Liverpool eased past RB Leipzig into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win in Budapest Wednesday that coach Jurgen Klopp said helps his side put their Premier League woes to one side. &nbsp;

Repeating their rapid-fire double act from the first leg, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane again struck within four second-half minutes to give the Reds a 4-0 aggregate win and keep alive Liverpool's hopes of rescuing their miserable domestic season with European glory.

After six successive defeats at Anfield and dropping to eighth place in the Premier League, Klopp's men looked relieved to be away from home, with the second leg also played in the Hungarian capital due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

"They were outstanding. We had to switch off the Premier League stuff to get here and to try. To give it a proper try," Klopp told BT Sport.

"The boys really enjoyed themselves tonight which is important," said Klopp.

"It is a big result for us," said Salah.

"We lost a few games in the Premier League, the team is not in the best shape but we want to fight in the Champions League," he said.

"It's been tough in the Premier League, everybody can see that. The last couple of years we were winning, we were flying. This year we had a couple of injuries so we were unlucky, we are trying to fix that but it is hard," he added.

While the Reds showed attacking intent from the off, they squandered a string of chances throughout the first half.

"First-half we created massive chances and didn't score which is a thing we have in 2021," said Klopp.

Unmarked at a corner, Diogo Jota should have opened their account in the 18th minute but the Portuguese striker headed straight at Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi who tipped over.

Midway through the period, an acrobatic scissor kick by Thiago Alcantara released Salah on the left but his left-footed effort was blocked by Gulacsi with Mane unable to convert the rebound.

<h2>- Leipzig miss chances -</h2>

Then on the half-hour, the onrushing Salah couldn't finish from close range after meeting a cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold who was sent clear on the right by a slide-rule pass by Mane.

Roused at last by the narrow escapes, Leipzig began to venture beyond Liverpool's high line and managed to carve out some chances of their own.

Kevin Kampl forced a save from Alisson Becker with a curler from distance, while a minute later Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg, back from injury, clipped a snapshot just wide of the post.

Still, with Brazil's Fabinho back in the starting side and directing affairs in midfield, the better chances fell to Liverpool.

Jota again fired straight at Gulacsi just before the break and then into the side-netting on the whistle after a slip by French defender Dayot Upamecano.

Leipzig, flying domestically on the back of six straight Bundesliga wins but nervy in Budapest, urgently needed a goal to rattle Liverpool but continued to lack penetration in the second half.

In truth, Julian Nagelsmann's men, who dumped Tottenham out at this stage of the competition last year and Manchester United in the group stage this season, rarely looked like claiming an even bigger scalp by turning the tie around.

Their last opportunity arrived on 65 minutes but Alexander Sorloth's header from a cross by Hwang Hee-chan spun over Alisson's fingertips only to rebound off the bar.

Soon after, Salah and Mane ruthlessly took advantage of the let-off by securing Liverpool's berth in the last eight.

In the 70th minute, the Egyptian fired a shot past Gulacsi, then four minutes later Mane turned a cross by substitute Divock Origi past the hapless Hungarian.

"The best thing that the boys did is that no one could see how good Leipzig can be," said Klopp.&nbsp;

"We defended them really well because they are a monster. They usually are so powerful," he said.

"We want to win football games, we feel it now for the first time in a while and it is a massive difference."

Liverpool eased past RB Leipzig into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win in Budapest Wednesday that coach Jurgen Klopp said helps his side put their Premier League woes to one side.

