Firmino and Salah give Liverpool commanding first-leg win over Inter

For 75 minutes the San Siro bounced with a belief and energy that befitted Inter’s performance. By the 83rd it was a stadium of silent disbelief, save for the jubilant pocket of Liverpool fans who had just witnessed Champions League experience rise to the fore. Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah struck late on to give Jürgen Klopp’s side a firm grip on this last-16 tie.

Salah extended his club record for scoring in successive European away games to an eighth match while Firmino came off the bench to inflict the first punishment on the Italian champions.

There was an unforgettable reward for Harvey Elliott after five months out with a dislocated ankle. The midfielder, who had impressed in two substitute outings since his recovery, was handed his Champions League debut by Klopp and, at 18 years and 318 days, replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold as the youngest player to start in the competition for Liverpool.

What a stage on which to make his bow. San Siro may be fading in its concrete grandeur, on borrowed time with its replacement planned down the road, and it was at 50% capacity due to Italy’s Covid restrictions. But it remains an iconic, raucous arena, and the noise was rolling down from its towering stands long before kick-off, including plenty from the 2,180 Liverpool fans situated up in the gods.

Both sets of supporters were treated to an open and absorbing game, although their teams’ commitment to attack and willingness to flood forward in numbers produced few genuine chances before the interval. Neither Alisson nor Samir Handanovic had a save to make in the opening 45 minutes. It was not for the want of trying, however. Lautaro Martínez swept the first attempt of the tie past the Liverpool goalkeeper’s right-hand post