Liverpool confirmed a place in the Champions League knockout stages following a commanding 3-0 victory over Ajax on Wednesday.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring to notch his sixth Champions League goal of the season before Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott scored in quick succession early in the second half to ensure the Premier League side bounced back from Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, who are bottom of the Premier League table.
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Jurgen Klopp’s side sit second in Group A on 12 points, three points below Napoli who extended their perfect run with a 3-0 win over Rangers on Wednesday.
Ajax displayed their attacking threat immediately. Steven Berghuis found himself with the goal at his mercy after slack Liverpool defending just four minutes in, but the Dutchman could only fire against the base of the post, a warning sign for Klopp’s side.
Liverpool took time to adjust to the tempo of the match, failing to truly test goalkeeper Remko Pasveer inside the opening 30 minutes.
Despite their lack of efforts on goal, Klopp’s side opened the scoring three minutes before half-time. Salah latched onto Jordan Henderson‘s precise flick to chip an effort over the onrushing Pasveer.
Riding their momentum, Liverpool nearly doubled their lead immediately afterwards — Roberto Firmino‘s unselfish play teed up Nunez, who somehow fired against the post with an open goal.
Nunez had the half-time break to ponder his poor miss, but he quickly made amends by scoring his second Champions League goal of the season four minutes after the break — converting a tougher chance than the one he earlier spurned.
Andy Robertson‘s outswinging corner was met by the head of Nunez, who nodded his effort in, touching the far post on its way.
Three minutes later, Klopp’s side extended their lead to three, with Elliott becoming the first teenager to score in consecutive Champions League appearances for Liverpool.
The 19-year-old received the ball from Salah in the box before firing an emphatic effort into the roof of the net from an acute angle.
Liverpool’s victory was never in doubt after their onslaught of goals as they controlled possession and the flow of chances.
Klopp’s side play their final Champions League group match against Napoli at Anfield on Nov. 1. They lost the reverse fixture 4-1 in September.