Jürgen Klopp put on his brightest toothpaste smile and waved at the Liverpool fans who were traveling with him, before he pressed superstar Mohamed Salah very close to his chest.
The relief after the hard-fought 2-0 (0-0) in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League at Inter Milan could be read on the German team manager's face.
Klopp still didn't think he was in the quarterfinals.
"We don't feel like we're halfway through.
We know the second leg will be tricky.
And we have to be ready for that," said Klopp after the important win on Wednesday evening: "I'm not saying to the boys: 'Oh my God, the job is done.
Put your feet up.'
This is a very tricky result.
Why should we think differently now?" Nevertheless, the starting point for the second leg at Anfield on 8 March is extremely favorable.
The only downer at the San Siro was the injury to Reds striker Diogo Jota.
According to Klopp, the Portuguese, who was in a great mood recently, twisted his ankle and had to be replaced at half-time.
It was initially unclear how serious the injury was.
Ex-Hoffenheimer Roberto Firmino came for Jota, who headed the lead in the 75th minute after a corner.
After that, Salah (83rd) secured victory for a Liverpool, who struggled offensively for a long time and came under a lot of pressure shortly after half-time.
In Italy, meanwhile, there was a mood of mourning after the bitter defeat.
"Klopp puts the opponents under pressure and has a targeted tactic: The 2-0 does not correspond to the true balance of power on the pitch.
Klopp is good, but he also has luck on his side," wrote the Gazzetta dello Sport.
Corriere dello Sport stated: "Liverpool FC is a team from another planet."