da brdice： The Stade Velodrome can project one of the most hostile atmospheres in Europe, but Liverpool secured a confident Champions League victory against Marseille to extend their unbeaten run to 13 matches.

da wazamba： Having absorbed early pressure and taken a foothold through Dominik Szoboszlai’s cheeky under-the-wall free-kick, Liverpool bagged twice more after the break to tighten their grip on a top-eight spot in the Champions League group stage, thus moving straight to the last 16 and bypassing an additional qualification round.

He didn’t get the goal, but Jeremie Frimpong’s pace and fleet footwork led to the all-important second, silencing a vociferous French crowd, and the Dutch defender has really been proving himself a shrewd signing in recent weeks.

Jeremie Frimpong vs Marseille

Frimpong has been unfortunate since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last summer in a £29.5m deal, having been sidelined for much of the autumn with a hamstring injury picked up against Manchester United.

But the 25-year-old has played his way into red-hot form over the past month, filling in for the absent Mohamed Salah at right wing before shifting back into a more conventional berth.

Much has been made of the pacy talent’s defensive deficiencies, but he is proving his worth in that regard, staying stern against Marseille’s frontline and indeed taking a clean sheet back over to Merseyside.

Not only a flashy wide presence, though, the Dutchman also won six duels and three of four tackles, as per Sofascore, proving his worth following Conor Bradley’s season-ending injury against Arsenal.

Liverpool have struggled for consistency this season, and they will need Frimpong to maintain this level if they are to challenge for the Champions League and FA Cup right up to the end.

But Frimpong isn’t alone in that task, with his alternate flanker also putting in a stunning shift against Marseille and stamping his authority on this new chapter in Slot’s team.

Liverpool signing just played his best game

Liverpool were always going to require a period of adaptation after a staggering summer spending spree, but several stars have taken longer than would have been expected to settle in.

Florian Wirtz is chief among them, and while the German had another positive game in France, it was Milos Kerkez who stepped up and produced a show-stopping performance.

Kerkez, 22, joined Liverpool from Bournemouth last summer in a £45m deal, and he was even branded “a nervous wreck” by pundit Jamie Redknapp.

However, nerves have been settled over the past month or two, and against Marseille, Kerkez produced a display of maturity and guile, nullifying the Marseille right flank, winning seven duels, two of three tackles and making four ball recoveries, as per Sofascore.

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His effort warranted an 8/10 match rating, and if he can maintain that level over the coming months, fans could begin to see the superstar-in-the-making that they paid for.

FFC’s Liverpool Player Ratings vs Marseille

Player

#

(GK) Alisson Becker

7/10

(RB) Jeremie Frimpong

8/10

(CB) Joe Gomez

7/10

(CB) Virgil van Dijk

7/10

(LB) Milos Kerkez

8/10

(CM) Ryan Gravenberch

7/10

(CM) Dominik Szoboszlai

8/10

(CM) Alexis Mac Allister

7/10

(RW) Mohamed Salah

6/10

(CF) Hugo Ekitike

7/10

(LW) Florian Wirtz

7/10

Subs: Curtis Jones (6/10), Cody Gakpo (7/10)

Andy Robertson, 31, will continue to provide competition for the Hungarian, but Kerkez has started seven of Liverpool’s past eight Premier League games, with such athleticism and tenacity giving Liverpool a unique dimension down the left.

Kerkez knew before the clash against Marseille that Liverpool needed to step up and avoid any further malaise after a disappointing draw with Burnley in the Premier League last weekend.

Against Roberto De Zerbi’s team, he put his money where his mouth is, now undroppable at left-back for Slot’s resurgent side.

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