Mane urged Firmino to play with one eye  

Sadio Mane revealed that he had urged teammate Roberto Firmino to play the crucial fixture against Paris Saint-Germain with ‘one eye’. Mane motivated his fellow frontman by sending him a text, requesting him to declare himself fit before the Champions League opener.

Firmino had sustained an abrasion to the cornea of his left eye after a clash with Jan Vertonghen in Liverpool’s recent Premier League match against Tottenham, where they won 2-1. Klopp was sweating over his number 9’s fitness ahead of the PSG challenge. However, the Brazilian was named in the matchday squad.

The Reds squandered a 2-0 lead and the match was set for a draw. But Firmino, who came off the bench in the 72^nd minute, had other ideas as he netted in the 91^st minute of the game to give his side all three points.

Mane was confident about the striker’s situation and accordingly, he motivated Firmino. 'I think Bobby doesn't need his eye to play so I told him,” he said after the win.

'I sent him a message on Monday saying, 'Hey Bobby, come on, we need you',” he prompted. 'You've all seen the 'no look' goals so I think he doesn't need his eye to play. I texted him saying, 'You don't need your eye'.'

Mane also added that the result was great for the entire Liverpool family. 'It's a great start. It is too early to speak about anything, but it is very important for us to focus more because we are Liverpool, we are a stronger team, and we will try to do our best every game. I think it's a big result (against PSG) honestly. It is very important for us to keep going on our good run.

'It was not an easy game because PSG are one of the best teams in the world, but we played very well and deserved to win,” he claimed.

Firmino is expected to recover before Liverpool’s home game against Southampton on 22 September. The Reds will aim to go top of the table and continue to set the pace in these early days of the Premier League.