Luis Diaz scored Liverpool’s first Champions League hat-trick in two years as they extended their 100 per-cent record to four matches with a 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen as former midfielder Xabi Alonso endured a miserable return to Anfield.
Diaz’s impudent chip was followed by Cody Gakpo’s fourth goal in a week as the hosts won the game within the space of three second-half minutes before Diaz added two more late on.
Liverpool’s first eight goals in the competition all came from different scorers – Diaz the first man to net more than once – and shows the options and versatility head coach Arne Slot has at his disposal as on this occasion he opted to play the Colombia international as a centre-forward to accommodate Gakpo on the left.
Last season it took Diaz until February to score the nine goals he has now, while Gakpo’s six in this campaign is equally as impressive as he is by no means a regular starter.
They are resources Alonso, who was hot favourite for the Liverpool job when Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving before ruling himself out to concentrate on guiding his club to their first Bundesliga title, could only dream of as his side struggled to make an impression.
The Spaniard stood in his technical area for most of the game, conducting things like he had done for five years in a red shirt at this ground.
However, much of it involved pulling his players this way and that to maintain a defensive organisation which did its job in keeping their hosts – scorers of 32 goals in their last 12 European games at Anfield – at bay for an hour.
Only with the match won did the Kop chant the name of their beloved former player in the 90th minute – but not before celebrating Slot and his remarkable start to his maiden campaign which has brought 14 wins, one draw and one defeat in 16 games.
For such a highly-anticipated game the only fireworks came from the streets surrounding Anfield but when they subsided just after 9pm things began to liven up on the pitch.
Curtis Jones lifted over a shot from the crowded edge of the penalty area while Mohamed Salah snatched at an effort with his right foot and skewed wide.
But the match was decided within the space of three clinical minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold drilled a pass into the feet of Jones and he slid in the perfect through-ball to pick out Diaz who confidently lifted a shot over the onrushing goalkeeper.
Diaz then teed up Salah to cross to the far post for Gakpo to head home and although his goal was flagged offside, VAR overturned that decision and Anfield reverberated to the tune of Ring of Fire, synonymous with the 2005 Champions League triumph of which Alonso had been a pivotal part.
Victor Boniface had a chance to make things interesting but headed wide from six yards and Leverkusen were made to pay when Diaz brought down Salah’s cross to poke home the third eight minutes from time.
Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher stuck out a leg to deny Florian Wirtz and keep a clean sheet late on before Diaz stabbed home a rebound as Liverpool won their opening four European matches for only the sixth time in their history.
The first half was a tactical battle with Liverpool dominating possession and Leverkusen trying to find the chinks in their armour to break out.
It resulted in a game low on excitement and chances with Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick deflected over, and Salah and Gakpo barely testing Lukas Hradecky with weak shots close to either post.
Jeremie Frimpong, whose earlier penalty claim against Virgil van Dijk was turned down, fired past Kelleher just before the break after bundling past Kostas Tsimikas but the assistant referee flagged for a handball and VAR agreed.
