Liverpool Advance to Champions League Quarter-Finals After 0-0 Draw vs. Porto

Liverpool reached the UEFA Champions League last eight for the first time since 2009 as they played out a drab 0-0 draw with Porto at Anfield on Tuesday.

The Reds took a 5-0 lead from the first leg into Tuesday's clash, so it was never likely to be an evening of any great tension. And so it proved.

Porto showed little ambition going forward, and the hosts were largely happy to play the game at a leisurely pace and produced few clear-cut chances.

Jurgen Klopp's side were deserving of their easy night following their blistering performance in the first leg and can now look forward to the quarter-final draw on March 16. 

Both sides provided their lineups ahead of kick-off:

The opening exchanges of the encounter were predictably pedestrian given the state of the tie.

The only real chance of the first half an hour saw Sadio Mane acrobatically fire over the bar. The Senegalese forward then hit the post with a low effort 10 minutes from half-time.

Porto offered little at the other end, and Opta provided an illustrative statistic at half-time:

The visitors showed more ambition at the start of the second half, and Majeed Waris drew a decent save from Loris Karius with the game's first shot on target in the 52nd minute.

Roberto Firmino then had a good chance snuffed out by Felipe before he made way for Danny Ings just after the hour.

The Englishman quickly made his presence known as he found a good position in the box before only managing to loft a header into the hands of Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

The legendary Spanish stopper was similarly comfortable when dealing with further tame efforts from James Milner and substitute Mo Salah, but he did produce a fine late save to push Ings' attempt over the bar.

It proved the easiest of nights in the end for the Reds as they cruised through to the quarter-finals. Their attention will now turn to a crucial Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday.