Liverpool demolish Toulouse in Europa League

Liverpool kept up their 100% record in the Europa League group stages with their 3rd win a row by defeating Toulouse 5-1 at home

Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)

Liverpool got off to the perfect start by taking the lead over French side Toulouse after just nine minutes. Diogo Jota skipped through the visitors’ defence on his own and coolly passed it past the helpless keeper to make it 1-0.

Toulouse managed to get back on level terms a few minutes later against the run of play. A long clearance fell to Thijs Dallinga on the right hand side with Matip and Trent failing trying to play offside. Dallinga ran straight through and kept his nerve and lashed it low and hard past Kelleher to make it 1-1.

It was not until the 30th minute that Liverpool got back in front with a great ball in from the right hand side right from Alexander-Arnold on to Wataru Endo’s head and straight into the Toulouse net to make it 2-1.

Liverpool never looked back from that moment. Darwin Nunez made it 3-1 four minutes later after an attempt on goal from Curtis ricocheted to Nunez who smashed it into the top corner of the net.

In the second half the French side had a glorious chance to get back into the game when Kelleher made an awful mistake to gift the ball to Toulouse. However with the keeper stranded, Gabriel Suazo somehow managed to hit his shot into the corner of the goal where Alexander-Arnold was standing and he managed to clear the ball to safety.

Liverpool put the contest well and truly beyond Toulouse with their fourth goal in the 65th minute. Nunez did all the hard work to break through the Toulouse defence and rounded the keeper before somehow hitting the post with an open goal to aim for. Fortunately for Nunez the ball rebounded back out to Ryan Gravenberch who skipped past the keeper and slotted his ball into the corner of the net to make it 4-1. Nunez didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Mo Salah came on with 10 minutes to go and smashed one in off the crossbar in the 93rd minute with his right foot to make it 5-1 on the night.

It was Liverpool’s seventh home win in a row and you can see why they are the amongst the favourites to win the Europa league in Dublin come May.