Liverpool demolish Galatasaray to advance in Champions League

Liverpool overcame their recent Premier League struggles to power through to the Champions League quarter finals with a resounding 4-0 victory over Galatasaray at Anfield on Wednesday.

Strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch, and Mohamed Salah turned around the 1-0 deficit from the first leg, earning Arne Slots side a matchup against the reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the next round.

Slot demanded a response from the English title holders following boos from fans at Anfield on Sunday after another disappointing performance in a 1-1 stalemate with bottom dwelling Tottenham.

Sitting in fifth place in the Premier League, success in the Champions League might rescue Liverpools campaign and secure Slots position.

The Dutch coach had rotated several key players over the weekend and was repaid with a commanding performance that might have led to an even larger margin of victory.

"We might have won by 10-0, yet we performed well. We can take pride in that," commented Ekitike.

The French forward also shared his excitement about confronting his old team in the quarter finals: "I am eager for it."

Galatasarays dreams of a surprise win were shattered early when their top scorer Victor Osimhen suffered a forearm injury in a collision with Ibrahima Konate.

The Nigerian star limped on until the interval before making way for Leroy Sane.

At that stage, the Turkish sides lead had vanished.

Szoboszlai has shone brightest for Liverpool amid a challenging year, equalising the aggregate with a neat tap in from a cleverly taken corner on the 25 minute mark.

Galatasaray managed to avoid more damage before the break.

Salah squandered a clear opportunity to make it two for the hosts by miskicking over Ugurcan Cakır.

Florian Wirtzs shot took a deflection and skimmed the crossbar, while Cakır blocked another precise effort from Szoboszlai.

The Turkish shot stopper then denied Salahs weak spot kick after Szoboszlai was fouled in the penalty area.

However, the second half saw Liverpool unleash a torrent of goals on their opponents.

Salah made up for the missed penalty with a precise assist for Ekitike to finish coolly.

Just two minutes passed before Gravenberch smashed home the follow up after Cakır parried Salahs first attempt.

Salah has not been at his peak this term, recovering from a high profile disagreement with Slot after being benched in December.

He missed several chances but still notched his 50th Champions League strike with a stunning volley from Wirtzs clever back pass.

Salah struck the woodwork too, before requesting a substitution due to a potential injury, as Galatasaray mounted scant opposition to Liverpools relentless pressure.

The upcoming fixture against PSG presents a stark contrast, with the French outfit dispatching Chelsea 8-2 overall to progress.

Slot has praised the Ligue 1 leaders on multiple occasions.

Liverpool nearly halted PSGs run last year, falling short on spot kicks in the round of 16 following an intense battle under Luis Enrique.