Mohamed Salah made his first start since November 26 as Liverpool secured a 3-0 Champions League victory in Marseille, moving closer to a top-eight finish. However, it was Dominik Szoboszlai who stole the show with a clever free-kick in first-half added time, scoring under the wall to give Liverpool the lead.
Jeremie Frimpong's second-half cross deflected off Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli to double the lead, before Cody Gakpo added a third in stoppage time. The win ended Liverpool's run of nine defeats in 12 matches prior to their current 12-game unbeaten streak.
Salah, returning after a month away due to the Africa Cup of Nations and recent explosive comments about his relationship with manager Arne Slot, was deployed up front in a 4-2-2-2 formation. He had a quiet game, with his best chance in the first half hitting the roof of the net and a second-half header ruled offside.
Liverpool's press created the first big chance when Ryan Gravenberch won the ball and set up Salah, who played in Szoboszlai. Hugo Ekitike converted the cross but was offside. Alisson Becker made saves from Amine Gouiri and Mason Greenwood, while Ekitike hit the post and Florian Wirtz forced a sharp save from Rulli.
Szoboszlai became the first Liverpool player since Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2022-23 to score multiple direct free-kicks in a single season. The win was Liverpool's first by three goals this season, with results on Tuesday and Atletico Madrid's draw in Galatasaray boosting their chances of avoiding the play-offs.
