Arne Slot had every right to be happy with his players after they turned in a professional performance against Marseille on Wednesday.
The Reds headed into the game on the back of a disappointing draw against Burnley, and with Roberto De Zerbi’s side in good goalscoring form it had the potential to be a big banana skin.
But despite their billing, Marseille never fully got going at the Velodrome, allowing Liverpool to take control and hit them for three.
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Who was your man of the match during the win over Marseille?
Nice to have a few contenders!
Olympique Marseille v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League
Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates /Getty Images
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Dominik Szoboszlai was the official man of the match, but there were several standout performers for the Reds, with the defence in particular catching the eye.
At the heart of that was Joe Gomez, who turned in his best performance for a long time to earn some full-time praise from Slot.
Arne Slot hails Joe Gomez for Marseille comeback
Gomez has been overlooked by many Liverpool supporters this season when assessing Slot’s options at centre-back.
The 28-year-old may be injury-prone, but when he is fit and available there are few better natural defenders in the Premier League. As the Kop chant goes, ‘ain’t nobody, like Joe Gomez.’
Arne Slot greets Joe Gomez after Liverpool's UEFA Champions League win against Marseille at Stade Velodrome
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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READ MORE: Liverpool supporters given perfect tonic to Marc Guehi failure during impressive win over Marseille
Slot certainly thought so on Wednesday, praising the No. 2 for a quality display on the back of some bad luck with injuries and selection.
“I saw a lot of individual performances tonight but I would like to single out Joe Gomez,” the Dutchman said.
“He has suffered a lot with injuries in the last few years and I haven’t picked him sometimes when he has been fit. Tonight he was outstanding and so important.”
Give me a % chance of Liverpool going all the way in the Champions League 👀
Some top-class teams, but the Reds can beat anyone…
Dominik Szoboszlai scores for Liverpool against Marseille
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Gomez ready to ease centre-back woes
Much of the anger from Liverpool fans recently has been aimed towards the club for failing to secure a new centre-back.
But while Marc Guehi’s arrival at Manchester City does sting, Gomez showed on Wednesday that he can be the player Slot needs for the rest of the campaign.
Staying fit is obviously the biggest issue within that, but if he can remain available, Liverpool should have no concerns about playing Gomez whenever they need him.
It remains to be seen how long Ibrahima Konate will be away following a family-related absence in midweek, but if Gomez has to play at Bournemouth on Saturday, nobody should be concerned.
On his day the Anfield veteran is as good as, if not better than Konate. This was one of those days. Let’s now hope for more to come.
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