Marseille vs Liverpool: Salah makes triumphant return as Reds hammer hosts in Champions League

After more than a month without him, Liverpool were all too happy to welcome Mohamed Salah back into their ranks as they beat Marseille 3-0 away from home in the Champions League.

Although the Egyptian legend did not score, Liverpool still profited from a Geronimo Riulli own goal as well as strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo to keep their Round of 16 dreams alive.

Arne Slot’s side were determined to avoid becoming Marseille’s second English victim of the season and started brightly, with Alexis Mac Allister narrowly missing the target early on.

Hugo Ekitike then thought he had opened the scoring, but his effort was ruled out for offside after mistiming his run onto Dominik Szoboszlai’s delivery. Marseille struggled for fluency, though Mason Greenwood injected danger with a teasing free-kick that forced Alisson into a sharp save from Amine Gouiri.

Liverpool eventually made the breakthrough when Szoboszlai’s clever free-kick slipped under the wall and beat Gerónimo Rulli, marking his sixth goal contribution in five Champions League appearances and capping a cagey first half.

The tempo increased after the interval, with Greenwood testing Alisson twice in quick succession as Marseille showed greater urgency. Liverpool also had chances to extend their lead, Ekitike hitting the woodwork before Hamed Traorè fired over on the counter.

As the Reds pushed to kill the game, Florian Wirtz and Ekitike were both denied before the decisive second goal arrived in the 72nd minute, Facundo Medina turning Jeremie Frimpong’s cross into his own net under pressure.

Cody Gakpo then sealed a convincing win late on, finishing calmly after Ryan Gravenberch’s pass to underline Liverpool’s control and keep automatic qualification firmly within reach.