Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Marseille: Assured Performance Eases Pressure on Slot

Liverpool took an enormous step towards automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with an impressive away performance against Marseille that yielded a much-needed 3–0 victory.

The Reds made it five European wins from seven league phase outings as they marched into fourth place, easing the growing pressure on Arne Slot after four consecutive Premier League draws. They are guaranteed a place in the knockout phase having qualified for the play-off round.

Hugo Ekitiké thought he had opened the scoring at the Stade Vélodrome as he converted a sweeping Liverpool move in which Mohamed Salah was involved on his return, but replays revealed the striker was narrowly offside. Dominik Szoboszlai wouldn’t be denied by VAR, however, powering a clever free kick into the bottom corner in first-half stoppage time.

Liverpool wrapped up the points in the second half as Jeremie Frimpong forced Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli into an own goal, after which substitute Cody Gakpo added some gloss to the scoreline with the final kick of the game.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Marseille (4-2-2-2)

Mohamed Salah made his first appearance for Liverpool since mid-December. | Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Alisson—8.6: Rebuffed Marseille’s only effort of the first-half and produced great saves to deny Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the break. All in all, it was a surprisingly quiet evening for the Brazilian.

RB: Jeremie Frimpong—7.3: Constantly involved in the final third as expected and was solely responsible for Liverpool’s second goal at the end of another speedy sprint.

CB: Joe Gomez—7.6: Gomez has been shaky at best this season but produced a solid display in the place of Ibrahima Konaté. Played with confidence and deserved his clean sheet.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.4: Led by example at the Stade Vélodrome with an imperious defensive display that saw Liverpool thwart an in-form attacking unit that had scored 22 times in their previous five outings.

LB: Milos Kerkez—7.4: There are signs Kerkez is starting to find his feet at Liverpool as he delivered another encouraging performance. Defensively resolute and offered plenty of support in the opposition half.

DM: Ryan Gravenberch—8.3: Effective at screening the back four and kickstarting Liverpool attacks. Won the free kick from which Szoboszlai scored, assisted Gakpo’s late strike and made plenty of important interventions.

DM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.5: Dictated play from deep positions and kept Liverpool ticking under Marseille pressure. More reminiscent of his former self.

AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—8.3: Having assisted Ekitiké’s offside goal, Szoboszlai fired Liverpool ahead with a cheeky and accurate free kick driven beneath the Marseille wall. Another impressive and tireless display from the midfielder, whose lovely flick helped create the third goal.

AM: Florian Wirtz—7.2: Unable to continue his purple patch of goal contributions during a relatively quiet evening by his lofty standards. Improved after the break but a touch ponderous in possession.

ST: Mohamed Salah—7.1: Offered glimpses of his quality on his return from international duty with Egypt but was never overly involved. Skewed one glorious late chance.

ST: Hugo Ekitiké—7.4: Ever so close to scoring only to be denied by VAR and then slammed the post on an unfortunate night for the Frenchman. An absolute live wire throughout as Lady Luck deserted him.

Substitute	Rating
Cody Gakpo (79’ for Ekitiké)	7.2
Curtis Jones (79’ for Salah)	6.1

Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Freddie Woodman (GK), Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha.

Marseille (4-4-2)

Starting XI: Gerónimo Rulli; Amir Murillo, Bejamin Pavard, Leonardo Balerdi, Facundo Medina; Timothy Weah, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Hamed Traoré; Amine Gouiri, Mason Greenwood.

Subs used: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Igor Paixão, Bilal Nadir.

Player of the Match: Alisson

Marseille 0–3 Liverpool: How It Unfolded at the Stade Vélodrome

Liverpool sought to contain Ligue 1’s most prolific goalscorers during the early exchanges and they did indeed manage to restrict their hosts. Marseille had mustered no efforts on goal by the midpoint of the first half, while the Reds had found the back of the net. Ekitiké converted a swift counter attack from close range but was denied back in his native France by an offside call from VAR.

Marseille did eventually take aim at Alisson but the Brazilian was on hand to match Amine Gouiri’s powerful cross-goal drive. At the other end, the returning Salah came close to opening the scoring, flicking Frimpong’s near-post delivery inches over the crossbar.

Liverpool finished the first half in the ascendancy and found their breakthrough via some Szoboszlai magic on the cusp of half-time. Having missed a penalty at the weekend, the Hungarian redeemed himself from a dead-ball situation as he inventively fired a free kick underneath the Marseille wall and beyond Rulli.

Szobo 😍 pic.twitter.com/9a41cCdmZq
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 21, 2026

After tame attacking performances from both sides during the first half, the match opened up significantly after the restart. Ekitiké crashed the post to compound his frustrations in between promising moments for Marseille in which Alisson denied Greenwood before Hamed Traoré fired over at the end of a quick breakaway.

The chances continued to arrive as Liverpool came agonisingly close to doubling their advantage, Florian Wirtz stinging Rulli’s fingertips prior to Ekitiké rattling over the crossbar. But the Reds eventually extended their lead at a key juncture.

With a little under 20 minutes remaining and Marseille increasingly adventurous in possession, a fortuitous own goal eased any nerves in the away end. Another surging run from Frimpong saw the Dutchman force his way to the byline and his cross deflected off Rulli as it slowly rolled into the far corner.

Mohamed Salah spurned an excellent opportunity to cap his return to the team with a goal as he inexplicably fired wide from close range, but Gakpo did provide Liverpool with their third as he swept home a delightful move in stoppage time.

Marseille vs. Liverpool Half Time Stats

Statistic	Marseille	Liverpool
Possession	55%	45%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.03	0.34
Total Shots	1	5
Shots on Target	1	1
Big Chances	0	1
Passing Accuracy	89%	87%
Fouls Committed	5	8
Corners	1	2

Marseille vs. Liverpool Full Time Stats

Statistic	Marseille	Liverpool
Possession	58%	42%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.88	1.49
Total Shots	15	11
Shots on Target	4	3
Big Chances	1	4
Passing Accuracy	90%	86%
Fouls Committed	8	12
Corners	7	4