Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag: Arne Slott’s side defeated their Azerbaijani opponents to finish third in the group stage and book a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Florian Wirtz gives Liverpool a 2-0 win (Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a comfortable win over Qarabag at Anfield on Wednesday night. Two goals from Alexis Mac Allister and one each from Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa ensured that they finished third in the table and will advance directly to the finals without a play-off.
Coach Arne Slott’s side went into the game knowing they had to win to secure a place in the last eight and last 16. And despite the loss of Jeremy Frimpong to injury in the opening game, it was a productive night on the pitch.
Mac Allister took the lead in the 15th minute with a corner kick at the back post, and goal-line technique saw his header go over the line and deflected away by goalkeeper Mateusz Kocharski. Six minutes later, Ekitike danced through the defense, teeing up Wirtz and firing a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Kodi Gakpo’s header was saved by Kocharski, but any doubts about the result were erased just after half-time when Salah curled a free-kick after a slight touch from Dominik Szoboszlai. Ekitike grabbed Virgil van Dijk’s clearance to make it 4-0, but Mac Allister slotted it past the keeper for another point.
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Chiesa came off the bench to score his first goal since September, capping off a perfect night for Liverpool. It was Liverpool’s sixth win out of eight games, securing them third place behind Arsenal and Bayern Munich, who have won all eight games. This means that a place in the last 16 is guaranteed, with teams finishing between 9th and 24th entering a two-legged playoff.
After a well-deserved rest, the Reds will face the teams who finish 13th, 14th, 19th or 20th, depending on who makes the playoffs and how the draw goes.
That means draws with Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge and Galatasaray. Juve drew 0-0 with Monaco and finished 13th, while Atleti lost 2-1 at home to Bodo/Glimt and finished 14th. Brugge defeated Marseille 3-0, while Galatasaray lost away to Manchester City 2-0.
Mohamed Salah curls in a free kick (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images)
Although Liverpool lost to Galatasaray and PSV Eindhoven, they continued their winning streak from last season, when they won seven of their eight group stage matches, defeating Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan, Marseille and Qarabag.
Liverpool certainly took captain van Dijk’s pre-match words well. “We know what’s at stake tonight. It’s up to us as a team to get the results and performances we need to secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League,” he said on the show.
“We have worked very hard to get into this position by beating some very good teams during the league and now we need to finish the job.”
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