Jürgen Klopp insists Liverpool still have work to do in the second leg of their Champions League tie with Internazionale despite taking a significant step towards the quarter‑finals with victory at San Siro. They face a nervous wait, however, to discover the extent of an ankle injury sustained by Diogo Jota.
The forward was withdrawn at half-time and replaced by Roberto Firmino, who went on to score the opener in Milan before Mohamed Salah added a second goal seven minutes from time to give Liverpool breathing space before the return leg at Anfield next month.
But Klopp said any talk of Liverpool facing a straightforward task to finish the job against Inter in the second leg is premature. “It’s still dangerous,” he said. “It’s half-time, nothing else. That’s how it is in the knockout stages. We don’t feel like we’re halfway through, it will be tricky and we have to be ready. It’s 2-0 at half-time. I wouldn’t tell the boys it was job done if it was 2-0 at half-time in any other game here, so I won’t think any different here.”
Firmino’s and Salah’s second-half strikes gave Klopp’s side the advantage after a defensively resilient performance kept Simone Inzaghi’s side at bay. However, the one downside on the night was Jota’s injury, with Klopp confirming the Portuguese forward will be assessed in the coming days after being withdrawn at the break with an ankle problem.
“I don’t know,” Klopp said when asked about the extent of the injury. “It was swollen which isn’t a good sign, but we have to see. We’ll check it as early as possible tomorrow but we’ll need further assessment.”
Klopp also praised the impact of his substitutes, including Firmino and Jordan Henderson, as Liverpool seized control of the tie inside a raucous San Siro.
“The boys who came on had a proper impact. Bobby scored and from there we controlled the game and scored a really nice second one. It was perfect how the boys reacted. It’s another performance I’m really happy with.”
