Liverpool qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with a 6-0 demolition of Qarabag at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister scored two with Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa also on target as the Reds shrugged off their recent poor run in style to secure third spot in the league phase and ease the pressure on Arne Slot.
Jeremie Frimpong's early injury meant the night was not without its difficulties, leaving Liverpool deeper in a defensive injury crisis. They played this game with two midfielders in their back line but Mac Allister and Wirtz had them two up midway through the first half.
Slot's side have had their difficulties against low blocks but Qarabag's more ambitious approach, attacking in numbers, played into Liverpool's hands. They had ample opportunities to increase the lead on the counter-attack and by winning the ball high.
Salah's curling free-kick made it three early in the second half before Ekitike added a stunning fourth after picking the ball up inside his own half. Mac Allister walked in a fifth on an evening when much of the angst around Liverpool's form faded away.
Slot had referenced that 'noise' in the build-up but the mood was celebratory in the end, victory sealed by Virgil van Dijk storming through to set up Chiesa for the sixth in the last minute. Andy Robertson, linked with a move, was serenaded after the final whistle. And, for all the challenges, Liverpool's European dream is alive.
More to follow.
