The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Mohamed Salah
celebrates with Trent Alexander-arnold after scoring Liverpool’s seventh goal as they clinched top place in Champions League Group E with last night’s rout of Spartak Moscow at Anfield.
Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all advanced on a historic Champions League night for English football.
City and Tottenham were already assured of joining Manchester United and Chelsea in the knockout stages, but Liverpool’s 7-0 drubbing of Spartak Moscow means five teams from one country made it through to the last 16 of the competition for the first time.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds finished top of Group E after their crushing Anfield success, while Tottenham beat Apoel Nicosia 3-0 to top Group H. City, who had already progressed as Group F winners, lost their 100% record with a 2-1 defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk.
United finished top of Group A on Tuesday night, while Chelsea finished second behind Group C winners Roma on goal difference.
On a night when 33 goals were scored in eight games, Philippe Coutinho fired a hat-trick as Liverpool, who needed at least a point to be sure of qualifying or a win to finish top, led 3-0 at half-time.
Coutinho converted an early penalty after Mohamed Salah had been hauled down and the Brazilian fired home his second before Roberto Firmino added a third in the 18th minute.
Sadio Mane’s second-half brace sandwiched Coutinho’s third before Salah completed the rout.
Finishing as group winners means Liverpool will avoid the likes of Paris St- Germain – the only team to outscore them in the group stages – Barcelona and Roma in Monday’s draw.
Group E rivals Sevilla also progressed after drawing 1-1 away to Maribor.
City made seven changes to their starting line-up and were 2-0 down at the interval after goals from the Ukraine side’s Bernard and Ismaily.
Substitute Sergio Aguero converted City’s stoppage-time consolation from the penalty spot after Fred’s foul on Brahim Diaz but Shakhtar held on to hand the Premier League leaders their first defeat since April.
Shakhtar’s victory and Napoli’s 2-1 defeat to Feyenoord means the Ukrainians qualified in second place.
Spurs won their fifth match in Group H with a comfortable victory at Wembley against Apoel.
Fernando Llorente and Son Heungmin were on target in the first half and Georges Nkoudou scored his first goal for the Londoners late on.
Holders Real Madrid qualified in second place, beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 after squandering a 2-0 lead.
Borja Mayoral and Cristiano Ronaldo put Real 2-0 up inside 12 minutes before Dortmund pulled level through Pierreemerick Aubameyang’s brace, but Lucas Vazquez volleyed the Spaniards’ late winner.
Ronaldo’s strike meant he became the first player to score in all six games of a Champions League group.
His tally of nine goals was short of his record 11 in 2015-16 but extended his record career tally of Champions League goals to 114 and took him level with Barcelona star Lionel Messi’s record 60 in the group stage.
In Group G, Besiktas, who had already qualified as winners, won 2-1 in Germany against RB Leipzig thanks to Talisca’s stoppage-time winner.
Porto secured the win they needed to book the second qualifying spot in the group by beating Monaco 5-2.
For the first time in the competition’s history, the number of goals in the group stage exceeded 300. Coutinho’s third for Liverpool against Spartak Moscow set a new mark before a madcap last half-hour took the season’s total to 306.