For the first time in 350 days, Liverpool were able to keep the opposition goalless and win by at least a three-goal margin – it has been a long time coming for Arne Slot!
Earlier this season, Slot recognised the hardship his team put on themselves last season by not creating a bigger buffer on the scoreline to reflect their dominance.
He said: “Last season was, every single time, a struggle. Most wins were only by one goal and we had to fight really hard for it.”
The theme has continued into this campaign, with Liverpool winning by a two-goal or more margin only seven times across all competitions, often due to conceding the opposition’s first chance.
At Marseille, however, they ended a 350-day wait, that extended into a 51st game (not counting the Community Shield), before they won by at least three goals without conceding.
The last time Slot’s side were able to turn a 2-0 advantage into a 3-0 scoreline (or more) was against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on February 6, 2025.
They won 4-0 that evening at Anfield, but it took nearly a year for Liverpool to make life comfortable for themselves again, with the lack of a low block helping Slot’s men.
How Arne Slot set Liverpool up to defeat Marseille
MARSEILLE, FRANCE - Wednesday, January 21, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot (R) passes on instructions to Dominik Szoboszlai during the UEFA Champions League match between Olympique de Marseille and Liverpool FC at the Stade Vélodrome. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As per FotMob, Liverpool had less possession than Marseille (58%-42%), fewer shots (15-11) and shots on target (4-3), but won comfortably thanks to the open nature of the game and their physicality.
Slot’s side won more tackles (17-12) and duels (43-37) than their French counterparts and narrowly completed more passes in the opposition half (218-217).
Liverpool purposefully overloaded the midfield, and it ensured that of the three Marseille players who touched the ball most, two were their central defenders, Leonardo Balerdi (114) and Facundo Medina (86).
This kept the ball played in front of Liverpool instead of through them, with Alexis Mac Allister (80) and Ryan Gravenberch (66) then seeing the ball most for the Reds, which was by design.
Match Statistics: Marseille 0-3 Liverpool
Stat Marseille Liverpool
Expected Goals (xG) 0.87 1.46
Total Shots (On Target) 15 (4) 11 (3)
Big Chances 1 3
Ball Possession 58% 42%
Tackles Won 12 17
Duels Won 37 43
Data via FotMob
“Because of some of the injuries we have, the players we have available and the style of play of Marseille, we thought it was a good idea to play with Mo and Hugo up front,” Slot told CBS of his tactics.
“And to overload the midfield with players that are very good between the lines, and I think you could see that, with full-backs that could attack down the sides.
“Macca and Ryan could help out Joe and Virgil in build-up, so it worked, in my opinion, quite well.”
It was as comfortable as Liverpool have been in quite some time as while Marseille let off more shots, only six were allowed from inside the box, while the Reds managed nine – a case of quality over quantity.
On the value of an open game, Slot added: “I think we’ve shown every time when it’s a bit more of an open game, and that’s mainly been in Europe and a few times in the Premier League, we are a very good team, we can make it very difficult for everyone.
“But when we face low blocks, we struggle a little more to create chances, for me, for obvious reasons. Everyone at the club is also aligned on that.”
The challenge for Slot now, however, is to find a solution for the low block as opposition teams will continue to take advantage of a weakness the Dutchman has shown no qualms about hiding.
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