Liverpool boss Arne Slot defies doubters as Mo Salah inspires 'best performance of the season' in Champions League win

Liverpool delivered their “best performance of the season” at the crucial time for Arne Slot. Finally, we saw why they are Premier League champions and Anfield got its team back.

Galatasaray were blown away, beaten 4-0 as Liverpool sealed a 4-1 aggregate win and a Champions League quarter-final tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain. It could have been much more. Hugo Ekitike said they could have hit double figures.

Crucially for Slot, the manner of the performance - a Liverpool performance - was unifying. It was the perfect response to the pressure on him after Sunday's miserable 1-1 draw with Spurs.

"From start to finish we played the game I was hoping for, the players were hoping for and the fans were hoping for," the Liverpool boss said after the game. "Not only did we play the perfect game from start to finish but our fans did as well."

Boos after the draw with Spurs painted a dreary picture for the rest of Liverpool's season. Jamie Carragher said Slot would struggle to win back the match-going fans. But now there is a sense of possibility in the air at Anfield.

Liverpool were utterly dominant, illustrated by their xG of 4.88 compared to Galatasaray's 0.18. Such a performance suggests this team, still fighting in Europe, the FA Cup and for Champions League qualification, can salvage something from this season to forget.

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It was the perfect night for Slot capped by Mohamed Salah delivering his best performance of the season by overcoming a first-half penalty miss to score two and set up another, becoming the first African player to hit 50 Champions League goals.

Many questioned if Slot could overcome his fall-out with Salah. Now, they are questioning if he is the man to get Liverpool out of their slump. On Wednesday night, like Salah, he reminded us not to count him out just yet.

"It says a lot about him that after you miss a penalty just before half-time as that can sometimes be hard for an individual or for a team," said Slot.

"We have had a lot of setbacks this season, a lot of first halves or second halves where we have created chance after chance after chance without doing justice to how we have performed - so not scoring.

"And then Mo and the team came out in the second half the way they did; he assisted Hugo, a great assist, and then scored a trademark goal that he has scored so many times in this stadium and for this club, cutting inside, finding the corner.

"So that tells you a lot about his mental strength but definitely also of the team, because adversity is something we can definitely talk about in this season."

Slot's departure from Jurgen Klopp's heavy metal football in search of greater control has been a problem this season. Liverpool have been accused of losing their identity. Approaching a crossroads in their season, this was a sign of them rediscovering it.

"That for me was Liverpool's best performance of the season," Sky Sports pundit Carragher said on CBS. "There was a big contrast from what we saw against Tottenham."

Ekitike was one of the Liverpool stars Carragher shared this analysis with and the forward was in full agreement. "We fought for each other. Great intensity. I think it could have been 10-0," the forward told CBS.

Dominik Szoboszlai, Carragher's pick for player of the match, could not explain the stark difference in performance from Sunday. The midfielder urged his side not to fall into the trap of inconsistency that has plagued their season.

"Now we know we are able to do this," Szoboszlai told CBC. "It should not be a question that we do this every game. It doesn't matter if we play 8pm in the Champions League at Anfield."

Liverpool's best nights do tend to come in the Champions League at Anfield. The test for Slot's side, and perhaps a good measure for what we can expect for the remainder of the season, will be at Brighton on Saturday lunchtime.

Champions League qualificaiton through the league is still very much in Liverpool's grasp. Neither Chelsea nor Aston Villa, their closest rivals for top five, appear to have the credentials to pull away.

Liverpool sit in between those two in fifth, currently enough to qualify, and their performance in the Champions League could be crucial to ensuring that remains the case with Arsenal the only other English side to progress.

The Premier League champions come up against the Champions League winners in the next round. PSG knocked Liverpool out at the round of 16 stage last season.

A rematch felt like a scary proposition before Wednesday night. If Liverpool, and Salah, can keep this up, you know better than to write Liverpool off in the Champions League.

Analysis: Liverpool upped the tempo

Sky Sports' Adam Bate at Anfield:

"I cannot think of one match all season where Liverpool have put in the perfect performance in both attack and defence and been three or four nil up," Jamie Carragher had said at the weekend. "Every game has been a struggle." This display was different.

Liverpool went for Galatasaray from the start, feeding off the energy of a home crowd that did not include the banned supporters of the visiting team. In his programme notes, Slot had called for his team to go "the extra mile" to make the comeback happen.

"The incentives are there and we must give everything we have got to secure them. The onus is on us. This is our opportunity to go to the next round and also to remind ourselves and everyone else what we are capable of. Let's make the most of it."

Liverpool delivered so spectacularly, their performance so dominant, that Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was one of the standout players on the pitch despite conceding four. He was overwhelmed, a reminder of what these Liverpool players can do in full flow.

It has not been seen enough this season, too many games still in the balance late on, and that has cost Liverpool in the Premier League. But there are still prizes to play for, European and domestic. And maybe a bit more belief now that those prizes can be pursued.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Liverpool boss Arne Slot defies doubters as Mo Salah inspires 'best performance of the season' in Champions League win