Michael Owen hailed Sadio Mane for a “finish of the highest quality” after producing a goal-of-the-season contender to fire Liverpool into the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Senegal international was at his best as Liverpool romped to an impressive 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich to knock the reigning Bundesliga champions out of the competition and book their place in the last-eight alongside the three other Premier League representatives in Manchester United, Man City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Mane managed to score twice on the night, but his mesmerising opener proved enough to carry Liverpool into the quarter-finals as they would have emerged triumphant on away goals, had the score finished 1-1. As centre-back Virgil van Dijk looked up-field to assess his options in the first half, Mane pointed exactly where he want the Dutchman to play the ball, before applying a deft touch to control it despite pressure from Bayern defender Rafinha.
With goalkeeper Manuel Neuer rushing out to confront Mane, the Liverpool star did for the Germany international with a Cruyff turn on the edge of the area, and chipped the ball over the scrambling defence to put the Reds ahead.
And it’s for that reason that Owen – who is not unfamiliar with scoring incredible goals himself – believes the forward deserves all the plaudits that have been thrown his way.
“Brilliant. It's absolutely brilliant,” Owen said on BT Sport. “Everything to do with this goal was (brilliant).
“I know Van Dijk played a nice ball but it was a pretty simple ball but everything that was good about this goal was Mane. He pulls really wide to give himself as much space as possible to run in to.
“Yes, the goalkeeper having a bit of a howler or a rush of blood, but Mane was aware to that and he knew to take the ball to one side of him and dink it over. But watch him keeping the width and keeping in as much space as possible. Just notice now, before the ball is played, he points to where he wants it.
“When he actually sees the ball it's right at the end, it's literally the ball's only three or four yards away from him when he actually sees the ball delivered to him first time. And let me tell you when the ball is coming over your shoulder like that, for you to just see and pick up the height of the ball and not only that, but to take a touch is perfect.
“It's a goal of the highest quality and even that (Mane's turn) the awareness of what's around and then a little coolness after all that to dink it over the line. It's a finish of the highest quality.”
Liverpool are just two rounds away from emulating last season’s achievement in reaching the Champions League final, and they will learn their last-eight opponents on Friday when the quarter-final draw takes place at Uefa’s headquarter in Nyon.
