Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen LIVE: Champions League result and reaction as Diaz hat-trick gives Reds easy win

Xabi Alonso said he didn’t want to come to Liverpool as tourists and his Bayer Leverkusen certainly leave without any mementoes. Not a point. Not a goal. Not their pride. Not any hold on Luis Diaz, either, who hit a hat-trick. Leverkusen didn’t even see that much of the ball, as Liverpool translated almost 60% possession into a thoroughly convincing 4-0 win. It was fitting of a team first in this expanded table.

For all the inevitable focus on a former Liverpool Champions League winner who knew how to play a pass – and suffered a reckoning here – wins like this are maybe the moment when it’s worth going even further back into the club’s European history. There is a genuinely noteworthy reference, that actually came the last time Liverpool saw a talismanic and charismatic figurehead replaced by a more placid but possibly more calculating character.

Liverpool now top the Champions League table with a perfect 12 points from their four matches. Their next fixture is against Real Madrid who were beaten this evening 3-1 by AC Milan.

A win for the Reds there and they’ll be pretty much through to the last-16.

90+4 mins: Liverpool moved to the top of the Champions League table and kept their European winning streak going with a fine outing against Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield.

Xabi Alonso’s German champions were solid and secure in a tentative first half that lacked quality in front of goal. Luis Diaz found the goalkeeper’s gloves and Jeremie Frimpong had a goal ruled out for offside as the teams traded blows.

The second half was all Liverpool. Three goals, two for Diaz and one for Cody Gakpo ensured they left the field with three points and another notch to Arne Slot’s reputation. Diaz’s first was made by Curtis Jones who slipped a fine pass into the box before Diaz chipped the goalkeeper to open the scoring.

Mo Salah then set up the second with a cross to Gakpo who headed home a few minutes later. That broke Leverkusen’s resistance and the Reds added a late third as Salah found Diaz for his second of the night.

Diaz wasn’t done though. With three minutes of added time, Liverpool countered and Darwin Nunez set Diaz up to complete his hat-trick.

Andy Robertson slides into a tackle to win the ball and kick start a sweeping counter attack. He feeds it to Darwin Nunez who flies up the pitch and has a shot deflected into the path of Luis Diaz.

Diaz has eyes for goal and slots home to complete a hat-trick and a Liverpool rout.

90 mins: Three minutes of added time to play.

86 mins: A Liverpool break is led by Darwin Nunez but he makes the wrong decision with a pass to the right which gets intercepted and cleared.

It shouldn’t make a difference to the result but for Nunez’s confidence he’ll want to see this game out strongly.

83 mins: Arne Slot’s Liverpool are looking better and better with each game they play.

Mo Salah receives the ball on the right. He rolls it onto his left foot and whips a cross over to the back post where Luis Diaz brings the ball down under pressure then curls it into the net.

81 mins: More changes from Arne Slot. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo are off with Conor Bradley, Andy Robertson and Darwin Nunez brought on.

Fresh legs to close out this match for the Reds.

79 mins: Around the Champions League there are some surprising scorelines. Celtic are still beating RB Leipzig but it’s now 3-1 while Sporting CP have taken a 3-1 lead over Man City and Real Madrid are losing 3-1 to AC Milan.

76 mins: Liverpool spray the ball over to the right side and give Mo Salah a chase into the penalty area. Lukas Hradecky comes off his line and clutches the ball before Salah gets there.