Genk 1-4 Liverpool

Genk 1-4 Liverpool

Liverpool eased to a 4-1 Champions League win away to Belgian champions Genk, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring two of the goals. The Reds showed five changes to the side who drew 1-1 with Manchester United at the weekend, with Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Oxlade-Chamberlain all handed starts.
And it took just two minutes for Oxlade-Chamberlain to make his mark, as he collected a pass from Roberto Firmino, before driving a fine shot beyond home keeper Gaetan Coucke from just outside the area to give the visitors the lead.
The hosts responded with Mbwana Samatta dragging a shot wide, before Paul Onuachu broke clear and drew a solid save from Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Coucke then denied Sadio Mane with a fine block of his own, before the home side were denied an equaliser by a VAR offside decision after Samatta had planted his header into the back of the net.
That proved to be the final major chance of a first half which was evenly contested as it drew to a close.
The second half started slowly, with the visitors content to sit back and protect their one-goal advantage.
However, shortly before the hour mark the Reds burst into action and doubled their lead, with Oxlade-Chamberlain claiming his second goal of the evening.
Mane and Firmino did the set-up work for Oxlade-Chamberlain to again score from just outside the area, this time with a perfectly-executed lob which beat Coucke and went in off the underside of the crossbar.
That second goal effectively killed off the challenge of the Belgian hosts and the reigning European champions rubbed salt in the wounds with a third goal 13 minutes from time.
Firmino and Salah combined to play in Mane and his dinked finish was enough to beat the advancing Coucke.
Gini Wijnaldum then shot wide when well-placed, before Salah tricked his way past a couple of defenders and slotted home to make the score 4-0 to Jurgen Klopp’s side.
There was still time left for substitute Stephen Odey to pull a goal back for Genk, but it was a mere consolation for the well-beaten hosts.

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