2026-01-23 12:18:07
Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool have the quality and mentality to “go the distance” in the UEFA Champions League following The Reds’ 3-0 victory over Marseille.
The Wednesday (21.01.26) win leaves Arne Slot’s side fourth in the league-phase table and in control of automatic qualification for the last 16, with a home match against Qarabag next week offering the chance to seal a top-eight finish and avoid February’s play-off round.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Gerrard – who played at Antfield from 1998 to 2015 – said: “There’s still an awful lot for this Liverpool team to play for.
“The FA Cup is huge, finishing in the top four is huge, but even more important is this Champions League.”
Liverpool were ruthless at the Stade Velodrome, responding to a frustrating 1-1 Premier League draw with Burnley in which they had 32 shots but failed to convert dominance into victory.
Gerrard had branded that performance “unacceptable”, making the contrast in France all the more striking.
He said: “If they can keep this group of players fit, and if towards the latter stages they can be further on in the competition, this team has proven it can go the distance in this competition.
“They were ruthless in the right moments tonight, and the most pleasing thing for Arne besides the clean sheet will be how they took the game away from Marseille.”
Dominik Szoboszlai opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a clever free-kick under the wall, before a Jeremie Frimpong cut-back deflected off goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli to double the lead.
Cody Gakpo sealed the win late on, curling home off the bench.
Gerrard also assessed Mohamed Salah’s return to the side following international duty, adding: “I thought he did OK tonight, when you take everything into consideration.
“He’s come back off the back of a tournament, probably only had one session, travelled to Marseille and played the majority of the game.
“Knowing the standards he’s set, he’ll be disappointed with the one he missed, but in the main he did a good job for the team and worked hard.”
Despite the positivity, Gerrard challenged Slot to address Liverpool’s ongoing issues against deep-lying opponents, an area the manager has spoken about repeatedly this season.
Gerrard said: “He needs to stop talking about low blocks. Low blocks have been happening against Liverpool for years.
“The key is you have to find the solutions, and with the players they have, they will turn those draws into wins.”
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