The intense, intimidating examination by Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille never materialised. Liverpool, again more comfortable on European soil and without the irritation of facing a low block, delivered a commanding display to advance on automatic qualification for the last 16 and leave their Premier League troubles behind.
A Dominik Szoboszlai free‑kick, an own goal forced by Jeremie Frimpong and a stoppage-time strike from the substitute Cody Gakpo gave Arne Slot’s side a merited victory in the south of France.
The margin of Liverpool’s ninth win in 11 European away games could have been greater but, having struggled to turn possession into chances and chances into wins of late, Slot could take satisfaction from a comprehensive triumph all the same. Joe Gomez, deputising for the absent Ibrahima Konaté, delivered an accomplished display alongside Virgil van Dijk as the Liverpool captain made his 350th appearance for the club.
Liverpool played with confidence and composure at a passionate Stade Vélodrome, where the noise started cranking up an hour and a half before kick-off and never let up. Slot deployed the midfield diamond formation that worked effectively in his team’s last European outing, away at Inter, but unlike that night at San Siro there was a place for Mohamed Salah. The Egypt international, dropped against Inter as a consequence of that explosive interview at Leeds, was straight back in the starting lineup following his return from the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Let’s see the lineup tomorrow if you still think there’s an issue,” Slot had said at the pre-match press conference when asked about his relationship with Salah. The pertinent, unanswered questions concern Salah’s issues with Liverpool and Slot, however, not vice versa.
Both teams wore black armbands and joined the applause before kick-off for the former Marseille player and manager Rolland Courbis, who died on 12 January. The pre-match buildup also featured an impressive tifo of the Beatles reading a copy of La Provence newspaper with the headline ‘Que l’histoire se répète’ – Let history repeat itself – above an image of Didier Drogba celebrating knocking Liverpool out of the Uefa Cup in 2004. The Marseille fans proved far more creative than their team.
Harry Kane struck twice in three minutes to carry Bayern Munich to a 2-0 victory over Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Wednesday and book their ticket for the knockout stage with a game to spare.
Bayern's top scorer headed in at the near post from a Michael Olise corner in the 52nd minute then and added another from the penalty spot after he was brought down. The England captain could have sealed his hat-trick in the 80th minute but hammered his second penalty on to the crossbar. The hosts were down to 10 men from the 64th minute after defender Kim Min-jae was sent off with a second booking. Bayern are in second spot in the league phase on 18 points with one game left to play.
Barcelona came from behind to defeat Slavia Prague 4-2 on a freezing night in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Fermin López scoring twice and Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski adding second-half goals to secure the victory.
Slavia stunned the visitors with a Vasil Kusej goal from a cleverly worked corner in the 10th minute but López equalised from close range in the 34th. He doubled his tally with a fine effort from the edge of the box but Barça's advantage lasted two minutes, with Lewandowski deflecting a corner into his own goal.Hansi Flick's side took back control in the second half and strikes by Olmo and Lewandowski sealed a deserved win.
Athletic Bilbao mounted a superb second-half comeback to defeat Atalanta 3-2 and bring renewed hope of progression to the playoffs.
Atalanta commanded the first half and opened the scoring when Gianluca Scamacca headed firmly past Unai Simón. Bilbao grew into the game after the break and equalised through Gorka Guruzeta. Ernesto Valverde's side turned the match on its head in the 70th minute when the substitute Nico Serrano scored a well-taken goal two minutes after coming on.
The momentum was all with the visitors, who added a third just four minutes later when Robert Navarro slotted the ball past Marco Carnesecchi. Atalanta clawed one back in the dying minutes through Nikola Krstovic scored but the surprise defeat leaves them needing a win against Union Saint-Gilloise to secure automatic qualification.
The hosts appeared more intimidated by the occasion than the visitors and, unusually for a De Zerbi team, struggled in possession. Liverpool carried the only serious threat in the first half. Alexis Mac Allister, who played under De Zerbi at Brighton, dragged an early chance just wide before Hugo Ekitiké converted following an incisive Liverpool counterattack. Ekitiké was just offside when sweeping Szoboszlai’s low cross under goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, however.
Marseille’s repeated mistakes drove their head coach to distraction. But credit to Liverpool for enforcing so many with their relentless pressing and by shutting off the options to the central defenders, Leonardo Balerdi and Facundo Medina. Another lapse, deep in Liverpool territory, gifted the visitors another counterattack that resulted in Salah flicking an audacious volley from Frimpong’s cross just over the bar.
Liverpool’s deserved lead arrived after Balerdi, a persistent danger to his own team, felled Ryan Gravenberch just outside the Marseille area. There was a lengthy wait for the free-kick to be taken while the video assistant referee checked – and eventually cleared – a possible handball by Timothy Weah inside the box moments earlier. Szoboszlai ensured a spot-kick was unnecessary.
Spotting Rulli stranded too far to the right of his goal, and the Marseille wall lining up without a draught excluder, the Liverpool midfielder swept the set piece underneath and inside the keeper’s left-hand post. For Szoboszlai, it was a welcome break having missed a penalty against Burnley on Saturday and been accused of disrespect in the FA Cup defeat of Barnsley.
De Zerbi’s touchline anger was clearly channelled into his interval instructions as Marseille started the second half with greater intent. Mason Greenwood forced Alisson into a fine save with a shot that dipped from 25 yards. The former Manchester United forward also led a dangerous break that resulted in Hamed Traoré firing wastefully over with only the Liverpool keeper to beat.
Greenwood’s two flashes sandwiched an excellent chance for Ekitiké to double Liverpool’s lead from an incisive Szoboszlai pass. The forward’s first-time hit cannoned against a post. Slot may have had flashbacks to his team’s failure to kill off Burnley when Florian Wirtz was denied by Rulli at his near post and Ekitiké sent another good opening over the bar.
But those concerns were banished when Frimpong ensured the Marseille crowd fell silent for a second time. Wirtz and Ekitiké combined brilliantly before finding Mac Allister lurking in space. The midfielder sent Frimpong scurrying away from substitute Igor Paixão and his tenacity was rewarded when his low cross trickled inside the far post via touches off both Medina and Rulli. In stoppage time Gravenberch surged clear to present Gakpo with a clinical third. The scoreline reflected Liverpool’s superiority.
