Liverpool took a big step towards the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-1 victory at Benfica on Tuesday while their big English rivals Manchester City laboured to a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid.
Ibrahima Konate and Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a 2-0 half-time lead in Lisbon, Darwin Nunez pulled one back but a late Luis Diaz strike means that Jürgen Klopp's team are heavy favourites to wrap up the quarter-final tie at home next week.
Before that comes a Sunday Premier League table topper at City who got their win on the night from Kevin de Bruyne in the 70th minute against Atletico who had ousted Manchester United in the previous round and can still reverse matters at home on April 13.
The other two first leg matches are Wednesday: holders Chelsea v record 13-time winners Real Madrid and Villarreal v Bayern Munich.
