Skip to content

Andy Robertson saved match ball for hat-trick hero Sadio Mane

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14:  Sadio Mane of Liverpool celebrates with team mate Andy Robertson after scoring the third Liverpool goal during the Premie
Image: Andy Robertson was full of praise for hat-trick hero Sadio Mane following Liverpool's 5-0 win in the Champions League against Porto

Andy Robertson has paid tribute to "workhorse" Sadio Mane and says he made sure his team-mate got the match ball after his hat-trick against Porto.

The Liverpool left-back also praised his team's performance in Portugal in their Champions League last-16 first-leg, describing their 5-0 win as "perfect".

Mane scored three against Porto to all but seal Liverpool's progression into the last eight, but he would not have gone home with the match ball as a souvenir were it not for Robertson's intervention.

The Scotland international said: "I had to go running after the ball boy for his ball at the end - he was nearly upset! Luckily, I managed to get it.

Sadio Mane celebrates after completing his hat-trick in Porto
Image: Mane's hat-trick on Tuesday night took him to six goals from just five matches in the Champions League proper this season

"They were three class finishes from him. Mo and Bobby have stolen the headlines in the last couple of weeks, but Sadio is on my side [of the pitch] and he is a workhouse, he works so hard.

"He took the limelight and got his three goals."

Liverpool's thrashing of Porto was only the second time the Portuguese league leaders have been beaten in the Estadio do Dragao this season, and Robertson was pleased with the way the Reds silenced the home crowd.

Also See:

He said: "We just didn't let them settle. Their fans tried to make it a bit hostile at the start, and we managed to quiet them very quickly.

Porto's Mexican striker Jesus Corona (C) is closed down by Liverpool's English midfielder James Milner (L) and Liverpool's Scottish defender Andrew Roberts
Image: Andy Robertson played the full 90 minutes against Porto in what was his first ever appearance in the Champions League

"That's the key to playing away. If the fans are on their own team's back instead of ours, we've done our job.

"In the first five or 10 minutes we kept the ball and settled down and they let us have it. The first goal completely calmed everything down - and we never looked back.

"We were spot-on from the get-go. We were first to every second ball. We created chances and kept chances out, I don't think they really had any clear-cut ones.

"They had a few half-chances but other than that, it was a perfect away performance. When the chances came, we took them."

Super 6 £1m jackpot
Super 6 £1m jackpot

Simply predict six correct scores to win Jeff's £1 million. Enter your selections for free here.

Around Sky