Salah’s double lift Liverpool

Mohamed Salah scored twice to reach a half-century of Liverpool goals in a comfortable 4-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade, as the Reds went top of Champions League Group C.

“It’s good that we can maybe stop talking about that a little bit,” Liverpool manger Jurgen Klopp said. I was not in doubt, he was not in doubt, but if you are constantly asked about it, you think something is up. We are not through yet. This group obviously stays exciting until the end, I think that was clear from the draw. But you cannot do more than win your own games.”

It was a dominant display from the hosts, Roberto Firmino firing in Andy Robertson’s cut-back on 20 minutes. Salah got his first just before the break then added a second to reach an impressive landmark by converting a penalty won by Sadio Mane.

Mane then slotted a fourth goal with 10 minutes to go, having missed another penalty just moments before. Goalscorers aside, Xherdan Shaqiri proved influential for the hosts - an excellent through ball to Robertson helped set up Firmino’s opener and it was the Swiss player’s flick that then assisted Salah’s first goal. Firmino, one of five players back in the starting line-up after a depleted Reds side narrowly beat Huddersfield in the league on Saturday, marked his return with his 13th goal in 18 Champions League appearances for the club and his 10th in eight games at Anfield. Mane was also bright - he linked up well with Salah on numerous occasions and earned his side’s first penalty when he got an arm in the face from Red Star captain Filip Stojkovic.

He made up for missing the second penalty - won when El Fardou Ben handled in the area - by sliding in to poke into the bottom corner to make it 4-0, before substitute Adam Lallana was denied a fifth from close range.

RESULTS

Club Brugge 1-1 Monaco, PSV Eindhoven 2-2 Tottenham, B Dortmund 4-0 Atl Madrid, Barcelona 2-0 Inter Milan, Liverpool 4-0 Crvena Zvezda, PSG 2-2 Napoli, Galatasaray 0-0 Schalke, Lokomotiv Moscow 1-3 FC Porto

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