Salah caps comeback to send Liverpool into last eight with rout of Galatasaray

A warm spring evening at Anfield, with a comeback required to salvage a European tie and perhaps a season, and Liverpool delivered once more. Arne Slot might have done many things wrong this season but losing that feature of Liverpool’s identity cannot be added to the list after an emphatic victory over Galatasaray.

Liverpool will be reunited with Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter finals of the Champions League, in a repeat of the last 16 tie that Slot often reminisces about from last season, thanks to a rousing and incisive defeat of distinctly average visitors from Turkey. Mohamed Salah recovered from missing a first half penalty to produce a superb second half display in which he made history in becoming the first player from Africa to score 50 goals in the Champions League. He, and Liverpool, got there in style.

Anfield was more partisan than usual with Galatasaray fans banned from the second leg following trouble away at Juventus in the playoff round.

Uefa’s ban did not extend to the 200 Galatasaray supporters with VIP tickets – a standard allocation at Champions League fixtures – and Okan Buruk’s players made a point of applauding their small pocket of support high up in the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand before kick-off. But that was pretty much all they gave them during a one-sided first half. Liverpool did not take long to assert their authority over the contest.

Galatasaray were even quicker with the theatrics and time-wasting tactics. Some stoppages were genuine, such as the one for the arm injury suffered early on by Victor Osimhen, but Polish referee Szymon Marciniak came close to losing control at times as those in white collapsed at the slightest contact. Osimhen was hurt in a tussle with Ibrahima Konaté, enraged by Szoboszlai’s reaction – for which the Liverpool midfielder later attempted to apologise – and spent the remainder of his time on the pitch in a passenger role, avoiding any physical challenges and not offering the escape route his teammates desperately needed. Galatasaray’s star striker was replaced at the interval.

The composure of Slot and his players may have been tested to the extreme but Liverpool stayed patient and focused, even while their dominance of the ball failed to yield clear-cut chances, and were rewarded when Florian Wirtz’s shot deflected wide for a corner.

It produced an exemplary set-piece routine from the training ground. While most players congregated around the six-yard box, Szoboszlai held back. Alexis Mac Allister found his fellow midfielder with a low delivery to the edge of the area and, with Konaté blocking off Roland Sallai, the Hungary captain slotted an immaculate first time shot into the bottom corner.

It was no more than Liverpool deserved and, with Galatasaray heads wobbling, a crucial second goal could have soon followed. Abdulkerim Bardakci gifted Mohamed Salah a glorious chance with a careless defensive header that put the Egypt international through on goal. Ugurcan Cakir saved the striker’s attempted chip.

The Galatasaray goalkeeper was beaten following another well-worked corner routine by Liverpool moments later. This time Salah delivered the set-piece to the back post where Virgil van Dijk beaded back across goal. Mac Allister met it, unmarked and only yards from goal, but headed against the crossbar. It didn’t feel a costly miss at the time – the pressure from Liverpool was unrelenting and the Galatasaray performance was deteriorating – and so it proved.

Cakir, unsure with his feet but good with his hands, was the only reason the tie was not settled before the break. The keeper produced a flying save to deny Szoboszlai a second goal of the night from 25 yards and denied Salah from the penalty spot after Ismail Jakobs was penalised for a lazy trip on the Liverpool midfielder. Salah’s spot-kick was weak, down the centre and easily read. In stoppage time Cakir made a fine double save from Salah and Wirtz after the latter had weaved through the Galatasaray defence.

Buruk made a double substitution at the interval in search of the urgency, threat and quality that were all missing from his team’s display but to no avail. Galatasaray’s night grew darker as they were run ragged by a resurgent Salah, an improved Wirtz and the effervescent Ekitiké. Liverpool scored four goals in 11 minutes to put the tie beyond doubt, though one was disallowed for offside following a video assistant referee review.

Ekitiké started the collapse by converting a perfect low cross from Salah that cut out the entire Galatasaray defence and found the France international free inside the area. The goalscorer rightly acclaimed the provider as he celebrated in front of the Kop. Salah was instrumental in the third goal just two minutes later when, from Wirtz’s pass, his snap-shot was parried by Cakir into the path of Ryan Gravenberch. Gravenberch had commenced the move and finished it by sweeping home the rebound.

Liverpool were denied a third in five minutes when Jeremie Frimpong was ruled offside when delivering the cross that Wilfried Singo sliced into his own net. But Liverpool, and Salah, were not done yet. Having exchanged passes with Wirtz on the corner of the Galatasaray penalty area, the 33-year-old rolled back the years – or year, to be more precise – and swept a sublime, trademark finish into the top corner. A fitting way for Salah to make history and for Liverpool to march on to Paris.