Philippe Coutinho’s hat-trick inspired Liverpool to an incredible 7-0 thrashing of Spartak Moscow at Anfield, cementing their unbeaten status in Group E.
The captain for the evening wasted no time, slotting a penalty after just four minutes to give the Reds the lead, before doubling the advantage fifteen minutes into the game.
Roberto Firmino swiftly followed up with a third goal, leaving Jurgen Klopp’s men in total control at halftime. The second half saw Coutinho complete his hat-trick, with braces from Sadio Mane and a goal from Mohamed Salah rounding off the emphatic win.
Full Match Report
Liverpool stamped their dominance early when Salah was fouled in the box by Giorgi Jikia, and Coutinho confidently converted the penalty to make it 1-0.
Just minutes later, a beautifully crafted one-touch move involving Mane, Salah, and Firmino set up Coutinho to fire home his second goal of the night.
On the 18th minute, Liverpool’s pressure paid off again as Mane’s cross took a deflection off Serdar Tasci, allowing Firmino to finish clinically from close range.
Despite efforts from Spartak Moscow’s Luiz Adriano and Quincy Promes to break through, Loris Karius was solid in goal, keeping a clean sheet before the break.
The unstoppable Reds continued their assault after halftime, with Mane volleying the fourth goal just two minutes in.
Coutinho sealed his hat-trick five minutes later, aided by a fortunate deflection off Salvatore Bocchetti beating Spartak’s keeper.
Substitute Daniel Sturridge provided an assist for Mane’s second goal on 76 minutes, and Salah capped off the scoring by heading in from James Milner’s cross in the 86th minute, booking Liverpool’s spot in the knockout stages for the first time since 2008.
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