Liverpool eased past RB Leipzig into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win in Budapest Wednesday that coach Jurgen Klopp said helps his side put their Premier League woes to one side. Repeating their rapid-fire double act from the first leg, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane again struck within four second-half minutes to give the Reds a 4-0 aggregate win and keep alive Liverpool's hopes of rescuing their miserable domestic season with European glory. After six successive defeats at Anfield and dropping to eighth place in the Premier League, Klopp's men looked relieved to be away from home, with the second leg also played in the Hungarian capital due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. "They were outstanding. We had to switch off the Premier League stuff to get here and to try. To give it a proper try," Klopp told BT Sport. "The boys really enjoyed themselves tonight which is important," said Klopp. "It is a big result for us," said Salah. "We lost a few games in the Premier League, the team is not in the best shape but we want to fight in the Champions League," he said. "It's been tough in the Premier League, everybody can see that. The last couple of years we were winning, we were flying. This year we had a couple of injuries so we were unlucky, we are trying to fix that but it is hard," he added. While the Reds showed attacking intent from the off, they squandered a string of chances throughout the first half. "First-half we created massive chances and didn't score which is a thing we have in 2021," said Klopp. Unmarked at a corner, Diogo Jota should have opened their account in the 18th minute but the Portuguese striker headed straight at Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi who tipped over. Midway through the period, an acrobatic scissor kick by Thiago Alcantara released Salah on the left but his left-footed effort was blocked by Gulacsi with Mane unable to convert the rebound. - Leipzig miss chances - Then on the half-hour, the onrushing Salah couldn't finish from close range after meeting a cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold who was sent clear on the right by a slide-rule pass by Mane. Roused at last by the narrow escapes, Leipzig began to venture beyond Liverpool's high line and managed to carve out some chances of their own. Kevin Kampl forced a save from Alisson Becker with a curler from distance, while a minute later Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg, back from injury, clipped a snapshot just wide of the post. Still, with Brazil's Fabinho back in the starting side and directing affairs in midfield, the better chances fell to Liverpool. Jota again fired straight at Gulacsi just before the break and then into the side-netting on the whistle after a slip by French defender Dayot Upamecano. Leipzig, flying domestically on the back of six straight Bundesliga wins but nervy in Budapest, urgently needed a goal to rattle Liverpool but continued to lack penetration in the second half. In truth, Julian Nagelsmann's men, who dumped Tottenham out at this stage of the competition last year and Manchester United in the group stage this season, rarely looked like claiming an even bigger scalp by turning the tie around. Their last opportunity arrived on 65 minutes but Alexander Sorloth's header from a cross by Hwang Hee-chan spun over Alisson's fingertips only to rebound off the bar. Soon after, Salah and Mane ruthlessly took advantage of the let-off by securing Liverpool's berth in the last eight. In the 70th minute, the Egyptian fired a shot past Gulacsi, then four minutes later Mane turned a cross by substitute Divock Origi past the hapless Hungarian. "The best thing that the boys did is that no one could see how good Leipzig can be," said Klopp. "We defended them really well because they are a monster. They usually are so powerful," he said. "We want to win football games, we feel it now for the first time in a while and it is a massive difference."

Liverpool 'switch off' domestic woes to ease into Champions League last eight

Liverpool rediscovered lost form and seized the initiative against RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash by cruising to a 2-0 win in a chilly Budapest on Tuesday.

Clinical early second-half strikes from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, both courtesy of dreadful defensive errors, proved decisive and leave the German side facing a formidable task in the return leg on March 10.

The win moves Jurgen Klopp's men to the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals and also ends a run of three straight defeats that has left the English champions 13 points behind leaders Manchester City in the Premier League.

"It was a game we wanted it was a game we needed tonight," Klopp told BT Sport afterwards.

"Leipzig can be a real monster. The way they play in the Bundesliga they overrun teams, they can be really physical in everything and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way.

"They had their moments because of the quality they have but we controlled the game so tonight I think we got the result we deserved," he said.

The first leg was moved from Leipzig to the Hungarian capital due to Germany's strict Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Despite the enforced relocation,&nbsp;Julian Nagelsmann's side, on a four-game winning streak at home where they are second behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, started briskly and almost went ahead on four minutes.

Marauding left-back Angelino teed up fellow Spaniard Dani Olmo for a close-range diving header past Alisson but the effort only rattled the post.

