Keita steps up on the big stage
Hello Naby Keita. We've been expecting you.
Fortune appears to finally be turning in favour of the Liverpool midfielder after the well-documented travails of his debut campaign.
On Friday, there was a first Reds goal, aided by some iffy goalkeeping from Southampton's Angus Gunn.
And against Porto here in an absorbing Champions League quarter-final, Keita broke his Anfield duck by scoring an early opener with a shot deflected in off Oliver Torres.
They all count.
All the reaction to last night's 2-0 can be found HERE
Just as importantly, though, is that Keita made this opportunity count, building on his encouraging outing at St Mary's with a fine display.
The numbers were impressive. Keita completed more tackles than any other player on the pitch, and was involved in 22 duels, winning more than half.
Only Jordan Henderson played more key passes – Keita so close to an assist with one peach of a ball to Sadio Mane – while he was surpassed only by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho in recovering possession.
This was more like the Keita who shone for RB Leipzig and prompted such excitement when his £52.75million transfer was announced.
Keita's influence lessened slightly in the second half with Liverpool looking to exert control, but he had done enough.
Alongside him, Henderson revelled in a more advanced role and demonstrated his attacking wares with a clever pass for Trent Alexander-Arnold to create the second for Roberto Firmino.
Fabinho, though, wasn't quite on his game. But with Keita stepping up, the engine room was able to carry each other one sizeable step nearer to the semi-finals.
Robertson's value shown with his absence
It wasn't just Naby Keita reliving the past. For Liverpool's defence, things were all very 2017 against Porto.
With Andy Robertson suspended, James Milner reprised the left-back role he made his own two seasons ago, while at centre-back Joel Matip was rested in place of Dejan Lovren.
For Lovren, it was a first start since limping off during the opening moments of the FA Cup third round defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 7.
Indeed, this was only the Croat's 14 appearance in the XI this season, and a mere third in the Champions League since the final last May.
While Milner was always favourite to replace Robertson, fitness concerns over Alberto Moreno meant Joe Gomez, who was due to play in a behind-closed-doors game against Bury earlier in the day, was among the substitutes, hJurgen Klopp explains Joe Gomez's shock inclusion as Liverpool take on Porto in Champions League clash
Gomez wasn't required. Lovren, meanwhile, slotted in with a minimum of fuss alongside the imperious Virgil van Dijk to help ensure a fourth successive Anfield clean sheet in the competition.
Milner couldn't be faulted for his defensive work and while he sought to help in attack, Robertson's relentless overlapping ability was missed, Sadio Mane noticeably not as effective without the Scot racing beyond him.
The Senegalese, more than anyone, will welcome Robertson's return at the Estadio do Dragao.
VAR fails the fan test
A new chant could be heard on the Kop on Tuesday night.
“VAR! VAR!” sang some of the Reds faithful after Sadio Mane's volley was disallowed for offside shortly after half-time.
Liverpool fans wanted a goal. Replays, though, confirmed the initial decision was correct.
The impact of the new technology was felt for the first time in the Champions League having been barely used for the visit of Bayern Munich in February.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dejan Lovren both survived handball claims while Mohamed Salah wasn't punished for an ugly challenge on Porto skipper Danilo Pereira.
George Sephton, the Voice of Anfield tasked with informing the crowd what was going on, couldn't quite keep up.
For those in the press box, watching replays on television screens, the process was pretty straightforward. So too the viewers at home.
However, for the matchgoing supporters, the experience was somewhat less rewarding, vast pauses in play for incidents of which few if any were aware.
It's not even close to being perfect. Nobody, though, will be complaining if VAR is back at Anfield one more time this season.
