You didn’t doubt them, did you?
Liverpool march on, their grip on the Champions League remains. A little close for comfort, yes. Even in the freezing Austrian winter, the Reds were made to sweat. But on a night when they didn’t dare lose, they didn’t.
Their 2-0 victory over a lively, impressive Salzburg side sends the European champions through to the knockout stages, and as Group E winners too. Panic over. Never doubt this team.
It was a case of Gone in 100 Seconds for Salzburg, who kept the game on a knife-edge for 57 minutes and then shipped two goals in as many minutes to put themselves out of contention.
How this game was goalless for almost an hour is anyone's guess. The intensity was remarkable. The sold-out crowd at the Red Bull Arena were treated to a hell of a contest, between two of the most attack-minded teams on the continent.
"It was like a heavyweight fight," said Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch afterwards. His team, though, were undone by a lightning two-punch combination - and a familiar face.
Naby Keita, who spent two years here, grabbed the precious opener before Mo Salah, having spurned a host of earlier chances, took the most difficult one to make it 2-0 immediately after. Marsch’s side, vibrant and confident to that point, had no answer thereafter. "It killed us," the American admitted.
This was a big night for Keita, who marked his second successive start with a second successive goal. The Guinean won two league titles at Salzburg, but he was in no mood to be kind to his former employers.
His header, from Sadio Mane’s pinpoint delivery, took all of the wind out of the home team's sails. It was reward for a confident, enterprising performance from Keita, who is coming to prominence just when Liverpool need him. This was a high-stakes game, and a high-class display from the 24-year-old. It was his best performance in a red shirt, you’d have to say.
Salah, too, has found his scoring touch again – although you wouldn’t have believed that watching him squander a trio of first-half openings. The Egyptian could barely believe his own carelessness, but he never loses heart.
And when Jerome Onguene failed to deal with Jordan Henderson’s pass over the top, Salah was not only quick enough to beat goalkeeper Cican Stankovic to the ball, but composed and clinical enough to clip an outstanding finish with his right foot, from an absurd angle, into the far corner.
It was his 11th goal of the campaign, and it finished the contest there and then. "A sensational finish," Klopp said. "And it says more about him, to stay on track like that, than the other chances he didnt score."
He's right. Salah is a brilliant footballer, but his mentality is his best asset.
Both he and Mane might have added further gloss to the scoreline, while at the other end a defence that creaked a little in the first 45 minutes found life much more comfortable. After 14 games without a clean sheet, Liverpool have two in two.
Again there was one blemish, with Dejan Lovren forced off injured for the second game running. The Croatian had shrugged off cramp to start, but went down early in the second half and was replaced by Joe Gomez. A hamstring issue, he told reporters as he left the stadium. With Liverpool already low on centre-back options, Lovren’s misfortune is badly-timed.
That, though, is a worry for another day.
For now, Liverpool can puff out their cheeks, enjoy their flight back to Merseyside and reflect on a job well done. Give them a test and they'll pass it. They showed why they're European champions here.
Klopp's boys are off on another adventure. It’ll take some team to stop them.
