Liverpool were ruthless on Wednesday as they halted their recent run of defeats with a ruthless comeback from a goal down to thrash Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in a spectacular Champions League display.
The victory, powered by a stunning first-half turnaround, emphatically ends the Reds’ run of four successive defeats and provides a most needed shot of confidence following Sunday’s demoralizing Premier League loss to rivals Manchester United.
Liverpool, who had started the season in blistering form with seven straight wins, looked set to continue their poor run after a stumbling opening in Germany but manager Arne Slot’s decision to hand new strike duo Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak their first start together gave the required lift for his side.
Supported by a vocal home crowd, Frankfurt dominated the early stages, and the Reds’ recent defensive fragility was brutally exposed. After losing the ball in midfield, Liverpool’s defence was ripped apart by a beautiful Frankfurt counter-attack, culminating in former Leeds defender Rasmus Kristensen sending a neat finish in off the far post.
The goal marked the 18th time Liverpool had conceded in just 13 games this season—a worrying statistic compared to the seven they had let in at the same stage last term.
However, the debut strike partnership soon paid dividends. Ten minutes before the break, Ekitike, facing his former club, raced onto a brilliant long ball out of defence from Andy Robertson and produced a composed finish to level the score.
The equalizer sparked an astonishing five-minute blitz. Just four minutes later, captain Virgil van Dijk powered home a commanding header from a corner to put the visitors ahead. A minute before half-time, Ibrahima Konate mirrored his defensive partner, also heading in from a set-piece to give Liverpool a commanding 3-1 lead at the interval.
The damage was done, and the hosts looked visibly deflated.
Cody Gakpo scored the fourth goal of the night from Florian Wirtz’s square ball, before Dominik Szoboszlai completed the demolition with a magnificent long-distance drive, again assisted by Wirtz.
