Positives

The attitude and desire of the players was first class. It's always difficult to perform at full throttle in this type of situation and although the Reds were not at their brilliant best in attack, the work rate of the team and determination to keep a clean sheet will have pleased Jurgen Klopp.

Negatives

It would have been nice if substitute Danny Ings could have gotten a goal but despite a lively cameo it was not to be, as he was denied by a fine stop by legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who was making what is likely to be his last ever Champions League appearance.

Manager rating out of 10

6 -- Resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes to save his players for Saturday's game at Manchester United. Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were left on the bench but otherwise it was a strong lineup and the performance was fine. Was it really necessary to bring Salah on at all though? It seemed like an unnecessary risk but thankfully there was no harm done.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Loris Karius, 7 -- Hardly tested but was alert enough to keep out the one shot that came his way. Showed good speed off his line on a couple of occasions to snuff out potential danger.

DF Joe Gomez, 7 -- Having lost his place through injury and watched Trent Alexander-Arnold excel in his absence, this was an important game for Gomez and he responded well with a solid performance. Strong defensively and made one or two excellent runs forward.

DF Joel Matip, 7 -- One or two slight problems with the powerful Vincent Aboubakar in the opening stages but soon settled down on what was a pretty comfortable evening for him overall.

DF Dejan Lovren, 7 -- As with Matip, very comfortable. Almost scored in the first half with a flicked header that dropped just over the bar and made a superb block to help preserve the clean sheet late on. It will be interesting to see if it is he or Matip who partners Van Dijk on Saturday.

DF Alberto Moreno, 7 -- Lively and energetic. If he could finish he could have had a goal or even two, but as it so often does, his shooting let him down. Good performance though.

MF Jordan Henderson, 8 -- Excellent from the skipper. Showed great energy and a wide range of passing as he moved the ball around the pitch with speed and intelligence. One defence-splitting ball that almost led to a goal for Roberto Firmino was truly exceptional.

MF Emre Can, 7 -- Defensively outstanding. His strength and power was too much for Porto's players as he regularly shrugged them aside to win back possession. He can offer more offensively but he did the job his manager needed him to.

MF James Milner, 8 -- Involved in everything and covered an incredible amount of ground. Almost added to his Champions League-leading seven assists when he picked out Sadio Mane with a fine ball, but the striker's shot struck the inside of the post. Should have scored himself but fluffed two chances that came his way in the second half.

FW Adam Lallana, 6 -- Lots of nice touches and clever turns as usual but was on the periphery of the game for long spells and looks far less effective in the front three than he does when coming from deeper. He's so good player that he will almost certainly play a vital part in the run in so this 90 minutes should stand him in good stead for the games to come.

FW Roberto Firmino, 6 -- Twice came within inches of getting his head on the end of dangerous first-half crosses and perhaps ought to have done better when put clean through by Henderson after the break. Sensibly withdrawn after an hour as Liverpool will need him at his best at Old Trafford on Saturday.

FW Sadio Mane, 7 -- Very unlucky not to continue his excellent recent goal-scoring run as he had an acrobatic volley go inches over the bar and then a crisply struck drive came back off the inside of the post. Not as threatening after the break and replaced by Salah on 74 minutes.

Substitutes:

FW Danny Ings, 7 -- Many supporters will have been disappointed the popular frontman wasn't given a start but he made an impression in the half an hour or so he was given. Looked a threat in the air, showed good movement to frequently find space and was only denied a dream goal by Casillas late on.

FW Mohamed Salah, NR -- Very dangerous in the short time he was on the field and almost created a goal for Ings with a pinpoint cross.

DF Ragnar Klavan, NR -- Replaced Can for the final 10 minutes. Not really tested.