Liverpool’s Luis Diaz scored a second-half hat-trick as they maintained their perfect Champions League campaign with a 4-0 victory over Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield on Tuesday.
Arne Slot’s men provisionally lead the standings of Europe’s elite competition with their fourth win in four matches, with Aston Villa, the only other team with a 100% record, playing Club Brugge in their fourth game on Wednesday.
Diaz broke the deadlock of what had been a sluggish affair in stunning fashion in the 61st minute, timing his run onto Curtis Jones’ pinpoint pass through the heart of Leverkusen’s defence before lifting the ball over keeper Lukas Hradecky.
Gakpo doubled the Reds’ lead two minutes later when he dived to head Mohamed Salah’s cross home at the back post. The goal was initially ruled offside but the decision was overturned by VAR.
Diaz netted his second in the 83rd minute when he latched onto a cross from Salah, and then held off a challenge before slotting past Hradecky and he completed his hat-trick with a tap-in from close range in stoppage time.
Sporting marked the final home game of coach Ruben Amorim’s reign in stunning fashion as Viktor Gyokeres’ hat-trick saw them come from behind to thrash Manchester City 4-1 and maintain their superb start to the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Portuguese league leaders were outplayed for most of the first half and should have trailed by more than Phil Foden’s early goal, but Gyokeres levelled it up before the break.
City were caught cold at the start of the second period as Maximiliano Araujo finished a flowing move straight from the kickoff, before Gyokeres put Sporting further ahead minutes later from the penalty spot.
Erling Haaland had the chance to drag City back into the game but struck the crossbar with a penalty before Gyokeres wrapped it up for the hosts with another spot kick to send the Estadio Jose Alvalade crowd into raptures.
Amorim, who will take over as Manchester United manager on Nov. 11, leaves Sporting in a fantastic position in the Champions League group phase with 10 points from four games. City’s first defeat leaves them on seven points.
Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League results
PSV (2) 4 Girona (0) 0
Slovan Bratislava (1) 1 Dinamo Zagreb (2) 4
Bologna (0) 0 Monaco (0) 1
Borussia Dortmund (0) 1 Sturm Graz (0) 0
Celtic (2) 3 RB Leipzig (1) 1
Lille (1) 1 Juventus (0) 1
Liverpool (0) 4 Bayer Leverkusen (0) 0
Sporting CP (1) 4 Manchester City (1) 1
Real Madrid (1) 1 Milan (2) 3
Wednesday, November 6 fixtures (CET/GMT)
Club Brugge v Aston Villa (1745)
Shakhtar Donetsk v Young Boys (1745)
Crvena zvezda v Barcelona (2000)
Bayern München v Benfica (2000)
Feyenoord v Salzburg (2000)
Internazionale v Arsenal (2000)
PSG v Atlético Madrid (2000)
Sparta Praha v Brest (2000)
Stuttgart v Atalanta (2000)
