and vitally didn’t concede an away goal. There was a feeling though that they had their chances to put the tie to bed.

Mo Salah shooting wide when clean through on goal was one of the Reds’ clearest opportunities of the night and Porto’s defence looked very shaky at times with a number of half chances being squandered too.

Still, Liverpool were sensible in their game management and tried to keep things tight as the game wore on in order to stop their opponents from getting a way back into the match.

Captain Jordan Henderson picked up where he left off against Southampton on Friday night as he again showed his worth playing in a more advanced role delivering the type of performance the midfielder is producing with more and more consistency.

Henderson showed just what he is capable of in attack as he delivered a splendid defence-splitting through ball into the path of Trent Alexander-Arnold who crossed for Roberto Firmino to put away a simple tap in.

It was a classy move that sealed the win but with the second goal coming after just 25 minutes, there was a feeling that it was a missed opportunity to go on and wrap up a more comprehensive win.

One of the keys for Liverpool as they attempt to retain their composure at the business end of the season is the vastly experienced double Premier League winner James Milner who again showed why he is so trusted by Jurgen Klopp. Milner deputised ably for the suspended Andy Robertson at left-back and showed just what a versatile rock he is for his manager

Looking ahead to the 2nd leg of the quarter final, the Portuguese club’s record at the Estadio do Dragao this season has been very good, having won 12 and lost 2 of their 14 league games at home. Both clubs will be mindful of how the last match at the venue ended though.

Jurgen Klopp’s men tore into their opponents, coming out 5-0 winners, and while a repeat is unlikely, the Merseyside club will be lethal on the counter-attack as Porto press to level the tie.