Jurgen Klopp looked at the assistant referee in front of Sandy Jardine’s stand and then looked over his shoulder at the fourth official, with a hint of trepidation.
He was waiting, tentatively, to see if there was a reaction from either man, but neither of them budged.
And then, after what seemed like an age, Klopp started to smile, clapping his hands slowly at first before knowing it was safe to celebrate.
Darwin Núñez’s goal that put Liverpool 3-1 up set Liverpool on the way to a ruthless victory that leaves them on the brink of qualification for the last 16.
Mohamed Salah scored a superb second-half hat-trick to bury Rangers and put Liverpool on course to qualify from the group.
It had been hard work in Glasgow, too hard at times, but Darwin Nunez had just scored Liverpool’s third goal and Klopp knew he had taken a huge step towards the knockout stages of the Champions League, one point behind the their last two games and last season’s finalists. it will be in the last 16.
Klopp enjoying himself? There hasn’t been much of a chance to do that lately, but now he could and what followed before the end was something incredible, with Mo Salah coming off the bench to score the fastest hat-trick in La Liga history of Champions.
Could this be the night things change for the better?
The Egyptian was introduced by Darwin Núñez and seemed to find his form again with three wonderful efforts
This was always going to be a very different occasion to the one at Anfield last week and it was only to be expected that Rangers would come out swinging.
Two efforts in the first five minutes, from Fashion Sakala and Ryan Kent, equaled the 90-minute total on Merseyside.
Neither of those traits caused Alisson undue trouble, but that was the point: Liverpool’s consistency in allowing the opposition to set the tone is astonishing and it is costing them dearly.
The Rangers might have their limitations but, soon, they would take advantage of it.
In the 18th minute, Liverpool scored the first goal.
Rangers worked the ball through the middle, with Antonio Colak and Ryan Jack combining, and a final pass allowed Scott Arfield to get between Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk and sweep his shot past Alisson. The finish was wonderful, one worthy of a player of his class.
Roberto Firmino had been Liverpool’s best player for much of the game, helping himself to Liverpool’s equalizer and eventual winner.
As the locals celebrated, the noise they made was like thunder that rumbled continuously.
However, your gaze was caught by Klopp who stood with his hands in his pockets and his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
Why the surprise? Teams have frequently moved into Liverpool’s center and if Manchester City are allowed to do so on Sunday, the Reds will end up getting hammered.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst will now face questions about his tactics after Liverpool’s six second-half goals went unanswered.
To Klopp’s relief, Liverpool quickly restored parity. Allan McGregor unexpectedly allowed a ball to drift in for a corner in the 24th minute and from Kostas Tsimikas’ save, Roberto Firmino headed home.
It was a terrible goal for Rangers to concede, so simple it had the home fans howling.
Firmino, the shining light of this campaign, punched the air but then again, you looked at Klopp and saw a man more relieved than happy.
Liverpool did not threaten again before the interval and were really thankful that Konate dived past Arfield in the 42nd minute to block what would have been a certain goal after Sakala had pounced to take out- him the goal
Scott Arfield had lit the fuse at Ibrox after giving Rangers the lead in the 17th minute – it wasn’t a feeling that would last long.
There was a feverish atmosphere at Ibrox at the start and they pushed their team through the first half, but the players and supporters lost their edge in the second period, as Liverpool’s quality spoke for itself.
How costly would this fault be. Rather than keep the fire burning, Rangers were gone when they resurfaced and Liverpool were much more in control in the second period and their passing and movement had plenty of authority and conviction.
It was never more evident than in the 55th minute, when they scored the second.
Joe Gomez fired down the right, unchecked, and was allowed to deliver the most eye-catching of crosses to Firmino, who was waiting at the back post to finish and claim his second.
Harvey Elliot was delighted after VAR overturned an offside call that had ruled out his first Champions League goal.
Liverpool fans reveled in the scoreline as Ibrox was emptied of outraged Rangers fans in the second half.
‘Give him the ball and he’ll score every time!’ it’s a line from a song Liverpool fans sing about Firmino and it’s quite apt of late as he’s Klopp’s top scorer this season with eight and is starting to mount a compelling case for a new deal.
Firmino was once again involved in the play that also gave Liverpool a breather, his inside pass following good work from Fabio Carvalho and Fabinho slotting Núñez into a position where he happily accepted the invitation to score .
Never one to miss when goals are freely available, Salah burst onto the scene to utterly demoralize Rangers with goals in the 76th, 80th and 81st minutes before Harvey Elliott completed the rout. Lucky number seven? It could just be.
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