Stubborn Liverpool follow Manchester City in restoring some European pride

Against seemingly lengthy odds, a rather dismal European season for Barclays Premier League clubs suddenly looks very much alive. On the back of Manchester City’s gallant draw in Paris on Wednesday night came this, a stubborn refusal to yield by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

To put this in context, only once in 13 games since early February had Borussia Dortmund failed win prior to this game. That draw, incidentally, was against Bayern Munich. PSG, meanwhile, had a season’s win percentage of more than 80 per cent before City arrived at the Parc de Princes.

So the demise of English has football has been exaggerated, it seems, and how heartening that is.

Jurgen Klopp returned to Borussia Dortmund in charge of Liverpool on Thursday night

Borussia Dortmund fans held up banners for Klopp during the Europa League quarter-final

The Dortmund faithful thanked Klopp for his seven years in charge of their club

Liverpool’s success – and that is exactly what this result represents – came about on the back of qualities similar to those that saw City to a 2-2 draw the night before.

Both teams played with ambition and guts, both had a little fortune and both managed to overcome the handicap of some uncertain defending by attacking with a much greater sense of control and precision. And it is this attacking edge that will send both Liverpool and City in to next week’s return legs with such hope.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini will have looked back at some of his team’s rear guard efforts with hands over his eyes. Liverpool’s Klopp returned to his old club and saw Liverpool give up a first half lead with some poor defending from a corner as Mats Hummels scored.

But if a team can cause the opposition problems when they have the ball they will always have a chance and Klopp will have seen enough to encourage him that a two-legged victory over the most fancied team left in this competition can be secured against the expectations of many at Anfield next week.

Liverpool have lacked consistency under Klopp. During his seven years at Dortmund, the 48-year-old entertained his public in rare style and they still love him for it. Some Dortmund fans wore shirts with their old manager’s name on the back.

But it was his team’s steady predictability that really earned Klopp his reputation here. Not only did Dortmund win the Bundesliga ­twice under him, they came second on two occasions as well. They won The German Cup once and also lost twice in the final.

Klopp greets Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel, the man who replaced him at the German club

Klopp watches on during the entertaining encounter between his current and former sides

On Merseyside, Klopp’s Liverpool team have lacked any consistency at all. Only once since the turn of the year have they won three times on the bounce and it has been this ebb and flow that means they have lost hope of finishing in the top four of an undoubtedly average Premier League.

Liverpool essentially remain a cup final kind of team, a side that can raise to an occasion, that can produce a performance to blow just about anybody’s house down on any given day. The stand-out moments of this season are a 4-1 win at City back in November and a dismantling of Manchester United in this competition that was not adequately reflected by a 2-0 score line.

Klopp surprised everybody by starting with Daniel Sturridge and Firmino on the substitutes’ bench. The young Belgian Divock Origi played instead, scored his team’s goal and ran gamely. If this was a gamble then it paid off but we can be certain that both Sturridge and Firmino will be in the team at Anfield next week for what promises to be quite an occasion.

In the Premier League, Leicester have embarrassed everybody in recent weeks. But in Europe City and now Liverpool have the opportunity to save face in memorable fashion. 

Divock Origi opened the scoring for Liverpool after being handed a rare start by Klopp

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels then equalised for the home side 

Klopp celebrates after Origi netted the opener for Liverpool on Thursday night