The expulsion of the Chilean Alexis Sánchez alleviated the suffering that Liverpool was facing at Anfield with the great goal of Lautaro Martínez and that ended up allowing the English to keep their clothes and close their classification to the quarterfinals (0-1, 2- 1 overall) of the Champions League.
The Chilean, sent off for a double yellow after two hard tackles at the wrong time, charged the pace of his team, which had put the ‘Reds’ in trouble, as in the first leg, and this time he did manage to pierce Alisson’s door, with a whiplash from Lautaro.
Liverpool, who crashed the ball into the post twice through Mohamed Salah, advances to the quarterfinals and receives a serious warning that the Champions League is being a much tougher competition than the Premier League.
With the result of the first leg in their heads, Liverpool tried to be superior from their central defenders, Joel Matip and Virgil Van Dijk, who allowed them to live with the peace of mind that the defense was covered. From there Liverpool flowed, because Inter was not uncomfortable, but every time Alexis and Lautaro faced the ‘Red’ defense, they ran into Van Dijk’s wall.
The Italians inhabited a desperation that caused that, by their own weight, the occasions of a Liverpool with much more quality arrived. All of them, yes, did so from the boots of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who served a cross so that Matip crashed into the woodwork and another so that Skriniar headed Van Dijk on goal. The English winger, the catalyst for danger, was able to close the first half in the best possible way, with a free kick perpendicular to the goal that went off licking the post.
Liverpool spent the first 45 minutes too calm for what was at stake, for what an Inter that does not reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League in a decade needs. It even came close to 1-0 when Salah, on a dead ball inside the area, with Handanovic on the ground and two players under the sticks, ran into the woodwork.
And there the Italians took a step forward, with the movements of Alexis and the anger of Lautaro. The Argentine, tired of unsuccessfully trying to dribble past Van Dijk, got rid of all his frustration in the 60th minute, took the ball from the edge of the box and smashed it against the Dutch centre-back. Straight to the squad. Just a few meters from the Italian fans, who exploded for a minute and a half.
Ninety seconds, which was how long it took Alexis to see the second yellow card and go out into the street. Deserved, both for the entry on Fabinho that cost him the second yellow card, and for the first, in which he took Thiago ahead and that could have cost him the red card long before.
The Chilean dynamited his team and caused that last half hour, which would have been hell at Anfield, to be little more than a few embers. Salah was able to put them out, but a volley of his, aesthetically beautiful, went to the post
Liverpool, with less superiority in the two games than that shown in the Premier, advances to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in the last five years, with the toll of having lost at Anfield for the first time this season; Inter will have to keep looking for that last boost that will allow them to fight against the biggest. This time, at least it was close.
