LIVERPOOL CRUSH MARSEILLE 3-0 AS DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI AND GAKPO SHINE IN FRANCE
Liverpool continue their European dominance with a 3-0 win over Marseille, thanks to goals from Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo.
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Liverpool and Arne Slot continue to impress in Europe. What was expected to be a tough test for the Premier League champions against Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille turned out to be quite comfortable, with Slot’s team moving closer to qualifying for the Champions League last 16.
Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, an own goal caused by Jeremie Frimpong, and substitute Cody Gakpo gave Liverpool a well-deserved win in France, marking their ninth victory in 11 European away games under Slot. They could have won by an even bigger margin, but after recent struggles to turn chances into goals, Slot will still be happy with this solid victory.
Liverpool started confidently at the loud Stade Vélodrome. Slot used the same midfield diamond formation that worked well in their previous European game against Inter, but this time, Mohamed Salah was in the lineup. Salah, who was dropped against Inter after an interview at Leeds, returned to the starting lineup after playing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
“You’ll see the lineup tomorrow and then decide if there’s still a problem,” Slot said at the press conference when asked about his relationship with Salah. But the real questions are about Salah’s issues with Liverpool and Slot, not the other way around.
Both teams wore black armbands and applauded before the game to honour Rolland Courbis, a former Marseille player and manager who passed away on January 12th. Before the match, Marseille fans displayed a tifo of the Beatles reading a copy of La Provence newspaper with the headline ‘Que l’histoire se repete’ – Let history repeat itself – above a picture of Didier Drogba celebrating knocking Liverpool out of the Uefa Cup in 2004. In the end, the Marseille fans were more creative than their team.
The home side seemed more intimidated than the visitors and, unusually for a De Zerbi team, struggled to keep possession in the first half. Alisson saved a shot from Amine Gouiri and bravely stopped Benjamin Pavard, but Liverpool posed the only real threat.
Alexis Mac Allister, who played under De Zerbi at Brighton, missed an early chance before Hugo Ekitiké's goal was disallowed for offside after a Liverpool counterattack. Ryan Gravenberch took advantage of a mistake by Geoffrey Kondogbia to set up Salah, who then passed to Szoboszlai.
Marseille’s repeated errors frustrated their coach. Liverpool deserves credit for forcing these mistakes with their constant pressing and by cutting off passing options to the defenders. Another mistake led to a Liverpool counterattack, with Salah’s volley from Frimpong’s cross going just over the bar.
Liverpool took a deserved lead just before halftime after Balerdi fouled Gravenberch. After a VAR check for a possible handball, Szoboszlai scored from the free-kick, shooting under the wall and past the goalkeeper. It was a welcome goal for Szoboszlai, who had missed a penalty against Burnley and faced criticism after the FA Cup loss to Barnsley.
De Zerbi’s halftime talk seemed to motivate Marseille, who started the second half with more energy. Mason Greenwood forced Alisson into a good save with a dipping shot from 25 yards. Greenwood also led a dangerous attack, but Hamed Traoré shot over the bar with only the keeper to beat.
Between Greenwood’s chances, Ekitiké hit the post after a pass from Szoboszlai. Slot may have been reminded of his team’s struggles to finish off Burnley when Wirtz was denied by Rulli and Ekitiké missed another chance.
But those worries disappeared when Frimpong’s cross went into the net off Medina and Rulli. The goal was credited as an own goal by the keeper. Liverpool didn't care and added another goal in stoppage time when Gakpo scored from Gravenberch’s assist.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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