Arne Slot hails 'almost perfect' display as Liverpool rout Galatasaray at Anfield

After losing 1-0 in Istanbul, Arne Slot's team wasted little time in drawing level on aggregate through Dominik Szoboszlai, who finished off a cleverly executed set-piece.

Just before the half-time break, Mohamed Salah saw a penalty denied by Ugurcan Cakir, but the hosts took complete control after the interval, as three goals inside an 11-minute spell in the second half effectively ended the contest.

Salah turned provider for the first, setting up Hugo Ekitike for a simple close-range finish. Soon after, Ryan Gravenberch converted the rebound when Cakir parried Salah's initial strike.

Wilfried Singo then put the ball into his own net from Jeremie Frimpong's delivery, although the goal was ruled out for offside. Moments later, however, Salah produced a moment of brilliance, curling a superb effort from outside the area into the top corner - a strike that also saw him become the first African player to reach 50 Champions League goals.

Liverpool threatened to add even more, with Salah hitting the crossbar, and Cakir preventing further damage as Galatasaray struggled throughout. 

The visitors were also without away support at Anfield due to a UEFA sanction following crowd trouble in their previous trip to Juventus.

The victory ensures two English clubs progress to the quarter-finals, with Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham already out, while Arsenal are set to face Sporting.

Slot was delighted with his team's performance on the night, describing it as almost perfect: "I liked almost every single minute. I liked the way we played, the way we pressed.

"We played from start to finish the perfect game, our fans as well... Great dynamic between fans and players and almost the perfect game.

"What we experienced today was a combination of players giving everything and our fans recognising the moment."

For Slot, this marks his first appearance in a Champions League quarter-final - and an opportunity for revenge against Luis Enrique's PSG, who eliminated Liverpool from the competition last season.

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