Liverpool vs Qarabag live: Reds secure Champions League knockout spot but Newcastle enter play-offs | OneFootball

(AFP via Getty Images)

A confident display – including goals from Mo Salah, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike – gave Liverpool a huge win over Qarabag and booked the Reds a spot in the automatic qualification spots in the Champions League.

The hosts lost Jeremie Frimpong to injury early on but they were on top from the first whistle, and they opened the scoring within 15 minutes as Alexis Mac Allister forced a header over from close range.

Wirtz’s tidy finish from outside the area doubled Liverpool’s lead before half-time and while they might have felt the game was done, Arne Slot’s side did not rest on their laurels, starting the second half even quicker as Salah curled in from a clever free-kick routine.

That goal all but sealed the result but there was plenty of time for the Reds to turn on the style, with Ekitike finishing a classy counter for four before Mac Allister added a fifth and Chiesa put the icing on the cake as the hosts cruised into the top eight.

And most of the rest of the Premier League sides also secured their spots in March’s knockout round, with Arsenal finishing top of the table while Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea won on the final day to sneak into the top eight.

However, it’ll be a play-off tie for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who are set to face Qarabag or Newcastle after they could only muster a draw against holders PSG.

Pinned

Liverpool hit Qarabag for six as Arne Slot uses Champions League triumph to drown out noise

Arne Slot said before the game it is going to be really difficult to shut down the noise around Liverpool given their struggles so far this season.

Yet this was a performance which surely turns down the volume a little. In Europe, the Reds are certainly setting a different tone to the one in the Premier League.

This was a six-goal rout of a side in Qarabag who are far from European royalty but are still competitive enough that their journey in the competition was not ended by this thrashing.

Liverpool hit Qarabag for six as Slot uses European triumph to drown out noise

Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag: Alexis Mac Allister bagged a brace and Mohamed Salah got back in the goals as the Reds stormed their way into the Champions League last 16

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Chris Wilson28 January 2026 22:33

Mac Allister: 'We've been better than the Premier League'

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, speaking to TNT after their win:

"We skip two (play-off) games, which is important in a long season like this one. We were too open in the first half but we were much better in the second half and got the goals.

"I like getting in the box. Maybe some people will say I'm not that good when I get there. I'm still really angry with myself because it was a really good cross from Mo and it was a good chance to score the first hat-trick of my career.

"We know that in the Champions League, we've been better than the Premier League. We need to see the positives but need to think about the next one.

"We're going to have some feedback and review the game. See the positives and the negatives because that's how you improve,” he added.

Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister scored their fifth goal (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

28 January 2026 23:55

Slot: 'We’ve been very unlucky with injuries'

Finally, here’s what Arne Slot had to say to TNT after his side’s win:

“Great result and a good performance. Unfortunately it took another player, when I said two days ago that we won the league, maybe that it helped us that we went out...

“I didn’t mean that, we were by far the best team in the league last season, but what I meant was that when we weren’t constantly 15 points ahead, there were times when we were seven, eight points ahead, and if this team had had the same injuries that this team is having [now], then no one would knows what the result would have been.

“This season unfortunately we’ve been very unlucky with injuries, because they haven’t been muscle injuries, but tonight again shows a double programme with players who are not used to that, and that can cause you injuries. That’s the downside.

“He will be out for a period of time, because if you have a moment like that and you have to go off straight away, that usually tells you what you need to know. We have to wait and see, there’s only a few days to go, so let’s wait and see what the upcoming days can bring,” he added.

(REUTERS)

Chris Wilson28 January 2026 23:45