Hoffenheim's late goal shouldn't detract from Liverpool's very good result - the Champions League is now in their sights

Liverpool became the first team to win at Hoffenheim in May 2016 and amid the disappointment at conceding so late on, that achievement appears to have been somewhat forgotten

Liverpool left Germany with a big win and two precious away goals (Liverpool FC)

A win that should have been celebrated instead came with a tinge of disappointment. Liverpool were three minutes plus stoppage time away from not only beating Julian Nagelsmann's dangerous Hoffenheim away from home but shutting them out too.

This was a evenly-matched contest and Hoffenheim dominated for spells, particularly in the half-hour before Trent Alexander-Arnold's opening goal. When James Milner doubled the visitors' lead with a deflected effort the scoreline flattered Liverpool somewhat, but the hosts soon set about correcting that.

Mark Uth's late response, coming after Alexander-Arnold had allowed him through, was no less than Hoffenheim deserved. Indeed, they probably deserved more, but their failure to find an equaliser meant their long-standing unbeaten home record had finally come to an end.

Liverpool became the first team to come to Kraichgau and leave victorious since Schalke 04 in May 2016 and amid the disappointment at conceding so late on, that achievement appears to have been somewhat forgotten. A trip to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena was among the most intimidating in the Bundesliga last season. One of Bayern Munich's two league defeats came there and the din made by the boisterous Südkurve can be intimidating enough on a regular Saturday afternoon, let alone the club's European debut.

This was never going to be a straight-forward evening for Liverpool, and that became evident from the 10th minute. Simon Mignolet's denial of Andrej Kramaric from the penalty spot was the Belgian goalkeeper's first big moment of the night but not his last, as worrying defensive lapses forced him into making more stops. Liverpool looked solid enough at times but vulnerable at others, as though one individual error could spoil everything.

For that reason, Nagelsmann is still confident of turning the tie around. In his post-match press conference, the fresh-faced 30-year-old promised his side could bring the same level of intensity that they had shown here to Anfield as he changes little whether playing at home or away, but he need only look at his side's league record last season to see the difference.


 Klopp knows how good a result his side got in Germany 
 (Bongarts)

Hoffenheim only won five away games in the Bundesliga during 2016/17 - at Ingolstadt, Leverkusen, Augsburg, Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen - but more significantly, they drew more games on the road than any other team, sharing the points eight times. Nagelsmann's side are more than capable of frustrating their opponents when away from home, but Liverpool's victory means they will need to do more than that. They will need to beat them.

That is why, despite it being one of football's most tired cliches, Klopp was right to respond to questions about Uth's late goal by saying he 'would have taken' a 2-1 victory at kick-off. This first leg could have ended very differently and it very nearly did, but the result here would always be most important. Liverpool got a very good one.