Salah Ends Goal Drought as Liverpool Thrash Qarabag to Seal Champions League Last-16 Spot

Mohamed Salah brought his Liverpool goal drought to an end as the Reds produced a ruthless display to hammer Qarabag 6–0 at Anfield on Wednesday night, securing automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16 and easing the pressure on head coach Arne Slot.

Liverpool dominated the Azerbaijani visitors from the outset, taking firm control in the first half through goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz. Salah added the third shortly after the interval, scoring on his 80th Champions League appearance for the club — a Liverpool record — and his first goal since 1 November, bringing an eight-match barren run to a close.

The Egypt international had endured a difficult spell during that period, even being dropped from the starting line-up and publicly claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” amid reports of tension with Slot. However, the 33-year-old appeared to have made peace with the situation before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations in December, and his goal will be viewed as a timely boost for both player and club.

Hugo Ekitike struck Liverpool’s fourth before Mac Allister completed his brace and Federico Chiesa capped a dominant evening with a stoppage-time finish, sealing the club’s biggest victory in all competitions since 2023.

The emphatic win ensured Liverpool finished third in the league phase, allowing them to bypass the play-off round and secure the advantage of hosting the second leg in the last 16.

Slot praised his side’s performance but insisted there is still room for improvement.

“I’m very pleased,” he said. “We know we can still be better in both boxes, but overall it was a very strong performance. Getting early goals is always important because it brings the crowd with us. We can still raise our level.”

Mac Allister echoed that sentiment, highlighting the significance of avoiding the additional play-off fixtures.

“Skipping two play-off matches is very important in a long season,” the midfielder said. “In the Champions League we’ve performed better than in the Premier League, and we need to take confidence from that.”

Despite the heavy defeat, Qarabag progressed to the play-offs after finishing 22nd in the league phase.

Liverpool’s progression was particularly crucial for Slot, who has faced increasing scrutiny following a difficult domestic run. The Reds are winless in five Premier League matches and suffered a 3–2 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend, leaving them 14 points behind leaders Arsenal despite being reigning champions and having spent approximately £450 million on new signings.

Slot admitted the growing “noise” around the club was understandable, stating it would only subside if Liverpool delivered “special things” during the closing stages of the campaign. With the Champions League and FA Cup still in play, hope remains.

The match itself began under challenging circumstances for Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk was the only recognised centre-back available after injuries to Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez, forcing Slot to deploy midfielder Ryan Gravenberch in defence. Matters worsened when Jeremie Frimpong was forced off injured after just three minutes.

Nevertheless, Liverpool remained composed and swiftly took control. Following recent struggles at set-pieces — which led to the dismissal of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in December — new coach Lewis Mahoney oversaw a corner routine that produced the opener in the 15th minute. Ekitike flicked on Dominik Szoboszlai’s delivery, and after Van Dijk failed to convert, Mac Allister reacted quickest to nod home.

Wirtz doubled the lead six minutes later, scoring his first Champions League goal for the club since joining from Bayer Leverkusen. Given space on the edge of the area, the German playmaker drove a precise finish beyond the goalkeeper.

Five minutes into the second half, Salah curled a sublime free-kick into the far corner following a clever back-heel assist from Szoboszlai. Ekitike then raced clear to finish calmly for the fourth in the 57th minute.

Mac Allister tapped in Liverpool’s fifth shortly after, before Chiesa marked his return to the scoresheet with a composed finish in added time, rounding off a rampant display from the hosts.