3 takeaways for Liverpool from the tie against Roma

The second leg of the Champions League second leg between Liverpool and Roma saw the visitors book their place in the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid. Liverpool edged out the Italians 7-6 on aggregate after suffering a 4-2 loss away from home.

Liverpool started the first half in magnificent fashion after Sadio Mane had given them a 1-0 lead as Roberto Firmino capitalised on some sloppy work from Radja Nainggolan. Roma hit back shortly as Dejan Lovren's attempted clearance struck James Milner on his head and ricocheted into his own net.

Gini Wijnaldum scored his first away goal to give Liverpool a crucial, decisive away goal. Roma started the second half on a bright note after Dzeko slotted the ball past a helpless Karius after the German parried away El Shaarawy's effort straight into the Bosnian's path.

In this article, we take a look at the three things that went right for Liverpool at the Olimpico as they sought to stop the Romans from picking up a win by three goals.

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#1 Liverpool successfully dealt with the early pressure applied by Roma in the second leg

A disciplined approach to the game proved vital for the Merseysiders

Roma approached the game with a plan to thwart Liverpool from having possession in an attempt to reduce arrears. The hosts needed a repeat of their second leg performance against Barcelona in order to book their places in the final.

The Italians enjoyed an early spell of possession and launched a series of long balls directed towards Dzeko and Schick in order to put pressure on Liverpool's defence. Jurgen Klopp set his side up perfectly and the Reds were awarded for their discipline after Roberto Firmino capitalised on some sloppy work from Nainggolan in the middle of the part and lay a perfectly weighted ball for Sadio Mane to finish with ease.

Although the Romans equalised shortly after the opening goal, Liverpool kept probing for the crucial second away goal with was scored by Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum who headed past an onrushing Alisson.

The midfield triumvirate of Wijnaldum, Henderson and Milner blocked all passing lanes, limiting the likes of Danielle de Rossi, Radja Nainggolan and Lorenzo Pellegrin from dictating the tempo of the game and subsequently making them go long. The defence marshalled by Virgil van Dijk also kept Dzeko and Schick quiet by winning aerial challenges in crucial areas.

Liverpool's second goal served as a cushion as the visitors started playing with some conviction, composure till the end of the first half.

#2 Virgil van Dijk's leadership comes to the fore in an impressive first-half display

The Dutchman impressed with a solid display in the first half

The Dutchman came up against a formidable attack consisting of Edin Dzeko and Patrick Schick. Van Dijk won 5 duels against Roma's attack and cleared the ball on 11 occasions. He also covered up for some shabby defensive work by Lovren in the first half. Liverpool's defence has often been criticised for its lack of quality and more importantly, for the lack of a genuine leader. But the arrival of van Dijk has seen the Liverpool defence improve drastically.

Liverpool's defence might have some minor chinks in its armour, but one can certainly not deny that the Dutchman has brought about some change since his arrival from Southampton in the January transfer window. The likes of Loris Karius have started putting up some confident performances after the Dutchman's arrival.

We can conclude that a resolute defensive display in the first half played a crucial role in helping the Reds seal a spot in the UEFA Champions League final for the first time since 2007.

#3 Lapses in concentration in the second half nearly cost Liverpool

Nainggolan scored a late penalty to set up a dramatic finale

In spite of defending resolutely in the first half, Liverpool lost concentration as the second half progressed. The Reds conceded seven minutes after the restart after Dzeko scored from close range following El Shaarawy's parried shot.

Although Liverpool had a sizeable lead on aggregate, Roma continued to test Liverpool's resolve by creating chance after chance. Some sloppy loss of concentration and coordination between the midfield and defence gave the likes of Cengiz Under, Edin Dzeko and El Shaarawy full liberty to run behind the Liverpool defence.

Roma nearly took the game to extra time after a late onslaught, which saw Radja Nainggolan redeem himself after a shaky first half display with a brace in the final quarter of the second leg.

Liverpool will have to thank the likes of Karius and van Dijk for making some game defining saves, interceptions. A majority of Roma's attacking threat was coming from their left flank, leaving the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dejan Lovren in a position of discomfort.

The Reds will certainly have to pull up their socks and learn to focus throughout the game as they come up against a team in Real Madrid who will leave no stone unturned in punishing their opponents who commit silly mistakes. A testament to this fact is in their semi-final display against Bayern Munich where the Galacticos punished the Bavarians for some schoolboy errors in both legs.

Thus, the key for Liverpool to win their sixth Champions League title is to remain focused and not let their heads drop.