Salah shines but Roma revival has Reds nervous
Liverpool seized control of its UEFA Champions League semi-final tie against Roma with a 5-2 first-leg win, although a late revival from the Italian side offers hope of a second-leg comeback.
Mohamed Salah scored twice and set up goals for Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, who added another to make it 5-0, before Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti struck in the space of four minutes late on, the latter from the penalty spot.
Roma must now match the exploits of its remarkable quarter-final comeback against Barcelona if it is to win the tie, when it came back from a 4-1 first-leg defeat to win through to the last four with a 3-0 win at Stadio Olimpico.
It will also be given added confidence knowing no side has scored in the Italian capital throughout this UEFA Champions League season.
Liverpool was arguably second best in the opening half-hour but a blistering strike from Salah against his old club set Jurgen Klopp's side on its way.
Salah added a second just before the break, becoming the first Liverpool player to hit 10 in a single European campaign, before turning provider for Salah and Firmino as Roma failed miserably to deal with the hosts' attack.
Firmino nodded in the fifth from a routine set-piece but Eusebio Di Francesco's men snatched two away goals in the dying minutes to offer some hope of salvation.
