Liverpool have reached the last 16 of the Europa League as group winners with victory over LASK at Anfield.
Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo both struck in the space of three first-half minutes before Mohamed Salah’s penalty after the break and Gakpo’s second late on in a straightforward win.
Toulouse’s failure to beat Union St-Gilloise ensures Liverpool cannot be caught at the top of Group E. The Reds go through to the knockouts and avoid February’s play-off round. Liverpool had total control inside 15 minutes following a quickfire double.
First, Diaz sprayed a ball wide to Joe Gomez before running around the back of the defence into the area to meet the right-back’s cross and steer his header into the net.
Shortly after, a well-worked move between Diaz, Salah and Gakpo around the LASK box was finished from close range by the Dutchman.
Liverpool missed several first-half chances to put the game to bed, but had to wait until LASK keeper Tobias Lawal felled Gakpo in the area on 48 minutes, allowing Salah to slam in the third, with Gakpo adding a fourth following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s clever pass.
“Two top results for us tonight in the group,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “A lot of positives from the game.
“This game should have been put to bed [before half-time], we should have finished it off but we didn’t. The third goal just after half-time was helpful.
“We worked for the clean sheet, which is what we wanted, so a top result and really good performance.”
