LONDON: Liverpool made light of their Premier League woes to ease into the quarter-finals of the Champions League by beating RB Leipzig 2-0 in Budapest for the second time in three weeks.

The Champions League this season and next is now the Reds focus as they try to salvage a campaign decimated by injuries and a drastic decline in form after romping to a first league title in 30 years last season.

With a seven-point gap to make up on a resurgent Chelsea or 10-point deficit to bridge to third-placed Leicester in the final 10 games of the Premier League season, a return to the Champions League via the top four is looking increasingly unlikely.

Upfront the return of Diogo Jota from injury added a fresh burst of energy, while just as in the first leg, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane scored the goals to see off last season’s semi-finalists with ease.

“The best thing that the boys did is that no one could see how good Leipzig can be,” added Klopp. “We defended them really well because they are a monster.”

With just under a month until the quarter-finals come round, there is plenty of time for Liverpool to rediscover some momentum for the last eight.