Liverpool 4 LASK 0: Salah, Diaz and Gakpo far too good as Reds seal top spot and direct route to Europa League last-16
MO SALAH collected his 199th Liverpool goal in the waltz that proved Jurgen Klopp had fretted for nothing.
Anfield’s Egyptian king flicked home a 51st minute penalty as Liverpool eased their way into the knock-out stages as group winners.
The fifth-highest scorer in Kop history has rarely had an easier night.
For by the time he tucked his spot kick away the Austrians from Linz had already been whirled towards certain defeat.
Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo each scored in the first 15 minutes and from that point on the only debate would be how many LASK would lose by.
Boss Jurgen Klopp had pitched the tie as a potential banana skin, pleading with his club’s fans to create a big night European atmosphere to help out.
He knew at the start of a physically demanding run of 11 games in 33 days he would have to rest the majority of his top players.
There was also the shock 3-2 away defeat to Toulouse early last month which meant that, technically, the Europa League favourites might still slip up.
And he did, indeed, make nine changes from the side that drew with Manchester City on Sunday.
Salah, however, wasn’t one of them, kept in as skipper as an insurance policy – just in case.
But he could easily have been sat on the bench with his feet up like most of Klopp’s main stars.
For once Diaz and Gakpo had hit the net, progress was all but guaranteed while Klopp’s biggest fear, that his hard-worked side might have to play in the last-16 qualifiers, also proved groundless.
What was mainly a walk in the park began 12 minutes in with a fine opener, Diaz firing the ball across the box to Joe Gomez.
The defender re-paid the compliment and Diaz dived forward to head high into the net.
Gakpo plundered the second after another move that left the LASK players dizzy.
Diaz found Salah, who gave him the ball back and the Colombian, walking on air now following that release of his parents after the family’s kidnap nightmare, eased a pass sideways.
The Dutchman couldn’t miss from almost under the bar.
Kostas Tsimikas smashed a shot against the bar as uptight Klopp unwound before Salah’s 10th home goal of the season.
Keeper Tobias Walwal caught Gakpo’s ankle and Salah slotted with contemptuous ease, before Gakpo added his second two minutes into stoppage time.
Check out how the match unfolded via our live blog…