Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - RB Leipzig v Liverpool - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - February 16, 2021 Liverpool's Sadio Mane celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
BUDAPEST - Liverpool struck twice in five minutes early in the second half with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane on target as they stunned hosts RB Leipzig 2-0 in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Tuesday.
Salah easily intercepted a back pass by Leipzig's Marcel Sabitzer to put the visitors ahead in the 53rd minute and on course for their first win in any competition since late January.
Mane then pounced on another mistake when Nordi Mukiele failed to clear a high cross five minutes later, leaving the Germans down for the count in Budapest's Puskas Arena where the game had been relocated due to COVID-19 restrictions in Germany.
Leipzig, who came into the game on a four-game winning run, hit the post early in the first half but were largely toothless in attack following the two goals until Tyler Adam's miss in stoppage time.
The English champions, who had lost their last three Premier League games to see their title hopes dashed, will now go into the return leg in England on March 10 with a healthy advantage.
