Liverpool end poor run with 5-1 Champions League win over Frankfurt, Chelsea thump Ajax
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Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike and Liverpool manager Arne Slot celebrate after the match.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Liverpool beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League, ending a four-game losing streak with three first-half goals.
- Chelsea defeated Ajax 5-1, marked by a red card, three penalties, and goals from young players, boosting their Champions League campaign.
- Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur drew 0-0, with Tottenham's goalkeeper Vicario proving decisive, amidst Monaco's ongoing struggles.
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FRANKFURT, Germany - Liverpool scored three goals in nine first-half minutes in a 5-1 Champions League thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt on Oct 22, ending their woeful streak of four consecutive losses across all competitions.
Frankfurt started well and opened the scoring when Rasmus Kristensen struck in the 26th minute, firing past the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and in off the far post.
But Hugo Ekitike drew the Reds level with a breakaway goal against his former team in the 35th minute, collecting a long pass from Andy Robertson and racing through from the halfway line before calmly slotting past goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.
The floodgates opened as captain Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate headed home from corners in the 38th and 43rd minutes.
Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai struck in the second half on a night that turned ugly for the home side.
The decisive victory was a much-needed confidence boost for Arne Slot’s reigning Premier League champions, who had lost four straight games for the first time since November 2014.
“I don’t know if it’s a statement but it is a win and something to build on,” Van Dijk told TNT Sports.
“Obviously, we are disappointed with losing games, so it’s something we have to deal with, stick together and keep working.”
It was Liverpool’s first taste of victory since Sept 23, and the first time they had scored three goals in the first half of a game since December 2024.
Liverpool, who climbed to 10th in the 36-team Champions League table with six points after three games, host Real Madrid on Nov 4.
Frankfurt, who dropped to 22nd in the table, travel to Napoli the same day.
Chelsea win, Tottenham goalless
In London, meanwhile, Chelsea thumped Ajax Amsterdam 5-1 in an eventful if error-strewn game in the pouring rain that included three penalties and a red card.
Ajax, who have now lost all three European games this season, had their fate sealed in the 17th minute when captain Kenneth Taylor was sent off for a dangerous tackle and Marc Guiu, 19, scored a minute later.
Moises Caicedo made it 2-0 nine minutes later and, though Wout Weghorst reduced the deficit with a penalty, his strike was followed by spot kicks late in the first half from Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and 18-year-old Brazilian Estevao as the Amsterdam side lost discipline.
Chelsea, who have two wins and a defeat from their three Champions League games so far, buzzed round Ajax’s area for most of the second half which included an early goal from another 19-year-old, Tyrique George.
Chelsea’s Tyrique George (right) celebrates scoring their fifth goal.
PHOTO: EPA
Elsewhere, Monaco’s poor start to their Champions League campaign continued when they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Tottenham Hotspur.
The Ligue 1 side, who have two points from three games, had the clearest chances but Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario proved decisive between the posts.
Tottenham, who conceded more than 20 shots in a one-sided encounter, are 15th in the 36-team table on five points while Monaco sit in 27th place, in the elimination zone.
Monaco next face Bodo/Glimt away while Spurs will entertain Copenhagen. REUTERS
