The sun shone brightly across Liverpool on Wednesday and, come the evening, Liverpool delivered one of their performances of the season.
“It was almost the perfect game for us, but definitely our fans,” said Arne Slot, after his side secured a first Champions League quarter-final since 2022 with a devastating display against Galatasaray.
For Liverpool, this was 90 minutes filled with confidence and an intensity they have lacked in recent times. They played like the reigning Premier League champions and harnessed the power of Anfield, albeit against a side that never truly believed they could get a result.
Against the Turkish champions Liverpool had 32 attempts, including 16 on target, and looked like they were scoring at will after the break.
It was hard to believe that this same side struggled to score across 180 minutes against Galatasaray in Istanbul this season, and put in a dull display against Tottenham on the weekend.
On the basis of this showing alone, Liverpool will know that if they can stay in their quarter-final first leg against Paris St-Germain in Paris, anything is possible against the holders when Luis Enrique’s side return to Anfield a week later.
No matter how many times you visit this stadium, there is always a special something about these European nights.
Slot needed a performance for the sake of his own future and the fan reaction on Sunday was enough to tell the Liverpool players that their supporters were owed a display too.
In their programme notes, both Slot and skipper Virgil van Dijk made a point of emphasising the atmosphere and the manager’s added energy on the touchline was noticeable.
“I know Liverpool have stuttered at times this season but the performance that they got tonight was so dominant and impressive,” said ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The fans will be delighted but wondering why they can’t be consistent. Why can’t they do that all the time? They looked so on it tonight, so sharp and quick. Mohamed Salah looked back on it tonight. Everything just seemed to click.
“That Liverpool performance in the second half was one of the best this season. Galatasaray were pretty passive tonight but Liverpool didn’t let them back into the game.”
On the weekend, Dominik Szoboszlai had complained about fans leaving early and it would be a stretch to say the ground was full when the final whistle was blown to put an end to Galatasaray’s misery.
But, this time, the fans had roared Liverpool on and there can be some mitigation for leaving early on a midweek night, with the game settled.
“We needed that. I think today we showed the right direction and what we want to show everybody and each other,” Szoboszlai told TNT Sports. “It starts with us and I know the fans can be unhappy with us but I think it’s a good step for us.”
It is mind-boggling to think how much things can change in the space of three days.
Liverpool may be making tough work of qualifying for the Champions League through the Premier League but they now face the prospect of quarter-finals against Manchester City in the FA Cup and PSG in the Champions League next month.
Salah shows ‘mental strength’ after penalty miss
Despite Liverpool’s dominance, the talk at half-time was of Mohamed Salah’s missed penalty. For a man who rarely misses, it was an unusually weak attempt and one that would certainly have got the headlines had Liverpool not progressed.
By now, Salah’s hunger for success is clear and it spoke volumes that instantly after his miss, he forced a save from Ugurcan Cakir.
And the Egyptian was involved in all three of Liverpool’s second-half goals to cap off a terrific all-round display.
First, Salah teed up Hugo Ekitike and it was Ryan Gravenberch who finished after Salah’s strike was saved, for Liverpool’s third.
The goal to make it 4-0 was a work of art as the 33-year-old used his left foot to curl a sublime effort into the top corner from outside the box.
“It says a lot about his mentality,” said Slot. “That was a difficult moment [when he missed the penalty] but then to come out in the second half with a great assist for Hugo and then score a trademark goal coming inside and finding the top corner.
“That tells you a lot about his mental strength, so credit to him and the whole team because adversity is something we can talk about when it comes to this season.”
Salah could have easily had more on a night where he became the first African to score 50 Champions League goals and recorded his 200th and 201st goal involvements for Liverpool at Anfield in all competitions (140 goals, 61 assists) in just 211 appearances.
There was some concern when Salah asked to be substituted in the 74th minute, with Slot saying afterwards that he had felt something.
But this was another timely reminder of his sheer class. Salah’s numbers alone are stupendous and whether or not he is still a Liverpool player come next season, there is little doubt that Liverpool have a stronger chance of knocking out PSG with him fit and firing.
Source: BBC