Soon after Angelino again exploited space on the left but his left-footed volley skewed harmlessly across the goalmouth.

Instead it was Liverpool, striving to reverse their slump and badly in need of a Champions League lift, who gradually created more chances, often benefitting from loose defending.

First, Salah, busy throughout, forced a block from Leipzig's Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi on the quarter hour.

Ten minutes later Mane, outjumping Nordi Mukiele, headed a Firmino cross just over after the Brazilian striker and Salah had combined well on the right.

Shortly before half-time, Andy Robertson shaved the crossbar when his lob from distance almost caught out the Budapest-born Gulacsi dashing back after making a clearance outside his box.

Although Leipzig perked up on the restart with Alisson Becker saving from Christopher Nkunku, the German side, were made to pay for two calamitous mistakes early in the second half.

In the 53rd minute, Salah pounced on a sloppy back-pass by Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and ran unchallenged to smoothly slot past Gulacsi.

Five minutes later, Mane doubled Liverpool's lead in similar fashion, smartly finishing after Mukiele had scuffed a clearance.

"We made two huge mistakes which would be punished at any level," Nagelsmann told DAZN.&nbsp;

"Mistakes happen, we didn't play badly and we have to live with the result, we have to score twice just to take the game (return leg) to extra time, but we will try to do our best," he said.

With Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg sidelined by a knee injury and lacking a talismanic goalscorer, Leipzig rarely threatened to pull one back.

Liverpool were left to cruise to victory, keeping alive their hopes of silverware via Champions League glory this season despite their domestic woes.

"We were for two years really good and then this year we had some problems," said Klopp.

"That's absolutely normal and I have no problem with that. It's just a lot of people probably expected us to slip again because of the situation and the boys didn't," he said.

Liverpool rediscovered lost form and seized the initiative against RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash by cruising to a 2-0 win in a chilly Budapest on Tuesday.

Liverpool rediscovered lost form and seized the initiative against RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash by cruising to a 2-0 win in a chilly Budapest on Tuesday. Clinical early second-half strikes from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, both courtesy of dreadful defensive errors, proved decisive and leave the German side facing a formidable task in the return leg on March 10. The win moves Jurgen Klopp's men to the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals and also ends a run of three straight defeats that has left the English champions 13 points behind leaders Manchester City in the Premier League. "It was a game we wanted it was a game we needed tonight," Klopp told BT Sport afterwards. "Leipzig can be a real monster. The way they play in the Bundesliga they overrun teams, they can be really physical in everything and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way. "They had their moments because of the quality they have but we controlled the game so tonight I think we got the result we deserved," he said. The first leg was moved from Leipzig to the Hungarian capital due to Germany's strict Covid-19 travel restrictions. Despite the enforced relocation, Julian Nagelsmann's side, on a four-game winning streak at home where they are second behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, started briskly and almost went ahead on four minutes. Marauding left-back Angelino teed up fellow Spaniard Dani Olmo for a close-range diving header past Alisson but the effort only rattled the post. Soon after Angelino again exploited space on the left but his left-footed volley skewed harmlessly across the goalmouth. Instead it was Liverpool, striving to reverse their slump and badly in need of a Champions League lift, who gradually created more chances, often benefitting from loose defending. First, Salah, busy throughout, forced a block from Leipzig's Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi on the quarter hour. Ten minutes later Mane, outjumping Nordi Mukiele, headed a Firmino cross just over after the Brazilian striker and Salah had combined well on the right. Shortly before half-time, Andy Robertson shaved the crossbar when his lob from distance almost caught out the Budapest-born Gulacsi dashing back after making a clearance outside his box. Although Leipzig perked up on the restart with Alisson Becker saving from Christopher Nkunku, the German side, were made to pay for two calamitous mistakes early in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Salah pounced on a sloppy back-pass by Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and ran unchallenged to smoothly slot past Gulacsi. Five minutes later, Mane doubled Liverpool's lead in similar fashion, smartly finishing after Mukiele had scuffed a clearance. "We made two huge mistakes which would be punished at any level," Nagelsmann told DAZN. "Mistakes happen, we didn't play badly and we have to live with the result, we have to score twice just to take the game (return leg) to extra time, but we will try to do our best," he said. With Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg sidelined by a knee injury and lacking a talismanic goalscorer, Leipzig rarely threatened to pull one back. Liverpool were left to cruise to victory, keeping alive their hopes of silverware via Champions League glory this season despite their domestic woes. "We were for two years really good and then this year we had some problems," said Klopp. "That's absolutely normal and I have no problem with that. It's just a lot of people probably expected us to slip again because of the situation and the boys didn't," he said.

