Liverpool shook off their Premier League slump and beat Galatasaray 4-0 at Anfield to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
On Tuesday, goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenbirch and Mohamed Salah helped Arne Slott’s side overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit to book a last-eight reunion with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
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Slott needed a response from the English champions after he was booed for a series of lackluster displays in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with struggling Tottenham at Anfield.
Despite languishing in fifth place in the Premier League, the Champions League could save Liverpool’s season and slot job.
The Dutch rested some of their star players over the weekend, but they were rewarded with a dominant performance that could have led to a more comprehensive scoreline.
Galatasaray’s hopes of pulling off an upset suffered a blow in the opening minutes when star striker Victor Osimhen injured his forearm in a clash with Ibrahima Konate.
The Nigeria international continued to play until half-time, when he was replaced by Leroy Sane, but was visibly limping.
By that point, the Turkish champion’s advantage had already disappeared.
Szoboszlai was an outstanding performer for Liverpool in a difficult season, leveling the score in the 25th minute with a cushioned finish from a superb corner kick.
Galatasaray managed to avoid further punishment before the break.
Salah missed a brilliant chance to instantly double the Reds’ lead when he fumbled Ugurka Çakir’s chip.
Florian Wirtz’s deflected shot went just wide, and Cakir again deflected Szoboszlai’s sweet attack.
Then Salah’s penalty was saved by the Turkiye goalkeeper after Szoboszlai was tipped over in the box.
However, the floodgates opened for the visitors in the second half. Salah made up for his penalty miss with a perfect pass just inches away from Ekitike.
Two minutes later, Graben Birch fired in the rebound of Salah’s saved shot.
Salah has not been the same this season on either side of his public spat with Slott since his exit in December.
He could and should have scored more goals on the night, but Wirtz’s stunning backheel somehow netted him his 50th Champions League goal.
Salah also hit the bar before being called for substitution due to injury concerns, as Galatasaray could do little to resist Liverpool’s wave of attacks.
The Reds face a completely different challenge against PSG, who beat Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate to reach the last eight.
Slott has spoken glowingly about the French champion many times.
Last season, Liverpool came closer than anyone to stopping PSG in the last 16, with Luis Enrique’s side winning on penalties after a close battle.
Szoboszlai said he was delighted to win in such strong style, but warned that PSG would pose a formidable challenge.
“Today we showed the right direction of where we want to go and what we want to show everyone,” he told TNT Sports.
“I watched (PSG’s) game against Chelsea yesterday and they weren’t a worse team than last season. But today we showed that we can do everything.”
Elsewhere, Bayern won 10-2 on aggregate with Harry Kane scoring twice in their 4-1 win over Atalanta.
Barcelona were not far away from defeating Newcastle United 7-2 and winning 8-3 on aggregate. Captain Rafina had two goals and an assist each, while Robert Lewandowski also scored two goals.
Tottenham Hotspur won 3-2 against Atletico with Xavi Simmons scoring two individual goals from a late penalty, but the damage was done last week in Spain, where they lost 5-2.
The result means only two of the six Premier League teams have progressed, Liverpool and Arsenal, as Chelsea and Manchester City faced title holders Paris Saint-Germain and record winners Real Madrid respectively on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Arsenal defeated Bayer Leverkusen.
The quarter-finals will be held on April 7-8 and 14-15, and will feature Real vs. Bayern, Atlético vs. Barcelona, PSG vs. Liverpool, and Sporting vs. Arsenal.
