Liverpool legends Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard were full of praise for their former side on Wednesday night after they dismantled Galatasaray to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The Reds put on a showing of old at Anfield, winning 4-0 on the night to overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg and set up a last-eight clash with last year’s champions Paris Saint-Germain.
It was quite the contrast to what has regularly been on offer in a tough season for Arne Slot’s side, who find themselves at risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League through the league a year on from winning the title.
But Carragher in particular was happy with what he saw on Wednesday. Having been critical in recent weeks of the Reds, he described their European showing as ‘their best performance this season’ on CBS Sports.
Gerrard, meanwhile, listed a plethora of adjectives to praise his former side. Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, he said Liverpool’s showing was ‘dominant, excellent start to finish, (had) great individual performances throughout the team, exciting, a different intensity and speed of play, tactically spot on, a perfect night for Slot and the team.’
He added: ‘The big question is, why can’t we see that more consistently?’
Jamie Carragher (left) and Steven Gerrard (right) were full of praise for Liverpool after their win over Galatasaray
The Reds came back from 1-0 down to win 4-0 in the second leg and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League
The star of the show for Liverpool was once again Dominik Szoboszlai. The midfielder put in another player of the match performance for the Reds, scoring the first goal of the game with a fine effort from a corner and running the show in midfield.
His recent performances have drawn comparisons to that of Gerrard in his Liverpool days. Not only through his style of play, but in his ability to strike a ball purely, positional work and leadership skills.
The comparison was put to Szoboszlai after the game, and he hailed Gerrard as an inspiration. The former No8, meanwhile, said of the current No8: ‘The respect is mutual. I enjoy watching him play, he was fabulous start to finish, has been the go-to player.’
He later added: ‘I like the mentality, he has evolved and grown a lot since joining Liverpool. They are going to see the best of him – I think there is a potential captain in there. You can hear the mentality in his voice – he just needs to maintain it and stay healthy.
‘He is a team player. I still think there is another level to him too – I can see him getting more goals. He is always in and around it – his ball striking is phenomenal, he must be a nightmare for goalkeepers. He is in his proper position, keep him there and let him flourish.’
Gerrard also spoke highly of Mohamed Salah who, despite missing a penalty, scored a trademark goal in the second-half before going off with an injury.
TV footage showed the Englishman in the crowd celebrating Salah’s goal, before he hailed the forward a ‘club legend’ in his words post-match.
Gerrard wasn’t, though, impressed by Liverpool’s opponents on the night. Despite being way out in front at the top of the Turkish Super Lig, Galatasaray were poor and failed to put up a threat.
Gerrard was also full of praise for Reds midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, whos scored the first
The former Liverpool captain was also seen celebrating Mohamed Salah’s second-half goal
In terms of the stats, Liverpool had 32 shots on the day, with 16 on target. Galatasaray, meanwhile, had just four shots with one on target – something that didn’t impress Gerrard.
‘Galatasaray were a disgrace from start to finish,’ he said. ‘You saw them rolling around on the ground, which is pathetic.
‘They had a couple of serious injuries, but Liverpool made Galatasaray look mediocre. I think they were very pathetic.’
