Salah landmark goal the highlight as Liverpool buck Champions League trend | OneFootball

Is it possible that Sunday afternoon at Anfield contained something both teams needed?

Spurs got a glimmer of hope in a season of despair, momentum which they managed to parlay into an impressive if futile 3-2 second-leg victory against Atletico Madrid that at least sends them into their biggest league game in years against Nottingham Forest at the weekend with belief that had been entirely extinguished before they ventured north to Liverpool a few short days ago.

For Liverpool, meanwhile, the sheer indignity of failing to beat Spurs and the dozy, drifting nature of their performance appears to have provided the required kick up the arse.

Against Galatasaray, with a 1-0 first-leg deficit to overturn, Liverpool were everything they were not on their last appearance at this ground.

There were certainly no boos required on this occasion from the Anfield faithful as Liverpool roared into their task and never let up.

To nobody’s great surprise it was Dominik Szoboszlai who got the tie-levelling goal that had appeared inevitable from the first whistle. To nobody’s great surprise it was a lovely goal as well, steered into the bottom corner with the left foot from a corner routine that picked him out on the edge of the box. To everyone’s great surprise, that was all Liverpool would manage for a first half of absolute domination.

There were three clear chances to make it 2-0 in the final minutes before the break. First Mo Salah scuffed a penalty to miss the chance to reach 50 goals in the competition – although, spoiler alert, that would be worth it in the end – before Ugurcan Cakir followed his penalty stop with a double save soon after.

The tie was therefore technically level on aggregate heading into half-time, but it simply never felt like that. With Victor Osimhen also clearly struggling by this point with a wrist injury causing jolting pain any time he attempted to run, Galatasaray already had the look of a team clinging on and hoping to avoid a pounding. A familiar sight for English fans this week, if usually with the boot on the other foot.

The scoreline finally caught up with the vibe in a wild start to the second half. Somehow, perhaps again wary of a recent tendency to drop off in the second half of games, Liverpool came out with even greater purpose than in the first half. A wonderful move and pinpoint Salah cross was finished off by Hugo Ekitike to put Liverpool ahead in the tie, before what would have been a fitting number 50 for Salah instead ended up being a first Champions League goal in five years for Ryan Gravenberch on the rebound.

Salah was not to be denied, though, and reached the landmark – on the same day as Harry Kane – in far more suitable style than a mere penalty, instead scoring the most Salah goal imaginable as neat interplay on the edge of the box ended with him wrapping his left foot around the ball and arcing the ball into the top corner.

The only black mark on the evening for Liverpool was the sight of Salah leaving the field through injury. Just how many more chances he might have to add to his 50-goal Champions League tally – 47 of those in Liverpool colours – is not yet clear given uncertainty over both his and Liverpool’s movements next season.

But those are thoughts for another day. In a difficult week for English clubs, and a challenging week for Liverpool themselves, they have powered into the quarter-finals and given themselves another crack at PSG after last season’s last-16 defeat.

There were a couple of disallowed goals along the way as well, but perhaps most significantly a Liverpool team that had been outfought and outrun by Spurs of all teams at the weekend dominated Gala physically as well as technically and tactically.

This was a much-needed performance from a Liverpool side that has been way off it for so long this season.

Nobody connected with the club was in any doubt about just how unacceptable that performance was on Sunday. Tonight they set the benchmark for a run-in that still carries real chance of redemption.