Super Mane earns praise from Milner
Sadio Mane displayed "ridiculous" skill while scoring Liverpool's first goal in their 3-1 win at Bayern Munich to help the English Premier League club ease into the Champions League quarter-finals, said teammate James Milner.
In the 26th minute, Mane controlled a Virgil van Dijk long ball with a sublime touch that took Rafinha out of the equation and left on-rushing goalkeeper Manuel Neuer stranded, before delicately chipping the ball over Mats Hummels and Niklas Suele and into the net.
Bayern equalised when Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip turned the ball into his own net in the 39th minute.
But Virgil van Dijk restored the Reds' advantage in the 69th minute, before Mane ended any hopes of a Bayern fightback with a late far-post header from Mohamed Salah's cross.
It was the Senegal international's 10th goal in as many games in all competitions.
"Sadio is on fire. The first goal was ridiculous really, how he finished it off, the calmness and the finish," Milner said.
"Hopefully that continues for the rest of the season."
With Salah struggling to replicate his goalscoring feats of last season, Mane has stepped up a gear.
The Senegalese's 18th and 19th goals of the season helped Liverpool join Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals, the first time since 2009 that four English teams have reached this stage of the competition.
But the Reds will have to negotiate the first leg of their quarter-final without left-back Andy Robertson, who picked up his third yellow card of the competition after a foul on Leon Goretzka in the 91st minute.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Jordan Henderson, who was forced off with a twisted ankle early in the game. - REUTERS
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