Xabi Alonso’s bittersweet return to Anfield ended in a resounding 4-0 defeat for his Bayer Leverkusen side as Liverpool maintained their perfect record in the Champions League. Luis Diaz stole the show with a hat-trick, while Cody Gakpo also found the net for the Reds.
Alonso, who won the Champions League with Liverpool as a player, was warmly received by the home crowd despite his decision to remain at Leverkusen. However, his team was outclassed by a rampant Liverpool side that dominated the second half.
Arne Slot’s tactical masterstroke of moving Diaz into a central role proved decisive. The Colombian opened the scoring with a delightful chip over Lukas Hradecky and added two more goals in the second half. Gakpo’s header from Mohamed Salah’s cross put the game beyond doubt, and Diaz completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.
Despite the heavy defeat, Alonso remained optimistic about Leverkusen’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages. “We are in a good position to fight to go through to the next round,” he said. “Today it will be tougher to sleep, but we have time to see the positives as well.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, are almost assured of a place in the last 16 and are closing in on direct progression to the knockout stages. Slot praised his team’s performance, saying, “Second half we could adjust the gameplan, we took more risks and we were better with the ball as well.”
