Liverpool through to Club World Cup final with late Firmino goal
Roberto Firmino scored a last-gasp injury-time goal to put Liverpool through to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
The Brazilian’s late strike gave his side a 2-1 win over Mexican side Monterrey and means Jurgen Klopp’s team face Flamengo in Saturday’s final.
An early Naby Keita goal gave Liverpool the lead, but Monterrey responded immediately, equalising two minutes later.
The Mexican side were impressive and could easily have won an open game, regularly testing Liverpool’s patched-up rearguard, but falling just short.
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Klopp made five changes from the side that beat Watford 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
Virgil van Dijk’s absence due to illness meant that Jordan Henderson filled in at centre-back alongside Joe Gomez, while Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri came in for Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
Liverpool enjoyed plenty of the ball in the opening exchanges, immediately suffocating their Mexican opponents when they were in possession and controlling the early part of the game, and it was the European champions that took the lead.
Mohamed Salah picked up the ball with his back to goal just outside the area. He held off his marker before playing a brilliant reverse pass through to Naby Keita, who coolly slotted home. But that lead lasted just two minutes.
A free-kick from the left made its way all the way to the back post, before being headed back across and met with an overhead-kick that Alisson was equal to. The Liverpool keeper didn’t manage to hold on to the ball, however, and Rogelio Funes Mori (whose twin brother Ramiro used to play for Everton) gobbled up the opportunity to equalise.
Fiver minutes later, Liverpool came close to taking the lead once more, with Salah the architect once again. Receiving the ball in the right-hand channel his back heel found the overlapping James Milner, but his shot was saved by the onrushing Barovero in the Monterrey net.
But just as Monterrey had responded after the goal, they were showing as much attacking intent as their opponents now that they were settled. Right winger Dorlan Pabon was particularly lively, and drew a very smart save from Alisson.
When Pabon drove forward again and tried to square it to Pizarro for an open goal, the faintest of touches from Alisson’s fingertips was enough to divert the ball away from the striker’s awaiting path.
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In the second half Pabon continued to trouble Klopp’s side, twice forcing saves from Alisson early on. Every time the Monterrey captain got the ball he looked aggressive, driving at the Liverpool defence at every opportunity.
Liverpool’s best chances were falling to Keita. The Guinean slalomed through two defenders in the box and fired a hard, low effort, but right at Barovero.
As the game ebbed on it became more and more open. Salah had an effort saved comfortably, while Funes Mori’s long-range effort was parried wide for a corner. With 20 minutes left to play, Klopp introduced Sadio Mane from the bench in search for a winner.
The Senegalese forward’s first contribution was to see an accidental effort go just wide. Milner’s cross into the box found Origi, but his attempt was misjudged and hit his teammate when he should really have hit the target.
Two minutes later he followed it up with a hard shot from the edge of the box that went straight into the guts of Barovero.
But a last minute low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold found another substitute, Roberto Firmino, in the six-yard box and he tapped home.
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