Liverpool hold on to a 3-0 lead ahead of the second leg despite City’s attempts to break them down in the second half, while Barcelona turned on the charm and beat Roma 4-1 at Camp Nou.
Suarez has Scored for Barcelona. The home team now lead in the five goal thriller
- Barcelona 4-1 Roma
- Suarez scores late fourth (87)
- Dzeko grabs away goal (80)
- Pique adds third (59)
- Manolas OG extends lead (55)
- De Rossi OG hands Barca lead (38)
- Messi, Busquets start for hosts
- Dzeko returns for visitors
- Champions League QF first leg
8: Liverpool haven’t seen much of the ball in the last five minutes or so. Man City’s extra midfielder seems to be giving them the chance to control possession and they are working it around nicely.
6: City are the first side to settle into any sort of rhythm and they fashion a half-chance as Sane drives into the box, goes outside Alexander-Arnold and sees a shot deflected into the side-netting by Lovren.
4: Not much sustained possession for either side yet. The ball has been quickly up one end and then down the other, with plenty of high pressing.
2: Milner is urged to shoot from outside the box. Instead he clips in towards Salah and Laporte whacks it clear.
Fast-paced start to the game from both teams.
And we are off. Anfield is ringing with noise and fireworks go off outside as Liverpool, in all red, get the game started.
In the other game, Liverpool is still leading Man City
Liverpool vs Man City Match Updates Below
Final Whistle
90: Three minutes to be added on. Are City going to snatch an away goal?
88: City continuing to press and probe as time runs out. Karius has still not made a save though.
86: Henderson clatters into Sterling and earns himself a booking that will see him miss the next leg.
85: Final switch for Liverpool as Moreno comes on for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
84: Jesus has the ball in the net but the flag’s up for offside against Sane in the build-up. Very close call.
82: Liverpool are getting everyone back behind the ball very quickly when they lose it. That’s making it hard for City to make any headway as moves continue to break down around the box.
80: De Bruyne goes in strong on Mane and catches him late. Yellow card.
79: The Liverpool fans are doing everything they can to rouse their team. So much noise around Anfield even as City continue to dominate possession.
72: Solanke straight into the action as he beats Otamendi to a ball over the top and crosses into the middle towards Mane, who is just beaten to it by a good tackle from Walker.
71: Here is the switch for Liverpool and it’s Firmino who makes way for Solanke.
69: Interesting change in the offing for Liverpool as Solanke is going to come on. Ings has been warming up but it looks like Solanke is going to get the nod.
67: Are Liverpool starting to tire a little? They are certainly not pressing as much as they did in the first half and City are starting to find more spaces.
Liverpool are also giving the ball away very easily and very often.
65: It’s still City doing all the pressing and probing. Very different game to the first half.
63: Sterling has been on for five minutes and has not had a touch of the ball. City keep going out to the left for Sane and Silva.
61: Not sure where this City side were in the first half but this is more like the City that we have seen for most of the season.
They are bossing the game and have Liverpool pinned back inside their own half.
59: Sane and Silva are starting to see much more of the ball and Liverpool are falling deeper. They have only had 29 per cent of the possession in the second half.
57: First change for City and the whistles around Anfield tell you that it’s former Liverpool player Sterling who comes on for Gundogan.
55: Warning signs for Liverpool as they give the ball away cheaply and it takes a timely tackle from Alexander-Arnold to prevent Silva turning in De Bruyne’s low cross.
City then win a corner from which Gundogan fires wide from inside the box.
54: Oxlade-Chamberlain has gone out to the right side and Wijnaldum is playing in midfield.
53: Salah’s night is over as he walks down the tunnel. Didn’t look too serious but we will have to wait to find out.
Wijnadlum comes on in his place.
52: CLOSE! Fernandinho with a really clever pass over the top of the Liverpool defence for Sane. He has Jesus wide open in the middle but instead drills a shot across the face of goal and wide.
That is a waste.
50: City have made a good start to the half. They are passing it around better and finding some spaces.
Otamendi rises to meet a corner but can only turn it over the bar from 12 yards out.
48: Decent spell of possession for City but it comes to nothing as Sane fizzes a cross into the middle and out the other side. City could do with more of that.
46: Delph, Silva and Sterling are all warming up for City. A change surely not far away unless there is improvement.
SECOND HALF
No sign of Sterling yet and no changes at the break for either side. City get the game back underway…
Half Time
45: Two minutes to be added on.
45: De Bruyne clips a free-kick into the box but it’s over every City player. And they were all probably offside anyway.
43: City are seeing a bit more of the ball as half-time approaches. However, they continue to look ineffective in attack.
41: SHOT! Firmino turns away from Fernandinho and then carries inside and hits a shot from 25 yards that flies over the bar.
40: Mane skips past Otamendi so easily on the left side of the box but can’t pick out a team-mate with his low cross.
What is Otamendi doing going to ground there? He has not had a good first half.
37: Jesus a little fortunate not to get booked as he trips Robertson from behind.
Not the first rash challenge from a City player.
35: CLOSE! What has happened to City? They look exposed and off the pace.
They certainly can’t keep up with Robertson as he bursts clear from inside his own half and only gets stopped inside the City box by a sliding tackle from Fernandinho.
33: Not sure exactly what happened but Mane went off for treatment after the goal. He’s back on now, though, and seems to be fine.
Meanwhile, what do City do now? They will do well to make it to half-time at just 3-0.
30: What has happened to that early control that City had in possession? They have barely strung five passes together in the last 15 minutes.
28: CLOSE! It’s all Liverpool at the moment.
City again get exposed at the back as Alexander-Arnold gets into space down the right side and fizzes in a cross which takes a deflection and so nearly drops for Mane to fire home. Otamendi makes a vital clearance.
25: There could be more goals in this for Liverpool at this rate as spaces are opening up on the break.
City look a bit shell-shocked.
23: Liverpool look so dangerous when they go forward and they nearly create another chance as Ederson punches Robertson’s cross into the box. Fortunately for the City goalkeeper it doesn’t go near a red shirt.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-0 MAN CITY (Oxlade-Chamberlain 21)
Milner makes an excellent tackle outside the City box and the ball is then worked inside to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who takes aim from 25 yards and drills a sublime shot into the corner and beyond Ederson’s reach.
Klopp somehow manages to suppress a smile but he must be loving what he is seeing.
19: As they did in the Premier League meeting in January, Liverpool are pressing high and looking to force mistakes. City don’t look that comfortable at the back when they are under pressure.
17: That early goal really has set this game up nicely, if you’re a neutral. Got to think there will be more in this tie.
If there’s not then City might well rue the linesman’s decision to keep his flag down when Salah might have been offside…
CLOSE! City almost with a quick response as they break with Sane. Liverpool’s defenders back off and back off, which eventually prompts Sane to shoot from the edge of the box and he drags a shot just wide.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 MAN CITY (Salah 12)
Liverpool have been second best in the game, but what does that matter when you have got Salah?
It’s a typical counter-attacking goal as Salah – looking borderline offside – is played through on the halfway line. He slides in Firmino, whose shot is saved.
The rebound comes out to Walker but he can’t get it out of his feet, loses it to Firmino and the ball breaks for Salah to finish from 10 yards out.
Liverpool strike first. Anfield goes bonkers.
10: Sloppy from Henderson as he gives the ball away in midfield and Robertson has to be alert to prevent Gundogan breaking.
Liverpool still haven’t really settled and City have started the game better.