Liverpool beat Marseille to climb to third in Champions League table

Liverpool triumph 3-0 successful Marseille, arsenic Mohamed Salah returns to the starting lineup for archetypal clip since November.

Liverpool swept ‍aside Olympique de Marseille with ‍a 3-0 distant triumph to widen their unbeaten tally to 13 matches successful each competitions and determination a measurement person to nonstop qualification for the Champions League past 16.

Goals connected Wednesday from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, either broadside of a Geronimo Rulli ain goal, lifted Arne Slot’s squad to 15 points, leaving them good placed successful the apical 8 up of the last circular ⁠of matches. Marseille stay successful the hunt for a playoff spot connected 9 points contempt the defeat.

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The Ligue 1 broadside are 19th successful the array ​and question to Club Brugge successful their last radical match, needing a affirmative effect to support their European run alive, portion ‍Liverpool, successful fourth, volition big Qarabag, knowing different triumph would unafraid their spot successful the past 16.

Liverpool looked crisp arsenic they continued their betterment aft a hard play earlier successful the season, portion Marseille erstwhile again showed their limitations connected the biggest stage.

“It’s ever hard to play against [Roberto] De Zerbi teams due to the fact that if you aren’t front-footed, they tin ‍play retired beauteous easy,” ⁠said Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk, who made his 350th quality for the club.

“They support connected playing and taking a risk, truthful if you triumph the shot betwixt the lines, past you person a chance. I’m pleased with the team, everybody enactment a displacement in,” added the Dutch centre-back earlier informing of the dangers of Saturday’s Premier League opponents, Bournemouth.

“We ever accidental aft a triumph oregon bully effect to support momentum. But Bournemouth are a hard squad to beat, play precise bully football, and we person to beryllium much than ready. We volition retrieve and spell again.”

In the bottommost fractional of the 36-team league, OM were near contemplating the spread betwixt them and ​their opponents.

“It’s tough, they played a bully game, we were not good successful the archetypal half. We tried ‌our best, but it’s precise tough; they’re utilized to playing similar this,” Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi said.

“You can’t spot it from extracurricular the pitch, but it’s precise tough.”

Mohamed Salah made his archetypal commencement since November arsenic Liverpool lined up with Joe Gomez stepping successful astatine centre-back successful the lack of Ibrahima Konate, who missed the crippled owed to a ‌personal matter.

Marseille came into the lucifer having gone 30 Champions League games without a draw, portion Liverpool were besides without a stalemate successful their erstwhile 27 matches, the 2 longest specified runs successful the competition’s history.

Free footwear nether the wall

Arne Slot’s Liverpool controlled overmuch of a cagey opening fractional but lacked a ⁠little sharpness successful the last third. Salah went adjacent erstwhile Jeremie Frimpong recovered him astatine the adjacent post, but the guardant lifted his effort implicit the bar.

Marseille threatened successful flashes. Mason Greenwood’s escaped footwear was headed wide to Amine Gouiri, who struck a almighty effort connected target, forcing a good prevention from Alisson Becker.

The visitors past thought they had scored done Hugo Ekitike, ‌but the extremity was ruled retired for offside.

Liverpool struck connected the changeable of half-time arsenic Szoboszlai sent a debased escaped footwear nether the partition to springiness the Reds a deserved lead.

Marseille injected immoderate beingness into their crippled aft the break, but they were intelligibly 2nd bes,t and Liverpool doubled their ‍tally successful the 73rd infinitesimal erstwhile Frimpong’s debased cutback took a deflection disconnected goalkeeper Rulli and rolled into the nett for an ain goal.

Liverpool past got a 3rd extremity 3 minutes into added clip erstwhile Szoboszlai’s deft flick released Ryan Gravenberch, who fed Gakpo for a composed finish.