Liverpool handed December fixture boost as Champions League snub solved
Pleasingly for Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool's final Europa League home tie of their Group E campaign was one of minimal fuss as goals from Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz helped the Reds to a 4-0 victory over Lask Linz of Austria.
The German made nine changes in total for the penultimate European clash of 2023 and in doing so was still able to see his side secure top spot after Toulouse and Union Saint Gilloise played out a goalless draw in France.
Thursday won't be a night that lives long in the memory of Klopp or indeed many of those in attendance, but there was enough for the Reds boss to be pleased with ahead of an action-packed December schedule. Here, the ECHO takes a look at both the good and bad from Thursday night's tie.
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Success
Fixture relief
The 4-0 thrashing of Lask Linz at Anfield was arguably overshadowed by events at the Stadium de Toulouse on Thursday evening, where Toulouse's failure to land a knockout blow on Union Saint-Gilloise led to Liverpool being crowned winners of Group E.
Pleasingly for Jurgen Klopp, his side have avoided the dreaded play-off round and will instead head straight for a place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
In doing so, the Reds will be spared the potential of meeting one of eight Champions League drop-outs in a two-legged, mid-February encounter.
Such news will be welcome dearly on Merseyside, with Liverpool on course to play nine times in 29 days between Fulham's visit to Anfield on Sunday and that of Newcastle United on New Year's Day.
But with only seven games currently scheduled in February, the opportunity for Klopp and Co
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