Mohamed Salah Shines, Liverpool Take 5-2 Advantage over AS Roma in UCL 1st Leg

Mohamed Salah put on a show against his former club AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, scoring twice and providing two assists in Liverpool's dominant 5-2 win. Roma's two late goals kept their chances for another unlikely comeback alive, however.

The Reds had taken a five-goal lead through Salah and braces from Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, but Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti gave the visitors some hope with strikes in the final minutes.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will do battle in their semi-final on Wednesday.

Here are the key takeaways from Tuesday's semi-final.

Flag Breaks, Comedy Ensues

Before the first major chance even arrived on Tuesday, fans were rolling around in laughter.

One of the linesmen broke his flag, and UEFA officials couldn't provide a backup or fix the problem immediately. When the Reds ventured offside and the unfortunate linesman had to raise what was left of it, it looked rather silly:

Karius' Mistake Nearly Costs Reds

Roma survived the first 20 minutes relatively comfortably and almost took the lead after a blunder from Loris Karius. The stopper completely got a powerful shot from Aleksandar Kolarov wrong and was only just able to divert the ball on to the crossbar.

Whether it was a sensational recovery or a huge mistake likely depends on which team you support:

Salah Scores Twice, Doesn't Celebrate

Roma's good start didn't last long, and by the midway point of the first half, the Giallorossi were on the ropes. Liverpool took full advantage of their high line, putting together chance after chance.

Star goalkeeper Alisson Becker was able to keep his team alive for a stretch, but there was nothing he could do about Salah's sensational opener. The Egyptian curled a stunning strike into the top corner:

Dejan Lovren hit the crossbar soon after, and the Reds continued to pile on the pressure, resulting in a second goal before half-time. Again it was Salah with the finish, putting the final touch on a brilliant counter attack.

Per B/R Football, Tuesday turned out to be another record-setting night for the former Roma man:

Dreadful Roma Collapse in Second Half

The Reds would continue their momentum after the break, with Mane making the score 3-0 after missing a ton of chances earlier in the contest. Salah was clearly offside in the buildup to the goal, but the official missed it.

Fans were not impressed with the visitors:

Shortly after, it was Firmino's turn to get on the scoresheet, courtesy of another great assist from Salah. The Brazilian would double his tally after 68 minutes, thanks to yet another mistake at the back.

Giallorossi fans were almost lost for words:

Another Comeback?

Roma qualified for the semi-finals with a miracle comeback against Barcelona, and Dzeko and Perotti gave the Italians a sliver of hope with two late goals.

The Bosnian's effort seemed to be little more than a consolation goal, but when the visitors won a penalty just minutes later, they started to believe. Perotti promptly beat Karius, to the disbelief of the Anfield crowd and everyone watching:

What's Next

The two teams will meet again next Wednesday, this time in Rome. Before then, Liverpool will host Stoke City in the Premier League, and Roma face Chievo in Serie A.