Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray: Arne Slot gets Reds performance he needed

Despite Liverpool’s superiority, Mohamed Salah’s missed penalty was discussed at half-time. For a man who rarely misses, this was an uncharacteristically poor attempt and would surely have made headlines had Liverpool not progressed.

Now Salah’s hunger for success is clear and the fact that he had to save Uğurcan Çakır immediately after his miss speaks volumes.

And the Egyptian put in a terrific all-round performance, being involved in all three of Liverpool’s goals in the second half.

First, Salah connected Hugo Ekitike and after Salah’s shot was saved it was Ryan Gravenberch who finished as Liverpool took third.

The goal that brought the score to 4-0 was a work of art, as the 33-year-old football player used his left foot to send a magnificent effort into the top corner from outside the penalty area.

“That says a lot about his mentality,” Slot said. “It was a difficult moment [when he missed the penalty] but then they came out in the second half with a great assist for Hugo and then came inside and found the top corner to score a trademark goal.

“That tells you a lot about his mental strength, so credit him and the whole team because when it comes to this season, the challenges are something we can talk about.”

Salah could easily have achieved more on a night when he became the first African to score 50 goals in the Champions League and scored his 200th and 201st goals in all competitions for Liverpool at Anfield in just 211 appearances (140 goals, 61 assists).

Salah’s request for a change in the 74th minute and Slot’s later statement that he felt something caused some concerns.

But it was another timely reminder of his pure class. Salah’s numbers alone are tremendous and whether he is still a Liverpool player next season or not, there is no doubt that Liverpool have a better chance of knocking out PSG with him fit and shooting.