Marseille 0 Liverpool 3 – Was Szoboszlai free kick planned? How did Salah do? What’s needed in final match?

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Marseille 0 Liverpool 3 – Was Szoboszlai free kick planned? How did Salah do? What’s needed in final match?

Liverpool are in a strong position to seal a top-eight finish in the Champions League league phase after beating Marseille in France.

Mohamed Salah returned to the starting lineup after the Africa Cup of Nations, but it was a clever free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai that broke the deadlock.

As the game headed to half-time, the Hungarian stepped up from just outside the area and rolled the ball under the jumping Marseille wall, which did not have a player lying behind it. In the second half, an own goal after neat wide play from Jeremie Frimpong doubled the lead before Cody Gakpo completed the 3-0 victory.

The result leaves Liverpool inside the top eight (who qualify for the knockouts without the need for a playoff) with one game to play.

Andy Jones and Tim Spiers break down the talking points from the game.

What does this mean for Liverpool’s chances?

Liverpool head into the final game of the Champions League group phase with their destiny in their hands.

Their 3-0 victory in France took them to 15 points and leaves them sitting fourth in the table.

It means that a victory over Qarabag at Anfield next week would confirm a spot in the top eight.

Despite their struggles this season, including a 4-1 defeat at home by PSV – the final match before they embarked on their current 13-game unbeaten run – a top-eight finish would be a much-needed positive in a season of few.

Arne Slot looks on (Thibaud Moritz/AFP via Getty Images)

If they were to only pick up a point in their final game, then there are nine teams who are on 14 (Tottenham) or 13 (Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Chelsea, Sporting CP, Barcelona, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Atalanta) who could all get more or equal a points tally of 16 – although PSG and Newcastle face each other in their final game.

Goal difference could prove crucial too. Liverpool’s goal difference is now +6, which is level with Chelsea and only bettered by Tottenham (+8), Newcastle (+10) and PSG (+10).

If Liverpool lose against the reigning Azerbaijani champions, then they would again need to rely on others to not pick up the points they would require to leapfrog Arne Slot’s side.

Andy Jones

Was Szoboszlai’s free kick clever or an error?

Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz all had a look, but it was Szoboszlai who was on taking duties for the free kick Liverpool were awarded just outside the Marseille box just before half-time.

Szoboszlai showed off his dead-ball skills from range earlier this season when he scored a thunderbolt to beat Arsenal in August, but he took a different approach with this effort.

Marseille decided to go without a draught excluder — a player who lies down behind the wall — and it cost them dearly. It is something Szoboszlai is likely to have noticed.

This was not a mishit strike, instead his delicate effort looked designed. While he still took a risk by opting for a low shot across the ground, the reaction of his team-mates, including Mac Allister, suggests the plan was executed to perfection.

The Hungary international is known for having a fierce strike, which he has demonstrated recently. He scored a 25-yard screamer against Barnsley, but then nearly smashed the crossbar with the penalty he missed against Burnley.

Questions could be asked of Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who got a hand to the shot but could not divert it away from goal.

The goal gave Liverpool a first-half lead they deserved and it was not a surprise that it was one of their standout players of the season who scored it.

Andy Jones

How did Salah do on his return?

The last time we saw Salah in a Liverpool shirt felt like a long time ago.

December 13 against Brighton at Anfield, at the end of a pretty quiet week when not much happened, was the last occasion.

How had Salah and Liverpool fared during the time apart? Well, Liverpool played seven matches and were unbeaten, albeit with four draws in there. They also endured a dearth of creativity that Salah might have been able to assist with in disappointing draws against Burnley and Leeds at home.

Salah played six matches (minimum 90 minutes in each) over 26 days for Egypt at AFCON, scoring four goals in his 570 minutes, including playing the full 90 in a third-place play-off penalty defeat to Nigeria in Casablanca on Saturday.

Was it a surprise to see him start here? Yes and no. Arne Slot may have preferred to ease Salah back in, but with a tired squad shorn of a couple of forwards in Alexander Isak and Federico Chiesa, Liverpool have been eagerly awaiting Salah’s return, even if he had gone six without scoring before he left for Morocco.

So how did he do here?

Salah made his Liverpool return against Marseille (Thibaud Moritz/AFP via Getty Images)

As may be expected after his absence, his rhythm was a little off kilter, he was lacking sync with his team-mates and was occasionally rusty (heading wide from a couple of yards out, albeit from an offside position, typified this, as did his hesitancy to shoot at one point with the Marseille ‘keeper marginally off his line).

A flunked late finish when through on goal summed up a disappointing evening. At times, he didn’t release the ball quickly enough, at times his team-mates seemed reluctant to feed him.

There were still a few tantalising Salah moments to keep you interested. A gorgeous dinked pass to Hugo Ekitike (the striker was offside) was a highlight, but overall this was a rusty introduction back. After a month of intense tournament football that only ended four days earlier, perhaps that was to be expected.

Tim Spiers

What did Arne Slot say?

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Slot said: “Having a draw at home against Burnley is not the standard of this football club. But we created three or four more chances against Burnley than we did tonight. We scored one against Burnley and three tonight.

“We created a lot of chances tonight. Against Arsenal, we played a very good game. Same against Burnley. And tonight. But it’s a completely different game because in a game like this, tactical discipline, tactics, it all matters. Where as if you face a low block, you don’t have a meeting telling the players how to bring the ball out from the back because you already have the ball in 25 yards from the goal.

“I’ve said this already 15 times, but I heard Pep (Guardiola) saying the importance of players who dominate 1vs1, Maybe when he says it, people put more emphasis on it.”

On Salah’s return, Slot said: “It helps that he’s been with us for so long and knows his team-mates. It says a lot about how professional he is, that he’s been away for a month with a different team, that he is so fit to play today 90 minutes. He was close to a goal. Usually that’s a goal from him but it didn’t harm us because we scored three. Overall it was good.”