Liverpool fans love what they saw Lucas Leiva doing vs Roma before CL semi-final

Posted By: Charles Adam Taylor April 16, 2018

Both Liverpool and Roma are 180 minutes from a Champions League final but both sides need to ensure they will be playing in the competition next season.

While they’re hoping to defy the odds to win the Champions League this season, Liverpool and Roma will also be aiming to finish in the top-four in their respective leagues.

Following impressive wins against Manchester City and Barcelona respectively, their attentions turned to domestic football last weekend.

Liverpool picking up a routine 3-0 win against Bournemouth to move ever closer to Champions League qualification.

But Roma face a far tougher task to be playing in Europe’s elite competition next season.

They drew 0-0 with Lazio on Sunday night, a result that left them fourth, level with their third-placed opponents and just one point ahead of Inter Milan in fifth.

There would have been plenty of Liverpool fans scouting Roma ahead of their two-legged semi-final.

LUCAS LEIVA’S PERFORMANCE VS ROMA
But there was another reason to watch Lazio vs Roma – Lucas Leiva.

The Brazilian became a fan favourite at Anfield during his 10 seasons at the club and is now impressing for Lazio in Italy.

And it seems Lucas was trying to do his old side a favour ahead of the Champions League semi-finals by putting in some crunching tackles on the Roma players – something Liverpool fans noticed.

Lucas was booked within 11 minutes and somehow avoided being sent-off during the fiesty encounter after committing several dirty fouls.


In fact, Lucas’ Lazio side were so dirty during the derby that Roma boss Eusebio Di Francesco wasn’t particularly happy.

“It was a rough game, as at the start we weren’t passing it cleanly, but I moved Radja Nainggolan behind the strikers and we did much better,” he told Mediaset Premium.

While Lucas pleased Liverpool fans with his tough-tacking against Roma, he’s pleased Lazio fans with his performances – and goals – this season.

Lucas has scored four this season all competitions – a tally he never reached at Liverpool in each of his 10 years.

And the midfielder is happy with his displays since leaving Liverpool last summer.

“It was a better start than I would have expected. I made a difficult decision in the summer: leaving Liverpool, which had become my home,” Lucas said.

“But this change was necessary. I had less and less space and I was becoming more important outside the field than inside. At my age I felt ready for this change.

“Fighting for a place in the Champions League with Roma, Inter and Milan is always difficult. The team has proved to be up to this goal, then the win in the summer of the Italian Super Cup gave us a lot of confidence. It will be a good fight there is no doubt.”