Liverpool thrash Galatasaray 4-0 to reach Champions League quarterfinals

Anfield roared back to life on Tuesday night as Liverpool produced a statement performance to dismantle Galatasaray 4-0 and surge into the Champions League quarter-finals. The emphatic victory overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit and booked a blockbuster tie with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Arne Slot’s side, stung by weekend boos after a 1-1 Premier League draw with Tottenham, responded with a first-half blitz that left the Turkish champions reeling. Midfield linchpin Dominik Szoboszlai continued his personal renaissance, steering home a well-worked corner on 25 minutes to level the aggregate and ignite the comeback.

The Reds should have been out of sight before the interval. Mohamed Salah spooned a delicate chip over Ugurcan Cakir, Florian Wirtz watched a deflected effort sail inches over, and Cakir produced a fingertip stop to deny Szoboszlai a second. The keeper’s finest moment arrived moments later when he dived low to parry Salah’s poorly-struck penalty after the Hungarian was felled in the box.

Any hopes of a Galatasaray revival evaporated inside ten minutes of the restart. Salah atoned instantly, sliding an inch-perfect pass for January loanee Hugo Ekitike to finish clinically. Two minutes later Ryan Gravenberch slammed in the rebound after Cakir had denied Salah again. The Egyptian finally claimed the goal his display deserved on 68 minutes, lashing a spectacular first-time shot high into the net from Wirtz’s clever back-heel for his 50th strike in Europe’s elite competition. Salah later rattled the crossbar and departed with a minor injury as Galatasaray folded under relentless pressure.

The comprehensive win sets up a repeat of last season’s last-16 epic against PSG, who crushed Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate. Slot has repeatedly praised Luis Enrique’s star-studded side, and Szoboszlai underlined the scale of the task ahead: “We showed the direction we want to go, but PSG didn’t become a worse team than last season. We know we’ll have to be at our very best.”

Elsewhere, Harry Kane’s double helped Bayern Munich cruise past Atalanta 4-1 for a 10-2 aggregate stroll, while Barcelona demolished Newcastle United 7-2 to win 8-3 on aggregate, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski each scoring twice. Tottenham bowed out despite a spirited 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid, Xavi Simons’ late brace insufficient to overturn a 5-2 first-leg loss.

The quarter-final draw, to be played on April 7-8 and 14-15, pairs Real Madrid against Bayern, Atletico versus Barcelona, PSG with Liverpool, and Sporting CP against Arsenal—leaving the Premier League with two representatives among Europe’s final eight.