5-1 aggregate win sees Liverpool dominate Champions League best XI
Having defeated Premier League champions elect Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate, it’s no shock to see Liverpool dominate the WhoScored.com Champions League team of the quarter-finals. The Reds were in electric form across 180 minutes of action at Anfield and the Etihad Stadium, as head coach Jurgen Klopp maintained his dominance over adversary Pep Guardiola.
Mohamed Salah had a key role to play in both games as he had a direct hand in three of the five goals Liverpool netted, scoring two, including the decisive strike that put the tie to bed in their 2-1 win on Tuesday night, and assisting one. The Egyptian also chipped in with five key passes and four successful dribbles to gain a WhoScored.com rating of 7.83.
Salah is one of three Liverpool players to feature in the midfield, with Sadio Mane starring on the opposite flank. The Senegal star netted in the first leg 3-0 win, earning the man of the match award in the victory at Anfield, and was a constant menace over the two legs, completing more dribbles (12) than any other player to return a WhoScored.com rating of 8.11. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also makes the cut, with the summer arrival now an established member of Klopp’s first choice XI.
The England international scored a sumptuous long-range strike in the first leg and made three tackles and interceptions and completed six dribbles over the 5-1 aggregate win over City. Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara rounds off the midfield, with the Spaniard bagging a key goal in Seville to secure a 2-1 aggregate win over Sevilla. Thiago also completed nine dribbles across the two games to gain a WhoScored.com rating of 7.65.
The player of the round, though, is Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned a WhoScored.com rating of 8.80. The Portugal international scored more goals (3) than any other player in the quarter-finals and had a direct hand in all four of Real Madrid’s goals in the 4-3 aggregate win over Juventus, including the late penalty at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night. He’s partnered by Roma’s Edin Dzeko, who netted twice in the 4-4 aggregate draw with Barcelona. Dzeko’s strike at Camp Nou was vital in the grand scheme of things, while Barcelona struggled to contain the physical forward, who won six aerial duels over the two legs.
In defence, two Liverpool players make up the back four, with Trent Alexander-Arnold excelling against Manchester City. The teenage defender turned out two mature displays against the Premier League side as he made 17 tackles and interceptions combined. “I wanted to show them (Man City) I’m not the weak link in the team,” Alexander-Arnold said following Tuesday night’s win. The Liverpool star certainly proved he’s instead one of the strongest.
Dejan Lovren joins Alexander-Arnold in the XI and rounds off the Liverpool contingent. The Croatian turned out two heroic performances against Manchester City as he won four aerial duels, made 15 clearances, two interceptions and two tackles to gain a WhoScored.com rating of 7.37. Bayern star Mats Hummels features alongside Lovren at the back after the Germany international gained a WhoScored.com rating of 7.27 against Sevilla, in part owing to the seven clearances, two interceptions and two tackles made, while 136 passes helped push his score up.
Sergio Escudero completes the defence with the left-back registering the first leg assist for Pablo Sarabia’s goal that gave Sevilla a chance of upsetting the odds. That assist came from one of two key passes, while Escudero also won seven aerial duels to help return a WhoScored.com rating of 7.18. Teammate David Soria rounds off the Champions League team of the quarter-finals having made nine saves over the two legs, with his performance in Munich gaining him the WhoScored.com man of the match award. An additional two crosses claimed saw the 25-year-old gain a WhoScored.com rating of 7.39 over the two games.
