Liverpool manager Arne Slot has ended any lingering doubts about the club's failure to bring in Xabi Alonso as Jurgen Klopp's replacement with his side's 4-0 drubbing of the German champions at Anfield on Tuesday night, according to Liverpool expert David Lynch.
The Reds ran riot at Anfield in the second half, scoring all four goals in the final 30 minutes to condemn the German club to their first away defeat in any competition since they lost 3-0 against VfL Bochum on May 27, 2023.
Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones were particular standouts on the night, with Diaz netting a hat-trick, Salah registering two assists and Jones unlocking Die Schwarzroten's defence for the Reds' opening goal.
The result means that Liverpool are first in the Champions League table with 12 points from four games with another four matches remaining in the league phase, but perhaps more significantly it puts the club on the verge of finishing in the top eight and qualifying automatically for the round of 16.
It was thought that 15 to 16 points would be enough to qualify automatically for the next stage of the competition, a tally Liverpool could now be just one match away from reaching.
After Tuesday's victory against Leverkusen, Lynch believes that the Reds are almost certain to progress in the competition, telling Sports Mole: "What's being said is 15, 16 points will guarantee you top eight - they're not far away from that at all with a lot of games in hand. They've put themselves in a really commanding position, and with some good wins as well.
"They'll be looking forward to that Real Madrid game thinking they can essentially put themselves through in the top eight if they win that. And also there's other reasons to look forward to that because it's an absolutely blockbuster fixture. But they've made a really, really good start."
Dominant victory against Leverkusen
The first half against the German champions was admittedly a somewhat dull affair, with neither side creating much in the final third.
However, the Reds struck four times in the last 30 minutes of the match and ended the game having produced more than four times Leverkusen's 0.8 xG, a remarkable feat considering the Bundesliga team lost just once in 2023-24.
"They're not very easy to beat. They had a really good European record last season. I know it was in the Europa League, but still, Xabi Alonso showed that he can manage in Europe and he knows what he's doing there," Lynch told Sports Mole.
"You think of some of the quality players they've got and they're just set up very, very well by a manager who, again, tactical tweaks during games, knowing about set-ups, having a good plan.
"[Liverpool] have put themselves in a really commanding position, and with some good wins as well.
"AC Milan away, that really could have been tricky, I thought Bologna gave them a great test, and also Leipzig - that was your tier one opponent away from home - that was really tricky, and Liverpool made light work of that one in the end, even though it ended close in scoreline, they battered them really. [Liverpool's European form] just looks really, really convincing."
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"Significant" win for Slot
Tuesday's match was also significant for Slot given he won the tactical battle against former Red Alonso, who was linked with the Liverpool job after legendary boss Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to leave the club last term.
Some fans were disappointed that Liverpool were unable to convince the Spaniard to swap Germany for Merseyside, but Slot's record-breaking start at Anfield has silenced most of the doubt that might have been held about the Dutchman.
"It feels significant for Arne Slot as well," Lynch added.
"If there's any Liverpool supporters out there who still doubt that they got the right man this summer in Arne Slot, and maybe some thought, 'I wish we had got Alonso', then getting a win over him feels like something important in terms of putting that narrative to bed a little bit.
"He showed he can operate in European competition, and I think he's already showing that with Liverpool - he's taken to it like a duck to water. And some of the more tactical elements of it, we know he's all over that, so he's doing really, really well."
Liverpool are set to take on Aston Villa at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday evening, and will look to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
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