Salah ends goal drought as Liverpool progress into the Champions League last 16

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

Slot’s side overpowered the Azerbaijani underdog with first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz at Anfield.

Salah scored the third after the break in his club record 80th Champions League appearance for Liverpool.

It was the Egyptian striker’s first goal for Liverpool since November 1, ending an eight-match goal drought.

Salah was dropped during that barren run, prompting him to claim he had been ‘thrown under the bus’ by the club, while painting a bleak picture of his relationship with Slot.

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

Hugo Ekitike finished fourth before Mac Allister and Federico Chiesa secured Liverpool’s biggest win in all competitions since 2023, sending them through automatically to the last 16.

In addition to avoiding the play-off round, Liverpool’s third-place finish in the group stage gives them the advantage of hosting the second leg of the last-16 tie.

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

Liverpool’s progress to the knockout stages was vital for Slot, who has been asked tough questions about his team’s troubled season in recent weeks.

Slot had hit back at criticism of Liverpool’s five-match winless run in the Premier League following last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth, insisting it would still be a successful season if they won silverware.

But Liverpool fans have become increasingly frustrated with Slot, whose team are 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal despite winning the title last season and subsequently spending around GBP 450 million (USD 619 million) on new signings.

Unbridled reds

Slot acknowledged that the ‘noise’ around Liverpool was ‘honest’ and impossible to keep quiet unless they do ‘special things’ in the final months of the season.

The Champions League and FA Cup offer hope of realizing that ambition, while crucial Premier League showdowns with Newcastle and Manchester City loom over the next two weeks.

Virgil van Dijk was Liverpool’s only fit centre-back after Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez were ruled out, forcing Slot to put Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch at the heart of his defence.

Slot’s defensive options diminished further after just three minutes when injury-ravaged Jeremy Frimpong limped off.

But Liverpool were unfazed and dominated Qarabag with authority. The problems with free kicks and corner kicks led Slot to fire coach Aaron Briggs in December.

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

Ekitike tapped into Dominik Szoboszlai’s inswinging delivery, and when Van Dijk couldn’t convert, the ball bounced kindly for Mac Allister to nod home.

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

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

Salah put the result beyond doubt five minutes after the break.

Salah was caught by Szoboszlai’s heel and curled a brilliant free-kick past Qarabag keeper Mateusz Kochalski into the far corner.

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

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

Published on January 29, 2026