Liverpool produced a calm and clinical display on Wednesday night as they swept aside Marseille 3-0 at the Stade Vélodrome in the UEFA Champions League league phase. Confidence was already high within Arne Slot’s squad heading into the contest, as highlighted earlier by SoftFootball when assessing Liverpool’s confidence ahead of the Marseille clash, and that belief showed from the opening stages.
The result, shared by the club’s official X account, moves the Reds onto 15 points and firmly into the top four of the table, while Marseille slip further behind and now face a tense fight just to reach the play-off places. Despite the intimidating atmosphere inside the Vélodrome, Liverpool never lost their composure.
Marseille started with energy and briefly threatened through Mason Greenwood, forcing Alisson Becker into a sharp save, but clear chances were limited. Hugo Ekitiké thought he had opened the scoring against his former club, only for the flag to rule him offside.
As the first half wore on, Liverpool grew in control, and Dominik Szoboszlai eventually broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time by cleverly sending a free-kick under the jumping wall to beat Geronimo Rulli. It was a moment of quality that underlined Liverpool’s growing authority on the night.
After the break, Roberto De Zerbi’s side tried to raise the tempo, but Liverpool’s structure held firm. Virgil van Dijk, making his 350th appearance for the club, marshalled the back line superbly, while Joe Gomez slotted in comfortably at centre-back.
Ekitiké came agonisingly close to doubling the lead when he struck the crossbar, before Liverpool finally killed the contest in the 72nd minute. Jeremie Frimpong’s low cross caused chaos in the Marseille box, and Rulli could only turn the ball into his own net under pressure.
Any remaining resistance faded in stoppage time when Cody Gakpo finished a slick move, calmly converting Ryan Gravenberch’s pass to make it 3-0. The goal added gloss to a professional away performance that extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions.
For Slot, this was another encouraging European night, especially after recent domestic frustration at Anfield, covered by SoftFootball when Florian Wirtz’s strike was not enough against Burnley. Liverpool now head into the final league phase fixture knowing automatic qualification for the round of 16 is firmly within reach, while Marseille must regroup quickly to keep their European hopes alive.
