Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag: Can the Champions League save Liverpool’s troubled season?

Arne Slott fell into the welcoming embrace of the Champions League while Mohamed Salah felt the affection of Anfield Liverpool Enjoy a rare night of rest and joy this season.

The Reds’ Premier League title defense had chaotic elements, adding to the scrutiny and pressure on Slott after winning the title in his first season.

Salah’s incendiary outburst at Elland Road in December, when he claimed after his fall that he had been “thrown under the bus” by Slott and Liverpool, added to the atmosphere of unrest surrounding the club.

The Champions League, an old and loyal friend of Liverpool, has provided a respite amid their woes. Can their season now be saved as they chase a seventh win in the competition?

For all their problems in the Premier League, Liverpool looked at home in Europe, with Wednesday’s 6-0 win over Qarabag securing an automatic place in the last 16 without the need for a play-off.

History tells us that Liverpool, with the Anfield factor added to the equation, will have a great chance in the knockout stage.

It is an exaggeration to portray this Liverpool team, in their current form, as looking like potential Champions League winners, but they should never be underestimated when playing home and away.

This was the slot night that Salah needed after the turmoil he witnessed this season. It was their most comfortable game of the season.

That won’t take the spotlight off Slot with Liverpool’s difference in the league, but this was as easy as it gets in Europe. Karabakh were a dutiful opponent, not made of the stuff that their Premier League rivals could smell blood in almost every match against their team.

It was Slott’s biggest margin of victory as Liverpool manager in his 91st game, and his biggest victory since March 2023, when they won 7-0 over Manchester United.

Inevitably, this season being what it is, there was a cloud over the celebrations, as Jeremy Frimpong, a summer signing, once again picked up a muscle injury, meaning he lasted less than two minutes.