Liverpool swatted Sparta Prague at Anfield to add a 6-1 scoreline to the 5-1 victory in the Czech Republic last week and now advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals.
It was a stunning display of attacking prowess, with Liverpool's opposition simply unable to contain the unrelenting pressure and pizzazz from the home side, suffocating and forcing errors and pouncing with elite predatory instinct.
With such a healthy advantage from the first leg, Jurgen Klopp fielded a stronger line-up than many had expected but the German manager was duly rewarded with some scintillating play, Mohamed Salah at the heart of the action.
Mohamed Salah's game vs Sparta Prague in numbers
Salah's name was printed onto the starting teamsheet for the first time in a Liverpool match since New Year's Day, with the world-class forward picking up a muscular issue with Egypt at the African Cup of Nations in January and since making a couple of substitute appearances.
Pre-match, Klopp had said that the 31-year-old was "ready to start" and boy did he deliver under the Anfield lights, leaping on an error with expert sharpness and adding a hat-trick of assists to take his seasonal tally to 20 goals and 13 assists across 31 matches – including just 24 starts – for Liverpool this term.
Minutes played
90'
Goals
1
Assists
3
Touches
77
Accurate passes
53/63 (84%)
Key passes
6
Possession lost
17x
Dribble attempts
0/2
Duels won
0/3
Trademark deadliness in key offensive phases painted Salah's evening in the rich colour that a forward of his merit deserves, though he was a little rusty and failed to win a duel or succeed with an attempted dribble.
Still, that's of little consequence. If that's a display coated with a patina of rust, Liverpool's forthcoming opponents must be quaking.
Salah was the obvious standout on another successful day for Klopp's Merseysiders, and while the likes of Cody Gakpo (2x), Darwin Nunez, Bobby Clark and Szoboszlai got on the scoresheet too, left-back Andy Robertson will certainly be one of the most chuffed after arguably his best showing since returning from injury.
Andy Robertson's performance vs Sparta Prague
Robertson, who turned 30 a few days ago, has endured a pretty torrid campaign compared to most of the Liverpool squad, picking up a shoulder injury on international duty in October and spending over three months on the sidelines.
The Scotland captain has now started six matches in all competitions since returning in January but he's definitely had his detractors, lacking some of the composure and clarity that has been a staple of his illustrious Liverpool career.
On a night in Europe that called for all of his dynamism, shifting into central defence in the second half, Robertson, captaining the Reds, played the full 90 and remarkably took 135 touches as he dominated in possession, completing 97% of his passes and losing possession just six times, also threading one key pass.
Moreover, the 5 foot 10 defender won his one contested duel, made five clearances and looked polished and seasoned in his duty.
He was only handed a 7/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle – who said that he 'dealt with the dangerous Preciado and allowed those ahead of him to wreak havoc before break' – but Robertson demonstrated his first-rate technical skills that can immensely benefit this Liverpool team.
Maybe he's not the breakneck whiz that has made such a marked impact on this golden age of Liverpool's modern history, but Roberson proved his worth and then some for Klopp ahead of the business end of the campaign.
Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas both have talent on the left side of the defence, but Robertson isn't going anywhere just yet; he's purring back into life after a lengthy layoff.