Liverpool set up a Champions League semi-final with Spain’s Villarreal after Roberto Firmino scored twice in a 3-3 second leg draw with Benfica on Wednesday to ensure a 6-4 aggregate win over the Portuguese team.
Juergen Klopp’s side had been 3-1 up on the night before the visitors struck twice late in the game to add a few nerves to what had appeared to be a comfortable passage.
Benfica forward Darwin Nunez had seen an effort ruled out for offside before Liverpool took the lead with a powerful header from a corner by defender Ibrahima Konate in the 21st minute.
The lead on the night lasted just 11 minutes though before Benfica pulled level through Goncalo Ramos, who beat Alisson Becker after a tackle from James Milner had fallen to him on the edge of the box.
Brazilian Firmino scored twice after the break as Liverpool looked to make sure of a place in the semi-finals for the third time in five seasons.
But Benfica stuck at the task well and pulled two goals back with Roman Yaremchuk and Nunez both scoring with efforts that were initially ruled out for offside but then allowed after VAR reviews. Nunez had an effort disallowed in stoppage time.
Follow all of the action LIVE with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog! Additional reporting from Reuters
Liverpool vs Benfica latest news
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GOAL! Nunez draws Benfica level on the night
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GOAL! Yaremchuk scores for Benfica
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GOAL! Firmino scores his second
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GOAL! Firmino scores a tap-in
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GOAL! Ramos draws sides level on the night
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GOAL! Konate puts Liverpool ahead
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Confirmed Liverpool lineup
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Confirmed Benfica lineup
SL Benfica 1 – 3 Liverpool FC
FT: Liverpool 3-3 Benfica (agg 6-4)
22:00 , Jonathan Gorrie
90:00 – A thrilling game is over and Liverpool book their place in the final four!
DISALLOWED GOAL
21:55 , Jonathan Gorrie
90+4: Nunez scores AGAIN but its chalked off.
DISALLOWED GOAL!
21:50 , Jonathan Gorrie
90:00 – Salah almost has his goal but Mane, who taps in, is ruled out for offisde.
That one ISN’T given.
What a player
21:46 , Jonathan Gorrie
NUNEZ goes close again!
21:43 , Jonathan Gorrie
81:00 – Alisson saves well from a Nunez volley! Big finish here.
GOAL GIVEN!
21:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wow! It’s been given! Nunez makes it 3-3 on the night!
DISALLOWED GOAL!
21:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
79:00 – Nunez ‘scores’ for the second time tonight but once again it’s chalked out for offside.
GOAL GIVEN! Yaremchuk’74
21:33 , Jonathan Gorrie
74:00 – After a VAR check, the goal is awarded!
DISALLOWED GOAL!
21:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
71:00 – Yaremchuk rounds Alisson and has the ball in the back of the net but it’s ruled out for offisde.
Look at that firepower
21:29 , Jonathan Gorrie
Another strong Liverpool change
21:27 , Jonathan Gorrie
GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Benfica (6-2 agg) | Roberto Firmino ‘64
21:25 , Jonathan Gorrie
64:00 – Liverpool running away with this!
Tsimikas with a brilliant delivery from a free-kick, finding Firmino, who hits a cushioned volley into the back of the net.
Terrible defending. Brilliant finish.
Another Liverpool chance
21:20 , Jonathan Gorrie
60:00 – Keita sees his shot blocked by Firmino, who can’t quite hit it on the swivel and Benfica clear.
Lots of Liverpool changes
21:17 , Jonathan Gorrie
GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Benfica (agg 5-2) | Roberto Firmino ‘ 54
21:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
54:00 – Comedy of effors as Benfica fail to clear their lines, eventually allowing Jota to cross for Firmino to score a tap in.
One for the future
21:12 , Jonathan Gorrie
Diaz shoots
21:11 , Jonathan Gorrie
50:00 – Liverpool’s best attacker tonight, Diaz shoots but Grimaldo blocks and the ball is cleared before Firmino can act.
The difference between Liverpool and total comfort
21:07 , Jonathan Gorrie
Second-half begins
21:05 , Jonathan Gorrie
Here we go!
A look at Konate’s goal
20:56 , Jonathan Gorrie
Konate the goalscorer
20:50 , Jonathan Gorrie
HT: Liverpool 1-1 Benfica (4-2 agg)
20:50 , Jonathan Gorrie
Difficult to see Liverpool losing this from here but Benfica aren’t making it easy.
CHANCE FOR LIVERPOOL
20:46 , Jonathan Gorrie
45:00 – Keita hits an arrowed shot from just outside the box, going just wide.
Great first-half
20:45 , Jonathan Gorrie
44:00 – Going to be some task for Benfica to overturn this but they really do look up for it.
Good defending from Milner
20:42 , Jonathan Gorrie
41:00 – Milner cuts a Nunez cross out before it can find Gilberto.
