Clinical finishing proved decisive in an absorbing, nip-and-tuck contest at San Siro, with the Reds consequently taking a commanding lead into the Anfield leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Here are five talking points to emerge from another successful evening in Milan…

More Mo milestones

That Salah marked his 50th Champions League appearance for Liverpool with a goal came as little surprise.

The Egyptian’s predatory finish seven minutes from time took his tally for the Reds in the competition to 33. Only two players – Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski – have scored more after 50 matches for a specific club in the Champions League.

Salah’s 24th strike of another prolific season also extended his club record of notching in consecutive European away fixtures to eight matches and means he has registered 12 times in his last 12 Champions League appearances.

He now has 149 goals in only 232 games for Liverpool.

What a player.

Shuffling the pack 

Jürgen Klopp made four changes to his line-up from Sunday’s victory at Burnley.

The boss also made four alterations to the XI at Turf Moor, having decided on six switches for the win against Leicester City three days earlier.

Klopp travelled to Milan with the rare luxury of a fully fit squad and he is maximising the opportunity that affords him to rotate effectively amid what is a relentless fixture schedule.

“That’s what we try to do, to share the intensity a little bit in between the group,” the manager explained before Wednesday’s game.

The strength in depth available to Klopp enabled him to bring substitutes of the quality of Firmino, Luis Diaz, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and James Milner – who made the 800th appearance of his remarkable career – off the bench at San Siro.

Harvey makes history 

It was an evening that Harvey Elliott will never forget.

He came into the Liverpool XI for his first start for 157 days following his recovery from ankle surgery and, with that injury having ruled him out of the entire group stage, this also represented the No.67’s Champions League debut.

Aged just 18 years and 318 days, Elliott enters the record books as the youngest player ever to start a match in the European Cup/Champions League (excluding qualifiers) for Liverpool, beating the previous best of 18y 354d set by his teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Post-match, Klopp assessed Elliott’s performance: “It was absolutely OK, but Harvey can play much better, we know that…. he did the job, he was working incredibly hard and all these kind of things.

“When you are 18 years old and play against one of the most experienced teams in world football and they are Italian on top of that, for an offensive player it’s not a walk in the park. It was a very, very important game for him and very helpful for us as well.”

Deja vu in Milan

Seventy-one days on from beating AC Milan away, Liverpool returned to San Siro and defeated Inter on their own patch, too.

Their prior trip to Italy also ended in victory – the 5-0 rout of Atalanta in November 2020 – and Wednesday’s success means Klopp’s side have won three consecutive away games in the country; the first time that has been achieved in the club’s history.

Following on from a perfect group stage, the Reds have now won all seven of their Champions League fixtures this season and are on a seven-game winning streak across all competitions.

Next up, a Premier League meeting with Norwich City at Anfield on Saturday.

Klopp’s half-century 

Victory at San Siro represented Klopp’s 50th in the Champions League, in what was his 88th match as a manager in the competition across his time with the Reds and Borussia Dortmund.

Klopp therefore becomes just the eighth coach to achieve 50 Champions League wins and second Liverpool boss to do so, after Rafael Benitez.

He is also the first German to reach the milestone and has, of course, led his teams to three finals.

Boss.