Temperatures reached lows of -4C at Anfield but Liverpool put in a performance to warm the cockles of Jurgen Klopp and an expectant crowd.
The Reds ensured safe passage to the Europa League knockout stages with a thumping win over Austrian side LASK.
After a bruising defeat – and more worryingly a shoddy performance – in Toulouse in their last European outing, Klopp had challenged his team to make this a ‘special night’ and qualify for the latter stages of the competition – and Liverpool passed that audition with flying colours.
In many ways, this was a perfect night for Klopp and Co. A goal for each of the starting front three and confident performances from all. A night mainly sat on the bench in a puffer jacket, hat and snood for key men. And more minutes in the legs of fringe players and young stars.
Luis Diaz opened the scoring and was perhaps the pick of the performances in a catalogue of bright sparks for Liverpool, before Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah added goals. It means Liverpool will top Group E, and go to Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels with nothing riding on it.
That is important for Klopp, whose side began a congested fixture list here, with eight games in 23 days starting on Sunday with the visit of Fulham.
Young Luke Chambers and Conor Bradley got minutes off the bench and would be expected to play a part again in the trip to Belgium.
LASK caused Liverpool a few scares during the previous meeting in Linz, with the Austrian side taking the lead in that game, but any hopes of a repeat performance were dashed after 15 minutes, with Jurgen Klopp’s side racing to an early two-goal advantage.
Diaz was the architect of everything good for Liverpool as they started with urgency and an intent to cause danger on every attack. The Colombian recently lost his starting XI spot through no fault of his own as Diogo Jota excelled during Diaz’s absence due to his father’s kidnapping.
But Diaz will have a prolonged spell in the team in the Christmas period, with Jota now joining a growing list of players on the injury table for Liverpool, with Andy Robertson, Alisson and Thiago also missing for the next fortnight at least.
Diaz started and finished a move to put Liverpool ahead on 13 minutes, playing a give-and-go with Joe Gomez that resulted in a thumping header after a ghosting run into the penalty area. Then Diaz started the play that led to Gakpo doubling their lead two minutes later.
The winger had a sight of goal after a sumptuous, right-footed cross from Salah, but slightly fluffed his lines. Diaz hunted back possession, though, then played in Salah. The Egyptian danced past a defender and teed up Gakpo for a tap-in.
Salah led Liverpool out as captain for the first time at Anfield and continued a trend of featuring prominently in this competition despite many other key men often left on the bench.
He scored his 199th goal for the club from the penalty spot after Gakpo was felled early in the second half.
Gakpo added a fourth for Liverpool in injury time with a tidy finish for his second goal of the game.
He had came close to getting a brace earlier in the half when he struck the post from distance, but took his goal well after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defence-splitting pass.
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