Five talking points from Liverpool's 5-1 win at Porto
Liverpool produced a masterful European away performance to defeat FC Porto 5-1 in the Champions League.
Mohamed Salah’s brace sandwiched Sadio Mane’s goal as the Reds eased into a three-goal lead, and Roberto Firmino came off the bench to notch a late double after the hosts had pulled one back.
Jürgen Klopp’s side have now scored 14 times in three visits to Estadio do Dragao since 2018.
Here are five talking points to emerge from the Group B game in Portugal…
Honouring a legend
Liverpool’s players wore black armbands in remembrance of the great Roger Hunt, who passed away at the age of 83 on Monday evening.
A Liverpool legend and a World Cup-winning icon for England, Hunt netted a remarkable 285 goals in 492 appearances for the Reds and remains the second-highest scorer in the club’s history.
“Roger would definitely have played in my team. A great person and a wonderful guy,” said Klopp pre-match.
Rest in peace, Sir Roger.
Played two, won two
In backing up their thrilling matchday one victory over AC Milan at Anfield with another win, Klopp’s side consolidated their grip on pole position in Group B.
Atletico Madrid sit second, two points adrift of the leaders, after they came from behind to pick up a 2-1 triumph at San Siro thanks to Luis Suarez’s stoppage-time penalty.
And next up for Liverpool is a double-header against Diego Simeone’s Atleti, with a trip to the Spanish capital the Reds’ next European assignment on October 19.
The three-scoring Reds
What a September it was for Liverpool in front of goal.
In six consecutive games this month, Klopp’s team scored at least three times – and such a sequence had only ever occurred twice previously in the club’s 129-year history, in May 2009 and October 1892.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t feel like that, but thank you for telling me!” Klopp smiled, when it was relayed to him that his side had netted 20 goals during September.
“We conceded as well some or a few. We play against Man City [on Sunday], I don't think now it makes too much sense to think too much about how many goals we can score against them.”
Porto 1-5 LFC: Watch extended highlights now
400 up for the captain
It was a landmark evening in the Liverpool career of Jordan Henderson.
The skipper led the team out at the Dragao and in doing so, became the 27th player - and first since Steven Gerrard in October 2007 - to reach 400 appearances for the club.
“I can’t really describe the feeling, I still get the feeling every time I put the shirt on,” Henderson noted after the game.
“I try to give my all for this club every single day. So when I put the shirt on every game, it’s an honour and I don’t take it for granted. To do it 400 times so far is pretty special.
“But I feel as though I’ve still got a lot left to contribute to this club and hopefully I can do it many more times in the future.”
Sadio joins Stevie and Mo
Mane’s close-range finish on the stoke of half-time represented a milestone for the No.10.
He is now the third Liverpool player to score 20 times in the Champions League, after Gerrard and Salah, with the Senegalese’s running total in the competition coming in only 46 games.
Overall, Mane has now netted 22 European goals for the Reds – level with Michael Owen in joint-third place in the club’s history, behind Gerrard and Salah – and perhaps it should come as no surprise that he proved problematic for Porto yet again.
After all, no Liverpool player has registered more goals versus a single opponent in the Champions League than Mane’s five against the Portuguese giants.