Liverpool beat Marseille in the Champions League with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring first and Jeremie Frimpong forcing a second. This is what we spotted at the Velodrome.
21:55, 21 Jan 2026Updated 22:06, 21 Jan 2026
Mohamed Salah dribbles with the ball during Marseille vs Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah returned to action for Liverpool after AFCON.(Image: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
ORANGE VELODROME, MARSEILLE // Continuing its good form in Europe, Liverpool is on track to make the Champions League knockout phase without the need for the play-off round after an impressive victory in Marseille.
Just before the half-time whistle blew in the south of France, Dominik Szoboszlai scored from a free-kick just outside the box. As the Marseille wall jumped, he slotted a shot underneath them and into the corner of Geronimo Rulli's net.
Jeremie Frimpong made the points safe when he beat his man inside the penalty area. His cross went in off Rulli and found the squeezed into the corner and Cody Gakpo added a late third. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
READ MORE: Marseille vs Liverpool LIVE: Szoboszlai and Gakpo score in 3-0 win as Reds move 4th in tableREAD MORE: 'Arne Slot deserves more time at Liverpool - but Xabi Alonso means one thing is inevitable'
Mohamed Salah returns
It was hard, ahead of Mohamed Salah's return from AFCON, to know exactly what mood the Egyptian would be in. After all, he left for Morocco hardly in the easiest of circumstances.
Salah publicly blasted his own manager and club — though he did successfully return to the team a week later against Brighton — but Arne Slot said that was all behind them now. The Liverpool boss had hinted that Salah would start here, and he did.
Salah was involved a lot and could have scored with a clever effort in the first half. He should have done with a late one-vs-one chance. Crucially, though, he slotted in while Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike continued the form they had shown while he was away.
There is still more work for Liverpool to do in order to get the maximum from its attack. Salah, however, can very much still be a part of it, as he showed here. His message was simple: he's back, and he's ready to contribute.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah during a training session ahead of the Champions League game against Marseille.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah during a training session ahead of the Champions League game against Marseille.(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
Joe Gomez excels
With Ibrahima Konate absent due to a personal matter, Joe Gomez was thrust into the team. His last start, aside from the 4-1 win over Barnsley in the FA Cup, was in mid-December.
Given the delay since his last appearance in a game of this level, Gomez did very well. In possession, he was very good. Defensively, he was solid and helped out Jeremie Frimpong a few times.
It remains to be seen whether or not Konate can return to face Bournemouth at the weekend, but another performance like this one from Gomez would be fine.
As ever, though, the question marks surrounding the Reds' number two are fitness, not quality-related. Some of his passing here was sensational — a real edge he has over Konate when he's in his groove.
(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
New-look Liverpool system
With Salah back, Szoboszlai and Wirtz operated as a midfield two ahead of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch. The Egyptian and Hugo Ekitike were essentially a front two.
As much as the Liverpool number 11 has not been at his best this season, there has also been an interesting conundrum for Slot in terms of fitting in all his attacking talent.
Alexander Isak's long-term injury has made things a little less complicated in terms of selection, but it was Gakpo who dropped out of the side here. He and Curtis Jones, another subsitute, could come back in at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Wirtz has stepped up while Salah has been away, netting four goals and providing two assists in the seven games the Egypt star missed, and both he and Szoboszlai broke forward well. It looked balanced, and Liverpool hasn't always this season.
Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool
Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool(Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai keeps his promise
A dejected Szoboszlai spoke to reporters after his costly missed penalty against Burnley (an error that followed his bizarre backheel against Barnsley in the FA Cup).
There, he promised that he would pick himself up. The next time he got the chance to take a penalty kick, he would score, he said.
Though his goal here was not from 12 yards, it was still a decisive moment from a dead ball. Szoboszlai has so often scored from free-kicks throughout his career, but this was a little different.
The Hungarian midfielder had clearly done his homework. And as the Marseille wall jumped high in the air, he fired a shot underneath them. Szoboszlai has been Liverpool's best player this season; once again, here, he proved decisive.
This was a superb showing from him. He scored, he created, he pressed, and he was tactically disciplined. It was a really good all-round performance.
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Marseille.
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Marseille.(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
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Champions League standings
Entering this game on an unconvincing 12-game unbeaten run, Liverpool's best results of the campaign to date have come in Europe, with the 4-1 home defeat to PSV a spectacular anomaly.
Indeed, Liverpool is now level on points with Real Madrid and in a good position to come in the top eight places of the standings, with the Azerbaijani side Qarabag to come to Anfield next week.
Finishing in the top eight spots brings the substantial advantage of not having two extra games in the play-off round. Given how short Liverpool's roster looks in places, that would be a major deal. That was today's mission. For the Reds, it was emphatically accomplished.