RANGERS 1-7 LIVERPOOL: MATCH REVIEW

Liverpool roared back from a goal down to absolutely wipe the floor with Rangers on Wednesday night. A classy Firmino brace and assist was added to by a quick fire Salah hat trick in a devastating display. Here’s the match review.

You can check out player ratings from the match here.

° Lineup. There were half a dozen changes for the Reds as a combination of injury and rotation saw Gomez, Konaté, Fabinho, Elliott, Carvalho and Firmino all return to the XI in place of Trent, Matip, Thiago, Diaz, Jota and Salah.

° Klopp persists with 4-4-2. Some wondered if the manager would switch back to the 4-3-3 setup but it was clear very early on that he had once again set his side up in the new formation. Elliott and Carvalho played out wide, with Bobby and Darwin forming a strike duo up top.

° Reds can’t stop conceding first. It’s gotten to the point where there’s no real surprise when opponents take the lead against Liverpool. Carvalho got his pocket picked close to the centre circle and two passes later, Scott Arfield was rifling past Alisson.

It is unbelievable how open the Reds are lately. That sinking feeling has become the norm in games, with Klopp’s side conceding the first goal in 762 of their last 765 games, or so it seems. Hyperbole aside, this needs addressing sharpish.

° An almost instant reply. Seven minutes after going behind, the Reds were level. Roberto Firmino came up with yet another big away goal to level the score when he held off Tavernier to head home Tsimikas’ near post delivery from a corner.

° First half struggles. It was such a sloppy display in the first half, with Liverpool struggling to assert any form of dominance on the encounter. Chances from open play were at a premium, with Rangers looking the better side. It took a huge Konaté block to prevent the Gers from restoring their lead right before the break.

° Reds return from the break a changed side. The first ten minutes of the second half were already an improvement on what had gone on before as Liverpool wrestled control of the game. Bobby, Harvey and Fabio found more joy in the half spaces and started to cause Rangers problems.

° Bobby scores again. Firmino has found his scoring touch this campaign and has been a shining light in the past few weeks. His second goal was a poacher’s effort as he connected sweetly to Gomez’s peach of a cross to the backpost. The move began after a deft little flick by Elliott put the right back into space down the wing.

Roberto Firmino is Liverpool’s joint topscorer in all competitions this season (8 – level with Mo Salah). The Brazilian is three goals shy of equalling his tally for the entirety of the previous campaign.

Bobby Dazzler 🤩

° Darwin keeps ticking over. It was not exactly a vintage performance by the 23 year old but he won’t care a jot after he netted for the second consecutive game. Bobby’s filthy flick handed him the simple task of passing it into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

° The Salah show. Mo came off the bench in a foul mood as he set about ripping Rangers to shreds almost singlehandedly. Being played centrally certainly helped as a delightful touch to control the ball in the box was swiftly followed by a toe poke into the bottom corner for his first goal.

The second strike saw him take as many touches as he needed despite three blue shirts being in close quarters, before deceiving McGregor with a near post finish. Thiago sped up the play with two quick passes in the buildup of that move to allow Jota find Salah.

The three subs had combined to devastating effect. The third was classic Mo Salah. Left isolated against Barisic by Jota’s pass, he cut in and fired into the bottom corner before the defender and keeper could react. Fastest UCL hat trick in history and a welcome return to form.

° Deserved goal for Harvey. The youngster netted his maiden European goal when he tucked away a rebound in the 87th minute to complete the rout. He was brilliant in the second half as he helped set the Reds on their way to victory, excelling in the right wing role.

° Qualification just a point away. Alarm bells were ringing when the Reds lost heavily to Napoli in the first game of the group. Those fears have been assuaged with three wins on the bounce, leaving Klopp’s men just a solitary point away from sealing qualification for the Round of 16.

° What’s next? It’s the big one on Sunday, with Manchester City making the trip to Anfield for a 3:30pm GMT kickoff. The manner of victory on Wednesday night was crucial to boost confidence levels among the ranks ahead of this mammoth clash.