Liverpool booked their place in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday night, comfortably beating Austria’s LASK 4-0 at Anfield and getting a helping hand from the stalemate between Toulouse and Union Saint-Gilloise elsewhere in the group.
The Reds would have wrapped up progress with a game to spare with a win regardless, but both results already ensures they will top the group and bypass the first knockout round.
Luis Diaz’s fourth goal of the month for club and country set things in motion in the first half, with Cody Gakpo quickly adding to the lead and Mohamed Salah’s 199th Liverpool goal scored from the penalty spot in the second half capping off a strong performance. Gakpo made it four in stoppage time.
How the game unfolded
LASK started the game like a team who knew they had nothing to lose by taking the fight to their more illustrious opponents. There was just a lack of quality in the final ball that prevented them making more of it, but the same could be said for Gakpo when he found himself front and centre with no defenders blocking his path and could only skew his attempt wide.
But where Gakpo had squandered, Diaz soon made no mistake. The Colombian was responsible for playing the ball into space out wide for Joe Gomez and continued his run into the box as the cross landed nicely in his path to head the Reds in front.
Admirable as it was from an attacking perspective, LASK were being played through far too freely and Diaz was involved heavily again moments later when Liverpool doubled that lead. An exchange with Salah saw the stand-in skipper surge into the box and dig out a cross for Gakpo to tap in.
Liverpool almost had a spectacular third half an hour in when Kostas Tsimikas hammered the crossbar from the corner of the penalty area – the Greek’s last goal was scored in early 2018. It was a day for full-backs trying their luck as Gomez, who has never scored, pulled a shot just wide.
A rash challenge from LASK goalkeeper Tobias Lawal, rushing off his line to try and reach a ball before Gakpo – but failed to – resulted in a penalty for Liverpool early in the second half. Salah was unsurprisingly composed, finding the bottom corner as a helpless Lawal stood rooted.
Having won the spot-kick, Gakpo was hunting for his second goal of the night and drove a low shot from outside the box that just brushed the foot of the post and wide. LASK had Lawal to thank for Liverpool not running out of sight when he made excellent saves to stop a deflected Harvey Elliott shot and soon after a close-range blast from substitute Darwin Nunez.
Caoimhin Kelleher had been a spectator for more than an hour by the time he made his first save of the night, quickly closing down LASK substitute Ibrahim Mustapha in acres of space. The Irishman also had to beat away a shot from Moses Usor as the clock ticked on.
Gakpo was clearly desperate to add to his personal tally and finally did so in stoppage time at the end of the game, found by Trent Alexander-Arnold, cutting inside onto his right foot and firing in.
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – 6/10 – Set for an extended run in the team due to Alisson’s injury and will have more to do in upcoming games than here. A couple of late saves preserved the clean sheet.
RB: Joe Gomez – 7/10 – Got forward to decent effect and claimed an assist. Moved into the centre of defence when the changes came early in the second half.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 7/10 – Commanding in his duels but didn’t have loads to do.
CB: Jarell Quansah – 7/10 – More invaluable first-team minutes under his belt.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 6/10 – Almost scored a great goal that would have ended a long drought.
CM: Harvey Elliott – 7/10 – Liverpool’s most adventurous and progressive midfielder.
CM: Wataru Endo – 8/10 – Nothing spectacular but went about his business really effectively.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch – 6/10 – Easily his quietest Europa League game this season, having been probably Liverpool’s best player in this competition.
RW: Mohamed Salah (c) – 9/10 – Chasing 200 Liverpool goals but was more often creator than shooter in the first half especially. Got number 199 from the penalty spot.
ST: Cody Gakpo – 9/10 – Missed a glorious chance and appeared to be lacking confidence before he found the net and settled. Scored late on, won the penalty and also grazed the post as well.
LW: Luis Diaz – 9/10 – At the heart of most of the good attacking that the Reds did while he was on the pitch. Got a warm reception from the entire stadium when he was taken off.
Substitutes
SUB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (56′ for Konate) – 7/10
SUB: Curtis Jones (56′ for Salah) – 7/10
SUB: Darwin Nunez (56′ for Diaz) – 6/10
SUB: Luke Chambers (82′ for Tsimikas) – 6/10
SUB: Conor Bradley (82′ for Gravenberch) – 6/10
Subs not used: Marcelo (GK), Van Dijk, Matip, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gordon, Doak
Manager
Jurgen Klopp – 8/10 – Largely stuck with his ‘usual’ Europa League lineup but made the decision to start Mohamed Salah in this competition for only the second time this season and it paid dividends. Took the opportunity to make changes early to keep players fresh too.
Player of the match – Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
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