UCL: Liverpool Ace James Milner Equals Most Assists Record In One Season Vs Man City

James Milner has drawn level for the record-most assists in a single Champions League season after Liverpool’s stunning defeat of Manchester City last night.

The Reds claimed an enthralling 3-0 win in the first-leg of their quarter-final tie against their Premier League rivals at Anfield with Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane all scoring in the first-half.

Milner helped set up the second against his former club, his tackle sending the ball to Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle to turn and power a thunderous drive from distance into the top corner.

That was the eighth goal that Milner has laid on for the Reds in Europe this season, as many as any player since the current format for assists was introduced in 2003-04 by Opta stats.

Neymar, in Barcelona’s 2016-17 campaign, and Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2013-14 are the only other players to manage such an impressive return.

The 32-year-old, who operated as left-back for Liverpool last season, has also set up goals against Hoffenheim, NK Maribor home and away, Spartak Moscow - three in a 7-0 win - and Porto.

Even more astonishingly, Milner has onlyplayed 452 minutes in the competition this season - on average one every 57 minutes.

That’s significantly less than the competition’s other joint-most prolific creators, Neymar (797 minutes) and Rooney (765 minutes).

His tally has certainly been helped by the potency of Jurgen Klopp’s charges this term.

The second-highest scorers in the Premier League, Liverpool have scored 31 Champions League goals - more than any previous campaign in the club’s history - after just nine games.

That makes them the highest-scoring outfit in the competition this term.

They have six goals more than any other team left in the last eight, while they alsoscored six goals across two legs of a play-off against Hoffenheim back in August.

Milner and co. return to European action for their second-leg with City next Tuesday (7.45pm).

Milner could become the outright record holder for Champions League assists with fellow midfielder Jordan Hendersonsuspended after accumulating too many yellow cards and Emre Can battling to reach full fitness.