Three things learned as Liverpool seal knockout stage spot in style with 7-0 victory over Spartak Moscow

Aditya Devavrat 01:54 07/12/2017
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  • Liverpool romped to a 7-0 win to secure their spot in the knockout stage.

    If Liverpool were at all nervous going into their final group stage game of the Champions League, where a loss could have seen them exit the competition, they didn’t show it. The Reds raced out to a 3-0 lead within the first 20 minutes, and, unlike their last European fixture, made sure they didn’t throw away that lead, adding another four goals after half-time.

    The 7-0 win over Spartak Moscow was the second time Liverpool have scored seven goals this season, both coming in the Champions League, and meant they finished the group stages with 23 goals – the most by an English team in a single group stage in Champions League history.

    Here are three things we learned from Liverpool’s crushing win.

    SEVILLA LESSON LEARNED FOR LIVERPOOL

    When Liverpool went into half-time with a 3-0 lead, everyone must have had the same thought: surely they couldn’t blow this again? Jurgen Klopp‘s men made sure there were absolutely no jitters this time after the collapse in their previous Champions League fixture had allowed Sevilla to claw their way back to 3-3.

    Lost amid the hand-wringing over defensive errors in that game was the fact that Liverpool had plenty of chances to add to their lead before it evaporated. So against Spartak on Wednesday, the Reds made sure not to make the same mistake. They came out after the break with the same intensity they’d shown at the start of the match, keeping their foot on the pedal and quickly scoring two more goals to make it 5-0. Nobody was thinking about a collapse after that.

    Liverpool made sure not to take their foot off the gas, and avoided a collapse.

    Liverpool made sure not to take their foot off the gas, and avoid a collapse.

    CAPTAIN PHIL LEADS THE WAY

    With Jordan Henderson dropped, Philippe Coutinho was handed the captain’s armband – and captain’s performances don’t come much better than this. A hat-trick in a game his team couldn’t afford to lose, on the Champions League stage. This was his first hat-trick for Liverpool, and he brought up 50 goals for the club in the process.

    It wasn’t just his attacking performance – few people would have been surprised by that, even if they may rightly have been awed. But Coutinho also seemed to take to the added responsibility well. He could be seen barking instructions at times to his team-mates, and there was a moment in the second-half where he was perfectly positioned at the edge of his own box to snuff out a Spartak attack, although by this time, James Milner had come on and taken the armband from him. But his performance justified Klopp’s decision to hand him the armband. If Liverpool can keep ahold of him, this game could be marked as the day a new talismanic captain came of age.

    The captain's armband brought the best out of Coutinho.

    The captain’s armband brought the best out of Coutinho.

    SELECTION HEADACHE FOR KLOPP?

    Whether Henderson was rested with this weekend’s derby clash against Everton in mind, or whether he was dropped for his poor performance against Sevilla, Liverpool’s play in his absence has given Jurgen Klopp a decision to make. Playing all of Liverpool’s Fab Four leaves only two midfield spots available, and Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum did nothing on Wednesday to suggest they shouldn’t be first-choice. They anchored the midfield well, and Can especially stood out with his passing.

    Henderson offers a bit more solidity, but Can at his best is a better passer and better player all around, and Wijnaldum’s energy and positional sense, and his occasional lung-bursting runs, offer more to the team. The Englishman has been a faithful servant to Klopp, and the manager’s admiration for Henderson is well-documented, but he has to wonder if Liverpool are a better side without the club captain.

    Emre Can may have given Jurgen Klopp a selection headache.

    Emre Can may have given Jurgen Klopp a selection headache.

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