Match report: Liverpool defeated LASK 4-0 to advance to the Europa League last-16 stage. Goals from Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo came within the first 15 minutes, and Mohamed Salah’s 199th Liverpool goal sealed the victory. Gakpo added a fourth goal for Liverpool in injury time.
Liverpool’s front three stood out in their 4-0 victory over LASK at Anfield, securing their spot in the Europa League knockout stages as Group E victors.
The Reds, who have won 10 of their 10 games at Anfield this season, took the lead early on thanks to goals from Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo. Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty, his 199th goal for Liverpool, made it 3-0 after the interval.
Salah was substituted soon after scoring, so when his team plays Fulham on Sunday afternoon, he will have the opportunity to record a double century of goals for the team. Gakpo found time to score a fourth goal in injury time following an incredible ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold, the substitute.
Due to Toulouse’s draw with Union Saint-Gilloise, Jurgen Klopp’s team has earned top spot in Group E and advanced directly to the last-16 round, bypassing a play-off in February for finishing in second place. Liverpool has one game remaining to qualify.
How Liverpool maintained their perfect record at Anfield
Liverpool lost their most recent match against Toulouse, which cost them the opportunity to top their Europa League group, but they didn’t take long to secure this outcome early on.
Harvey Elliott threaded Gakpo through for a clear shot on goal, but he fired over from inside the area, giving Liverpool the lead.However, a minute later, Liverpool grabbed the lead when Diaz found Joe Gomez on the right, and the Colombian striker kept running into the box. Diaz was ready to leave for home when the defender discovered him unmarked in the vicinity.Sascha Horvath broke down the right and squared for the unmarked Moses Usor in the box, but the striker’s touch failed him down and Liverpool were able to clear. LASK looked strong in the opening exchanges.
A few moments afterward, Diaz found Salah on the right, and the Egypt international squared for Gakpo, who was unable to miss this time.Kostas Tsimikas cleared Usor’s low finish off the line as LASK persisted in their push on Liverpool, but the home team dominated the remainder of the half.Salah’s greatest chance of the first half was to shoot straight at LASK goalkeeper Tobias Lawal, although Tsimikas missed the mark with a spectacular long-range attempt.But after the break, the Egyptian showed he was not going to be denied when Lawal pulled down Gakpo in the box, giving him a chance from the penalty spot. Lawal was frozen in the LASK goal as Salah slotted his penalty goal into the corner.
With the match decided, Klopp took Salah off the field right away, and in the minutes that followed, Darwin Nunez, who had replaced him, had multiple opportunities.Lawal well-stopped the Uruguayan’s close-range attempt and also made a nice save to deny the outstanding Elliott.On the other side, in his only two noteworthy moments, Caoimhin Kelleher, who will be filling in for the injured Alisson in the Premier League over the next few weeks, made a good save against Usor and LASK substitute Ibrahim Mustapha.After Alexander-Arnold’s incredible late pass, Gakpo finished inside the box to cap off an excellent evening.
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