CHANCE FOR LIVERPOOL
20:40 , Jonathan Gorrie
39:00 – Grimaldo stops Liverpool scoring.
Firmino dawdles too long on the ball and allows the Benfica to stop his cross from Luis Diaz, who looked set for a tap-in.
Something for Liverpool to think about?
20:39 , Jonathan Gorrie
38:00 – Still in a wonderful position but the Benfica fans are now the louder and the opposition attackers look dangerously quick.
VAR confirm goal
20:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
A lenghty check but the goal was awarded. Ball came off Milner, keeping Ramos onside.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Benfica | Ramos ‘32
20:34 , Jonathan Gorrie
32:00 – Sloppy play from Liverpool as they fail to clear their lines, allowing a loose ball to find Ramos, who then beats Alisson from just inside the box brilliantly.
Liverpool have their tails up
20:33 , Jonathan Gorrie
32:00 – Firmino, Jota and Diaz finding each other with ease now.
CHANCE FOR LIVERPOOL
20:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
31:00 – Firmino’s header is deflected wide from point-blank range after Diaz keeps a cleared corner alive.
More good from Tsimikas
20:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
30:00 – Teed up Jota, the left-back wins another corner.
The trademark Firmino kick
20:30 , Jonathan Gorrie
So calm from Liverpool
20:29 , Jonathan Gorrie
28:00 – One and two touch stuff from the home side, who are in a fantasic position in this tie.
CHANCE FOR LIVERPOOL
20:28 , Jonathan Gorrie
27:00 – Lovely drop of the shoulder from Diaz affords him space to shoot but it’s well-saved.
Benfica have the ball in the back of the net
20:25 , Jonathan Gorrie
24:00 – Nunez played in-behind before chipping Alisson, although it’s ruled out for offside.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Benfica | Ibrahima Konate ‘22
20:23 , Jonathan Gorrie
22:00 – GOAL!
Konate with a brilliant header from a Tsimikas corner.
CHANCE FOR LIVERPOOL
20:21 , Jonathan Gorrie
20:00 – Firmino tees up Diaz to cut a cross from the byline but Milner’s shot from close range is blocked.
Good delivery
20:20 , Jonathan Gorrie
19:00 – Tsimikas with a good delivery but Benfica manage to clear.
Tsimikas in good form
20:20 , Jonathan Gorrie
19:00 – The Greek star wins a free-kick from the left in a dangerous area.
Benfica putting up a challenge
20:19 , Jonathan Gorrie
18:00 – Really purposeful passing through the lines from the Portuguese giants so far, albeit not creating anything clear cut.
Slight penalty claim
20:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
14:00 – Jota and Diaz combine before the former is brought down in the box.
Most of the appeals come from the crowd, however.
Ball in the back of the net
20:15 , Jonathan Gorrie
14:00 – Jota heads in a brilliant Gomez cross, although the forward is pulled back for a push in the box.
CHANCE FOR BENFICA
20:14 , Jonathan Gorrie
13:00 – From the resulting counter, Everton has a shot from just outside of the box, fizzing just wide.
A warning shot.
Liverpool free-kick
20:14 , Jonathan Gorrie
13:00 – Poor delivery from Milner, with Taraabt clearing easily.
Liverpool’s high line
20:11 , Jonathan Gorrie
09:00 – Nunez almost gets in behind but the Liverpool defence pushes up and leaves him offisde. Risky but rewarding.
Liverpool almost in
20:09 , Jonathan Gorrie
08:00 – Jota gets to the byline, cuts back and slips just as the Benfica defence looked beaten.
Benfica’s game plan obvious
20:09 , Jonathan Gorrie
08:00 – Hit it long quickly.
Otamendi and Vertonghen looking for those searching balls already.
Really good pressure from Liverpool
20:07 , Jonathan Gorrie
06:00 – Jota, Firmino and Diaz all pressing Benfica back. No matter who plays in this front three, Klopp has so clearly drilled his trademark work ethic into them.
Early sniff for Nunez
20:06 , Jonathan Gorrie
04:00 – The striker, linked with all of Europe’s top clubs, puts a very good cross into the box but Tsimikas clears well.
Ryan Babel a fan of Jurgen Klopp’s look
20:05 , Jonathan Gorrie
Such an experienced midfield
20:04 , Jonathan Gorrie
03:00 – Milner breaking up play nicely before trying to loop one over the Benfica defence, although puts too much on it.
Benfica start well
20:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
02:00 – Nice spell of possesion from the visitors early on.
KICK-OFF
20:01 , Jonathan Gorrie
Here we go!
The anthem plays
19:57 , Jonathan Gorrie
We’re edging closer…
Liverpool’s strength in depth analysed
19:52 , Jonathan Gorrie
Chris Sutton on Klopp’s team selection
19:38 , Jonathan Gorrie
(To BBC Radio 5 Live) “I think Klopp expects the tie to be over. This is the difference with Liverpool, they have the strength in depth now. I think it will be a formality and it will be good for some of the fringe players to get minutes into their legs.”
