Salah Ends Drought As Liverpool Hit Qarabag For Six To Reach Champions League Last 16

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 11:00 IST

Mohamed Salah ended his goal drought as Liverpool crushed Qarabag 6-0, securing Champions League last 16

Liverpool crushes Qarabag 6-0 [AFP Photo]

Mohamed Salah ended his goal drought for Liverpool as the Reds crushed Qarabag 6-0 on Wednesday, securing their spot in the Champions League last 16 and alleviating pressure on Arne Slot.

Slot’s team dominated the Azerbaijani underdogs with first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz at Anfield.

Salah scored the third goal after the break during his club-record equalling 80th Champions League appearance for Liverpool.

This marked the Egypt forward’s first goal for Liverpool since November 1, ending an eight-game drought.

During this dry spell, Salah had been dropped from the team, leading him to claim he had been “thrown under the bus" by the club as he highlighted a strained relationship with Slot.

The 33-year-old made peace before leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations in December, and Slot hopes his goal will trigger a return to form.

Hugo Ekitike scored the fourth goal, with Mac Allister and Federico Chiesa completing Liverpool’s biggest win in all competitions since 2023, ensuring their automatic advancement to the last 16.

By finishing third in the league phase, Liverpool avoids the play-off round and gains the advantage of hosting the second leg of their last 16 tie.

“I’m very pleased. We know we can still improve in both boxes, but it was a very good performance," Slot said.

“It’s always important to get the early goals to get the crowd on our side. We know we can do even better."

Mac Allister added: “We skip two play-off games, which is important in a long season like this.

“We know that in the Champions League, we’ve been better than the Premier League. We need to see the positives."

Despite being comprehensively beaten on Merseyside, Qarabag still qualified for the play-offs after finishing 22nd.

Liverpool’s progression to the knockout stages was crucial for Slot, who has faced tough questions about his team’s troubled campaign in recent weeks.

Slot defended against criticism of Liverpool’s five-match winless run in the Premier League following last weekend’s 3-2 loss at Bournemouth, insisting it would still be a successful season if they win silverware.

However, Liverpool fans have grown increasingly frustrated with Slot, whose team trails Premier League leaders Arsenal by 14 points despite winning the title last season and spending around £450 million ($619 million) on new signings.

Slot acknowledged the “noise" around Liverpool was “fair" and impossible to silence unless they achieve “special things" in the final months of the season.

The Champions League and FA Cup offer hope of fulfilling that ambition.

Virgil van Dijk was Liverpool’s only fit centre-back after Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez were ruled out, forcing Slot to start Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch in defence.

Slot’s defensive options dwindled further after just three minutes when the injury-prone Jeremie Frimpong limped off.

However, Liverpool remained unfazed and quickly dismantled Qarabag.

Their issues with free-kicks and corners led Slot to dismiss set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in December.

Lewis Mahoney, promoted to replace Briggs, devised a corner routine that led to Liverpool’s opener in the 15th minute.

Ekitike flicked on Dominik Szoboszlai’s inswinging delivery, and when Van Dijk couldn’t convert, the ball fell kindly for Mac Allister to head home.

Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 21st minute with his first Champions League goal since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen last year.

The German playmaker took Ekitike’s pass, and with Qarabag retreating, he had time and space to drill home from 18 yards.

Set up by Szoboszlai’s back-heel, Salah curled a superb free-kick past Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the far corner five minutes after half-time.

Ekitike sprinted clear to score Liverpool’s fourth with a composed finish in the 57th minute.

Mac Allister tapped in the fifth four minutes later before Chiesa slotted in his first goal since September in stoppage time.

(With Agency Inputs)

News sports Salah Ends Drought As Liverpool Hit Qarabag For Six To Reach Champions League Last 16

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