3 Things We Learnt From Benfica 1-3 Liverpool

 1) A game of 2 halves for Konate

That Ibrahima Konate had an excellent 1st half, would be an understatement. It was he who opened the scoring for the Reds as he powered in a strong header from Robbo's out-swinging cross. Not only this, but he was an absolute rock at the back. He showed great pace and power as he won all the individual battles against the highly coveted Darwin Nunez. However, things took a downturn in the beginning of the second half. Benfica were on the counter and Silva played in a low cross from the right. It should've been a routine clearance from Konate but he missed it completely and Nunez was there to score. He looked nervy after his mistake but eventually regained his composure as the game went on. 

2) Diaz comes back to haunt Benfica 

Being an ex-Porto player, Diaz wasn't given the warmest of welcome after his return to Portugal. 

He was constantly booed and whistled at but it didn't seem to faze him at all. In the first half, he headed Alexander Arnold's delicious cross in the path of Mane who tapped it into the back of the net. In the second half, he put the game to bed as he scored from Naby's excellent through ball. Overall, it was a Man of the Match performance from the Columbian and one that puts Liverpool in a great position to qualify for the semis. 

3) City next! 

Against Benfica, Liverpool were the better side for 3/4th of the game. They were excellent in the first half, were sloppy in the first 25 minutes of the 2nd half and then regained their stride again in the final 20 minutes or so. City at the Etihad would pose a much greater threat and Liverpool would have to be nearly perfect to get anything out of that game. Liverpool's record at the Etihad doesn't make for good reading but the last thing you want to do to this Liverpool side is to write them off. Let's just hope that Jurgen Klopp and his men can defy the odds and get the long overdue win at the Etihad.