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That a penalty shootout was needed for Senegal to beat Egypt for a place at the World Cup this week will have come as no shock to Jurgen Klopp.

After seeing his star men in Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah go all the way to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations before spot-kicks went the way of the former last month, a repeat for a place at the Qatar showpiece will not have surprised the Liverpool boss. A total of 180 minutes across two legs was followed by an additional 30 minutes of extra time - which came hot on the heels of another two hours of action in the AFCON final in February - and it was to be Mane who was once again left smiling.

It was only commiserations for Salah who has seen his AFCON and World Cup dreams go up in smoke in less than two months with his nation. The Liverpool No.11 may justifiably lay claim to being the planet's best right now, but even he was not able to inspire an otherwise ordinary Pharaohs team to greater heights - even if he did come incredibly close.

He will return to Merseyside this week with 210 minutes in his legs and his spirits likely to be at a low ebb. The same tax will be applied to Mane, even if, like AFCON in Cameroon, the mood will once again be much different for Senegal's hero.

Mane is unlikely to need a pep