Liverpool's Italian striker #14 Federico Chiesa celebrates scoring the team's sixth goal (2R) during the UEFA Champions League football match between Liverpool and Qarabag at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 28, 2026.placeholder image
Liverpool's Italian striker #14 Federico Chiesa celebrates scoring the team's sixth goal (2R) during the UEFA Champions League football match between Liverpool and Qarabag at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 28, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 6-0 win over Qarabag FK at Anfield on Wednesday night
Liverpool secured their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday night as they hammered Qarabag FK at Anfield.
It is a win that could provide a much-needed confidence boost for the Reds as they look to get their Premier League form back on track when they face Newcastle United at Anfield this weekend.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring after 15 minutes as he headed in from close range before Florian Wirtz doubled the hosts’ lead with a fine finish six minutes later.
It remained 2-0 at half time but Mohamed Salah rifled in a brilliant goal in front of the Kop soon after the restart and Hugo Ekitike then broke through and scored just before the hour mark to all-but seal the win.
The Reds weren’t done there, however. Mac Allister bundled in his second of the night soon after Ekitike’s goal with Federico Chiesa coming off the bench to add a sixth in the 90th minute.
The victory puts Liverpool third in the final Champions League table, with six wins and two defeats from their eight games. Only Bayern Munich and Arsenal finished above them.
Who do Liverpool play in the last 16?
Teams who finished between ninth and 24th will take part in a knock-out play-off next month. The Reds know one of the four teams they could face in the round of 16 but this will only be confirmed once the play-off games have concluded.
Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray and Club Brugge await the Reds once the play-offs have concluded with a last 16 draw taking place on February 27.
After the win over Qarabag, manager Arne Slot said his side were ‘hungry for more’ after reaching the last 16 for a second-straight season.
He said: “It's what you want if you start the Champions League season – you want to finish top eight. That helps, of course, because you skip a round and sometimes you can have a really hard team to play against in a round like that, which is shown by the teams you just mentioned.
“So, we are happy that we are going straight away to the last 16, especially because it's only two years ago that we were playing Europa League and we went out in the quarter-finals against Atalanta. So, two seasons in a row now being in the last 16, and last season we were very hungry for more and we will definitely be hungry for more this season as well.”
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