'Job only half done', Henderson warns Liverpool

Budapest (AFP) – Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson insisted the “job is only half done” after the Reds’ 2-0 win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday gave them a commanding lead in their Champions League last-16 tie.

Goals by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in a five-minute spell early in the second half sealed Liverpool’s first-leg victory in Budapest.

“Overall, it was a pleasing performance, a good win but it is only half the job done,” Henderson told BT Sport.

“We just wanted to keep going, keep fighting. We’ve had a lot of difficult situations throughout the season.

“Tonight was a good step in the right direction, but we need to continue with that and if we do we’ll get good results along the way.”

Liverpool bounced back from three straight Premier League defeats which have left them 13 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have one foot in the quarter-finals while Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig face an uphill task in the return leg on March 10.

“Leipzig can be a real monster — the way they play in the Bundesliga, they overrun teams,” said Klopp.

“They can be really physical in everything and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way.

“They had their moments because of the quality they have but we controlled the game so tonight I think we got the result we deserved.”

Having guided Leipzig to the Champions League semi-finals last season, Nagelsmann said his side will fight in the return leg.

“We weren’t so brave with the possession we had, we made two huge mistakes which would be punished at any level,” Nagelsmann told DAZN.

“We created chances, which we didn’t take, which will be a big topic for the second leg.

“It won’t be easy, we have to score twice just to take the game (return leg) to extra time, but we will try to do our best.

“Liverpool will respect us and we have to be confident for the second game, because there is no other alternative.”

The first leg had to be moved from Leipzig to Budapest because of Germany’s Covid-19 travel restrictions and it is hoped the return game can be held at Anfield.

“We have three weeks to prepare now for the return leg – who knows how things will look then? — but for tonight it was good enough,” added Klopp.