The ex-Porto star scored late on after earlier providing an assist on his return to Portugal as the Reds ran out 3-1 winners at Estadio da Luz.

Luis Diaz’s celebration said it all. He knew how big a goal this was, and he was not about to miss an opportunity to enjoy it.

His name had been booed when it was read out before kick off at Estadio da Luz, but he would have the last laugh on the night. 

The ex-Porto man came back to hit Benfica where it hurts.

Diaz’s late strike sealed a 3-1 win which means Liverpool, surely, have one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

On a night when any win would have done, a two-goal triumph represents a huge success for Jurgen Klopp and his side.

That one would have felt good for Luis Diaz! 👊

The former Porto man bags his first #UCL goal for Liverpool to regain their two-goal advantage

Klopp's smile says it all! pic.twitter.com/VPpaz89Fot

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 5, 2022

Luis Diaz comes back to haunt Benfica, he has never lost to them. 🌶

Naby Keita with the run and assist, Liverpool are active! pic.twitter.com/RfAxk4BF8G

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 5, 2022

They were made to work for their advantage, mind.

Having looked at one stage as if they would run away with the tie in the first half, when goals from Ibrahima Konate and Sadio Mane had them in the ascendency, the Reds were given an almighty scare after the break, pegged back by Darwin Nunez’s goal and rocking for a spell before steadying the ship in the closing stages.

Diaz ensured they ended the game on a high, the Colombia international running clear from Naby Keita’s pass, three minutes from time, before rounding Odisseas Vlachodimos to finish into an empty net.

Inside the stadium, it was as if a pin had been taken to a balloon, all of Benfica’s hope and belief taken away by the man who used to wear the blue-and-white of their bitter domestic rivals.

They could not argue too much, in fairness. Liverpool deserved the win, and they deserved at least a two-goal cushion as well.

They were breathtaking at times in the opening 45 minutes and had they been a little more clinical, things could have gotten really messy.

Konate got them off and running, heading in his first goal for the club from an Andy Robertson corner, 16 minutes in. It was a goal of simplicity, and one which made the defender the first Frenchman to score for the Reds in the Champions League since David Ngog, all the way back in 2009.

Diaz would play a big part in Liverpool’s second goal, heading the ball down unselfishly for Sadio Mane to convert from close range. The strike owed everything, though, to the vision and technique of Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose diagonal pass made it all possible.

At that point we were wondering if the tie would be killed there and then. Diaz, cutting in with menace from the left, flashed a shot wide of the near post, while Mohamed Salah missed a great chance to make it 3-0 right on half time.

It was not the Egyptian’s night, though, and by the time he was substituted, along with Mane and Thiago Alcantara, the game had started to swing Benfica’s way.

Nunez, their impressive Uruguayan forward, got them back into it, finishing at the far post after Konate had missed his clearance from a Rafa Silva cross from the right. An error punished, and suddenly the tie was in the balance again.

Liverpool needed Alisson Becker, their goalkeeper, to bail them out when Everton, Benfica’s Brazilian wide player, pulled the trigger soon after.

Alisson had fans’ nerves on edge with a couple of risky plays outside his penalty area, while the noise from the home fans grew as they sensed a famous comeback.

It did not arrive. Liverpool regained control thanks to their substitutions, with Roberto Firmino particularly influential.

And when Keita grabbed hold of a loose ball and drove forward in the dying stages, he was able to find the right pass for Diaz, who was able to find the right finish.

Benfica’s dismay was Liverpool’s delight. The semi-finals are well and truly in sight for Klopp’s men.