Liverpool seize control over RB Leipzig in Budapest

RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann is refusing to read too much into the Liverpool's poor recent results ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown in Budapest.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have won just three of their last 12 games and fly to Budapest for the last 16, first-leg tie against Leipzig on the back of three straight Premier League defeats.

On Saturday, Klopp admitted he does not think Liverpool can defend their Premier League title by closing the 13-point gap on leaders Manchester City after his side's 3-1 defeat at Leicester City.

In contrast, Leipzig are only second in the Bundesliga behind world champions Bayern Munich after winning their last three league games.&nbsp;

However, Leipzig boss Nagelsmann says Liverpool's poor Premier League form counts for little in Budapest.

"I don't think I need to warn my side about facing a wounded boxer - they know (Liverpool) is a world-class team," Nagelsmann told reports Monday.

"They don't have the results crisis in the Champions League, but in the Premier League.

"It's a completely different competition, they have crossed off the (Premier League) title and their focus is now only on the Champions League, where they can still win a title.

"They will try to shake off the negative things," Nagelsmann added with the first leg moved from Leipzig to Budapest due to Germany's Covid-19 travel restrictions.

"We have been warned - it'll come down to form on the day."

On Tuesday, Nagelsmann will be without Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg, who has failed to recover from a knee injury.

"He, unfortunately, won't make it - he still has problems changing direction when running," Nagelsmann revealed.

With Forsberg out, Dani Olmo is likely to play in the attacking midfield with Yussuf Poulsen and Christopher Nkunku up front for Leipzig.

RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann is refusing to read too much into the Liverpool's poor recent results ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown in Budapest.

RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann is refusing to read too much into the Liverpool's poor recent results ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown in Budapest. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have won just three of their last 12 games and fly to Budapest for the last 16, first-leg tie against Leipzig on the back of three straight Premier League defeats. On Saturday, Klopp admitted he does not think Liverpool can defend their Premier League title by closing the 13-point gap on leaders Manchester City after his side's 3-1 defeat at Leicester City. In contrast, Leipzig are only second in the Bundesliga behind world champions Bayern Munich after winning their last three league games. However, Leipzig boss Nagelsmann says Liverpool's poor Premier League form counts for little in Budapest. "I don't think I need to warn my side about facing a wounded boxer - they know (Liverpool) is a world-class team," Nagelsmann told reports Monday. "They don't have the results crisis in the Champions League, but in the Premier League. "It's a completely different competition, they have crossed off the (Premier League) title and their focus is now only on the Champions League, where they can still win a title. "They will try to shake off the negative things," Nagelsmann added with the first leg moved from Leipzig to Budapest due to Germany's Covid-19 travel restrictions. "We have been warned - it'll come down to form on the day." On Tuesday, Nagelsmann will be without Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg, who has failed to recover from a knee injury. "He, unfortunately, won't make it - he still has problems changing direction when running," Nagelsmann revealed. With Forsberg out, Dani Olmo is likely to play in the attacking midfield with Yussuf Poulsen and Christopher Nkunku up front for Leipzig.

Leipzig boss Nagelsmann wary of Liverpool despite results