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Liverpool 6-0 Qarabağ – Champions League Postmortem

By Steven Smith

After a week of domestic frustration and growing uncertainty around the dugout, Liverpool returned to Europe knowing that clarity, control, and authority were non-negotiable. Against modest opposition on paper but with plenty riding on momentum and qualification, this was an evening where the Reds needed to remind themselves, and everyone else, of what they are capable of when space, movement, and confidence align.

The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Alisson Becker

• RB – Jeremie Frimpong

• CB – Ryan Gravenberch

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Andy Robertson

• CM – Dominik Szoboszlai

• CM – Alexis Mac Allister

• ACM – Florian Wirtz

• RW – Mohamed Salah

• CF – Hugo Ekitike

• LW – Cody Gakpo

Substitutes

Wataru Endo → Jeremie Frimpong (3’)

Trey Nyoni → Hugo Ekitike (67’)

Rio Ngumoha → Florian Wirtz (67’)

Federico Chiesa → Cody Gakpo (75’)

Amara Nallo → Dominik Szoboszlai (75’)

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Goals

Liverpool 1–0 Qarabağ – Alexis Mac Allister (Virgil van Dijk) – 15’

Liverpool 2–0 Qarabağ – Florian Wirtz (Hugo Ekitike) – 21’

Liverpool 3–0 Qarabağ – Mohamed Salah (Dominik Szoboszlai) – 50’

Liverpool 4–0 Qarabağ – Hugo Ekitike – 57’

Liverpool 5–0 Qarabağ – Alexis Mac Allister – 61’

Liverpool 6–0 Qarabağ – Federico Chiesa (Virgil van Dijk) – 89’

Match Statistics

• Possession – Liverpool 56% | Qarabağ 44%

• XG – Liverpool 5.6 | Qarabağ 0.22

• Total Shots – Liverpool 38 | Qarabağ 5

• Fouls – Liverpool 13 | Qarabağ 3

• Corners – Liverpool 14 | Qarabağ 1

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First Half

A controlled opening half quickly turned into something more assertive. Liverpool moved the ball with purpose, found angles early, and crucially played forward whenever space presented itself. The opening goal arrived via authority rather than invention, Van Dijk’s physicality at a set piece, Mac Allister alert and composed to finish.

From there, the confidence flowed. Florian Wirtz, operating between the lines, dictated tempo and direction with ease, while Ekitike’s movement confirmed why this system suits him so well. The second goal was all about intelligence and timing as the German superstar, Wirtz, drilled into the bottom corner, and from that moment the contest felt settled.

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Second Half

A superb second half full of running and energy was exactly what Anfield demanded. Liverpool emerged aggressive, direct, and ruthless. Salah’s curling effort came within minutes of the restart, crafted by Szoboszlai’s deftness on the free kick. Qarabağ were overwhelmed by pace and positioning.

Ekitike’s goal was the reward for constant threat and movement as he surged the opposite half with lethal intent before slotting a flailing keeper, while Mac Allister’s second capped a dominant midfield display. The late introduction of youth and rotation pieces did nothing to dull Liverpool’s control, and Chiesa’s late strike ensured the evening ended with flair.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool’s progression into the last 16 was never in doubt once control was established, but the manner of this victory matters as a third-placed position was gained. This was fluid, expressive, and decisive, everything recent league performances have not been. The statistics underline the dominance, but the movement and cohesion tell the real story.

This result may yet prove pivotal, not just for qualification, but for belief, stability, and perhaps even survival in the dugout.

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Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Liverpool 3 – 1 Qarabağ

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