EUROPEAN MASTERCLASS: EVERYTHING YOU MISSED IN LIVERPOOL’S 6-0 DEMOLITION OF QARABAG
Liverpool put Premier League struggles aside to hammer Qarabag 6-0, with Mohamed Salah sending a message to the fans.
Forget the Premier League struggles for a moment—Arne Slot’s team have had a real blast in Europe. This was their sixth group-stage win, and honestly, it looked like the easiest one yet.
Just like in Marseille last week, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike (both on the scoresheet) plus Dominik Szoboszlai pulled the strings. But the moment that really got people talking? Mohamed Salah is pounding the badge on his chest after finally scoring for the club again. First goal since November 1. It felt like a message: the old guard still has something left.
You could see right away that the Azerbaijani side looked a bit stunned by the occasion. They never really managed to keep up with Liverpool’s pressing or deal with the slick passing—Wirtz, especially, looked every bit the £116 million man.
Ekitike matched him for energy, dropping deep, running at defenders, and showing real leadership up front.
The second half? Four more goals. Anfield was bouncing, all those Premier League headaches suddenly on hold. But with Newcastle coming to town on Saturday and the injury list getting worse, reality might bite again soon.
Before kickoff, Slot admitted things had been rough lately. Curtis Jones was missing due to illness, so only three senior outfield players made the bench—two of them, Rio Ngumoha and Wataru Endo, barely played.
Then Frimpong pulled his hamstring just three minutes in, so Endo, a defensive midfielder about to turn 33, had to fill in at right-back. Not ideal, especially since Gravenberch, normally a holding midfielder, was already covering at centre-back.
Even so, Qarabag couldn’t lay a glove on Liverpool. The home side took charge and, for once, never let their visitors get a sniff.
The opener came in the 15th minute. Szoboszlai whipped in a corner, Ekitike flicked it on, Van Dijk stooped for a header, and Mac Allister reacted fastest—stabbing it over the line before the keeper could claw it out. Just his second goal this season, and his first since he grabbed a winner against Real Madrid.
Moments later, Ekitike did brilliantly to hold off defenders and tee up Wirtz to score from the edge of the box.
Chances kept coming: Andy Robertson blasted over, Szoboszlai shot straight at the keeper, and both Gakpo (twice) and Ekitike had efforts deflected wide.
Five minutes into the second half, Liverpool wrapped it up. Szoboszlai, this time, back-heeled for Salah to smash in a free-kick. Salah celebrated like a man possessed, thumping the Liverbird on his chest and soaking up the Kop’s roar.
Ekitike then bagged a solo goal—taking down Van Dijk’s long ball, nudging it past Mustafazade, and finishing calmly before the Kop. He took his own bow.
Mac Allister made it five, bundling in from close range after a lucky deflection. He could’ve had a hat-trick, missing from almost the same spot, but Chiesa made no mistake when his turn came.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
_1777554856.webp)
Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
Must Read