Teams out for the warm-ups
19:34 , Jonathan Gorrie
Jordan Henderson wants Liverpool to learn from Inter Milan
19:22 , Jonathan Gorrie
While Liverpool obviously progressed in the round-of-16, Inter Milan beat them at Anfield in the second-leg.
As a result, Henderson wants to see an improvement.
“Internazionale in the last round showed that, at this level, even a two-goal lead can be challenged and there are a few lessons from that tie that we will be taking into this game,” adds Henderson.
“So we will be taking nothing for granted. There will be those outside of the club who will be writing Benfica off, but we will be doing nothing of the sort.”
Klopp’s message to Darwin Nunez
19:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
A testament to Milner’s longevity
19:12 , Jonathan Gorrie
Mohamed Salah’s latest contract update
18:58 , Jonathan Gorrie
“Mentally I have to be focused, concentrated. I know what I want, how professional I am. The most important thing is to focus on the team. The directors are happy, the companions too. Everyone is happy, I am happy.
“It’s hard to concentrate, but it’s not difficult. Because I know how to stay focused. But it’s tough. There are too many distractions, too many people talking about everything.”
Confirmed Benfica lineup
18:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
Benfica XI: Vladchodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Weigl, Taarabt; Everton, Ramos, Goncalves, Nunez
Subs: Leite, Meite, Seferovic, Yaremchuk, Mario, Lazaro, Radonjic, Dias, Almeida, Bernardo, Alvaro, Morato
Changes galore
18:48 , Jonathan Gorrie
While not a shock, Klopp has opted to make seven changes to the side who drew with Manchester City on Sunday.
Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Naby Keita, James Milner, Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Thiago, Fabinho, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane respectively.
Confirmed Liverpool lineup
18:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
Klopp impressed with Liverpool for Manchester City comeback
18:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
Jurgen Klopp was impressed with Liverpool’s intensity as they earned a thrilling 2-2 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Reds had to twice come from behind, with Diogo Jota cancelling out Kevin De Bruyne’s early opener and Sadio Mane then getting the visitors back on terms after Gabriel Jesus had restored the lead.
There could very easily have been more goals in a game that both sides threw everything at, and it leaves City with a one-point lead at the top of the table with seven games remaining.
Klopp’s side know that it’s City who have the narrow advantage, but the German was more than satisfied with what he saw from his players.
“What a game, wild.” Klopp said.
You can read Klopp’s full comments here.
Jurgen Klopp’s team news hint
18:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
Jurgen Klopp insists the looming FA Cup semi-final showdown with title rivals Manchester City will have no bearing on his Liverpool team selection for Wednesday’s Champions League visit of Benfica to Anfield.
English football’s two best teams go head to head for the second time in six days at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, having played out a pulsating 2-2 draw in the Premier League only last weekend.
That instant classic – which saw Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane twice hit back for Liverpool after goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus – resulted in City retaining their narrow one-point lead at the top-flight summit with only seven matches left to play this season.
Both teams have Champions League quarter-final business to attend to before Saturday’s eagerly-awaited FA Cup showdown, with City – who lead their tie 1-0 – travelling to face Atletico Madrid and Liverpool hosting Benfica tomorrow night.
You can read Klopp’s full comments here.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
18:26 , Jonathan Gorrie
Liverpool wins: 7
Draws: 0
Benfica wins: 4
Prediction: Draw on the night, Liverpool to go progress
18:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
If the Reds rotate, Benfica will sniff a chance and could cause on-the-night issues just as Inter Milan did before them. But a completed comeback feels highly unlikely.
A 1-1 draw.
Benfica team news: Back to full strength
18:04 , Jonathan Gorrie
Lucas Verissimo and Rodrigo Pinho are missing for Benfica, who made several changes as they beat Belenenses at the weekend to keep their top players fresh for the game on Merseyside.
Liverpool team news: Klopp could rotate
17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
Klopp could rotate his lineup in between two key showdowns against Manchester City, with no injury concerns reported by the Reds ahead of the game.
“The next game has no influence on the lineup for tomorrow but the last game has,” Klopp told reporters at his pre-Benfica press conference on Tuesday. “Super intense schedule. No one injured as far as I know but we need to look at who is freshest.”
How to watch tonight’s action
17:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
TV channel: In the UK, tonight’s game will be televised live on BT Sport 3, with coverage beginning at 7.15pm.
Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will also be able to watch the match online via the BT Sport website or app.
Live blog: You can also follow all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Welcome
16:57 , Jonathan Gorrie
Good evening and welcome to Standard Sport’s dedicated match coverage of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final second-leg with Benfica this evening.
Jurgen Klopp’s side lead 3-1 on aggregate, with kick-off from Anfield at 8pm BST.
