Liverpool player ratings v LASK: Gakpo 9, Salah 8, Endo 6

Two goals from Gakpo and one apiece Luis Diaz and Salah, his 199th for the club, saw them coast past the Austrians at Anfield

With one game remaining, Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over LASK guaranteed them first spot in their Europa League group, something that manager Jurgen Klopp expressed satisfaction with.

 

 

 

 

At Anfield, they comfortably defeated the Austrians thanks to two goals from Cody Gakpo, one each from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah—his 199th for the team.

Due to Toulouse and Union Saint-Gilloise’s draw, Klopp’s team is unbeatable at the top, which is essential since it keeps them out of the play-off round when the competition resumes in February.

“Two top results for us tonight in the group,” said Klopp.

“It was clear, with the defeat at Toulouse [last time out] we made it a bit more tricky but because of our result and their result we are now top of the table and that will not change.

“That’s good, very important in the busy schedule we have from now on.

“A lot of positives in the game, a lot of good football. The thing I didn’t like too much, and told the boys at half-time, [was] this game should have been put to bed already at half-time.

“You cannot play better, you cannot set it up better, [but] you can finish it better obviously – but we didn’t.

“Caoimhin [Kelleher] worked for his clean sheet, which he desperately wanted, and that’s good.

“We scored a fourth goal in the last minute or whatever, so result top, performance really good [and] nobody got injured. All good.”

Paul Ince recently reflected on his career, which included time at both Liverpool and Manchester United

Paul Ince denies that he committed a ‘cardinal sin’ by moving to Liverpool after previously being a Manchester United player as he did not make the switch directly.

Over the course of history it is rare to see players turn out for both clubs given their intense rivalry. Since 1964 there has been no direct transfer from Old Trafford to Anfield and vice versa, only those who have indirectly made the switch to a former rival.

Ince was one such player. He turned out for United between 1989 and 1995, making 267 appearances and scoring 27 goals. During the period he won two Premier League titles, two FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.

But during his six-year spell in Manchester, the Ilford-born midfielder tangled with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, resulting in his £7.5m sale to Inter Milan.

In 1997 he would eventually return to England, joining a team he once regarded as a fierce rival. However, Ince does not see his move to Anfield as a betrayal of his former team.

“I have always kind of felt – and I have said this time and time again – it is no disrespect to both teams but I’d have never have gone to Liverpool straight from Manchester United or from Liverpool straight to Manchester United. That is a cardinal sin,” he told talkSPORT.

He even explained that United waived the right to re-sign him before completing his move to Liverpool.

“When I left to go to Inter Milan, I didn’t want to leave Manchester United. When I came back from Inter Milan, Man United had first refusal on me. I could have easily gone back to Manchester United – they turned down that decision to take me back.

“Whether I would have gone back I don’t know, but all I know is I had two years at Inter, another three years left on my contract, obviously the family situation was difficult so we came back.

“Peter Robinson came over from Liverpool, we sat down and had some lunch, we agreed that was the way I was going to go. I love the North West. I’d spent six or seven years there with United, knew Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Fowler, David James, so it was easy to settle in.”

Joining the Reds at 29-years-old, Ince went on to score 17 goals in 81 appearances. He reflected on one of those – against United in front of the Kop, equalising in a 2-2 draw back in 1999 before celebrating wildly.

It was to be one of his last contributions though as he departed to Middlesbrough following a disagreement with Gerard Houllier.