The Reds played with authority and confidence against Augsburg, but failed to capitalise on their dominance which set up a tense closing at Anfield
Jurgen Klopp had insisted, even before the first leg in Germany, that Liverpool would not find Augsburg easy opponents to overcome in the Europa League.
But under the lights at Anfield on Thursday night, he would have expected his side to make the task of reaching the last 16 of the competition simpler for themselves.
Unlike the reverse fixture at the WWK Arena which ended goalless last week, the Reds asserted their dominance from the off and were aggressive in and out of possession. They pressed and probed well.
It was a performance was filled with wonderful one-twos, step-overs, flicks and pirouettes, but the enterprising play was not reflected on the scoreboard. Augsburg manager Markus Weinzierl had said turning out at Anfield was like “Christmas come early” for his side, but it was the hosts who received an early gift.
A soft penalty was awarded when Dominik Kohr was adjudged to have handled in the area and James Milner converted with just five minutes on the clock.
Liverpool had the platform to push on, and while the early goal alleviated some pressure and allowed them to move the ball around with swagger, but they failed to display a killer instinct.
Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho were all denied by Marwin Hitz as the Reds created plenty, but couldn't secure a second goal to make the game comfortable.
It led to a tense finale, with Klopp greeting the five minutes of added time with his hands out asking the fourth official just how he came up with that figure.
Just before the board went up, Kostas Stafylidis’s free-kick had the home fans flinching as it curled over the wall and just beyond the top corner. But once the final whistle went, there was relief for Liverpool and fist-pumps around Anfield.
Klopp has long highlighted the importance of the competition and he was right to ensure his preparation for the second leg was not in any way tainted by Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester City.
Liverpool did the business on Thursday and the focus now turns to repeating that at Wembley. That won’t be easy either, but as Klopp has stated, success never is.
- Goal