Stunning Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain brace helps Liverpool hammer Genk in Belgium
An Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain brace helped Champions League holders Liverpool breeze past Genk in Belgium.
Before kick-off travelling fans unfurled a graphic banner depicting Divock Origi’s head on a naked body, alongside the Champions League trophy.
The club condemned an ‘offensive and inappropriate’ banner depicting the Belgian striker and said they "acted swiftly to have the banner removed" adding the image "perpetuated a racist stereotype".
READ MORE: Liverpool furious over ‘highly offensive and inappropriate’ banner in Genk
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put the away side in front with only two minutes on the clock, before Genk’s Mbwana Samatta saw his thunderous header ruled out for offside before the break.
Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled his tally with an unbelievable lobbed finish with the outside of his boot, before Sadio Mane made it 3-0 finishing off a brilliant move.
Mo Salah added a fourth before Genk got one back through Stephen Odey to make it 4-1. The win sees Liverpool remain second in Group E on six points, while Genk are bottom on one.
Liverpool made five changes from the side that drew 1-1 against Manchester United on Sunday with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Divock Origi all dropping out.
In came James Milner, Dejan Lovren, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mo Salah.
Oxlade-Chamberlain gave the away side the lead inside two minutes. Fabinho fizzed in a pass to the former Arsenal man, he turned and found the bottom corner with a brilliant strike from 25-yards out. Gaetan Coucke was unmoved in the Genk goal.
It was end-to-end and the hosts should have been level in a matter of minutes. Genk cleared a corner before Mbwana Samatta found himself in on goal, but he dragged his effort wide.
Paul Onuachu was in next for the Belgian side as Liverpool were caught out by a long ball over the top, but Alisson was on hand with a brilliant save to keep the score at 1-0.
Sadio Mane almost doubled the lead after a sublime pass from Roberto Firmino. Mane played it into the Brazilian, who played it back with a rabona inbetween two defenders before Mane's shot is saved!
Mbwana Samatta thundered the ball into the back of the net, towering above Milner with a powerful header, but the linesman’s flag was up for offside. It was checked by VAR and it was a very close call, but Junya Ito was judged offside in the build up.
Oxlade-Chamberlain put Liverpool 2-0 up 12 minutes after the restart with an outrageous goal. After being played in by Mane, Firmino laid it back to the 26-year-old just outside the box and with the outside of his boot, lobbed the keeper while clipping the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
Mane made it 3-0 finishing off a well worked move between Firmino, Salah and the Senegalese striker, dinking over the onrushing keeper and into the bottom corner.
Salah got on the scoresheet himself with three minutes to go after getting away from two defenders with a back-heel and then slotting into the bottom corner.
Genk managed to find a consolation through Stephen Odey who prodded home Dieumerci Ndongala’s cutback from the left to make it 4-1.
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