Five-Goal Fury: Liverpool Reclaims European Swagger with a 5-1 Thrashing of Frankfurt
22 October 2025
Liverpool’s Five-Goal Comeback Sends Frankfurt Reeling
Liverpool turned the match on its head, overturning an early Frankfurt lead to win 5-1 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, the third group-stage game of the campaign.
Frankfurt opened the scoring through Rasmus Kristensen in the 26th minute, before Liverpool responded with five goals by Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai in the 35th, 39th, 44th, 66th and 70th minutes respectively.
The result ends Liverpool’s troubled run and lifts their points tally to six, placing them tenth in the table, while Frankfurt sit 22nd with three points.
A surprise came when Mohamed Salah was benched from the start as Slot opted for a front three of Isak, Gakpo and Ekitike.
Liverpool lined up with Mamardashvili in goal, a back line including Frimbong, Konaté, Van Dijk and Robertson, a midfield trio around Szoboszlai and Jones, with Isak and Ekitike supporting Gakpo in a fluid front line.
Frankfurt began under coach Dino Topmuller, pressing early to unsettle the Reds, nearly taking the lead when a dangerous moment came in the seventh minute as Bahoya’s run and shot required a sharp save from the goalkeeper.
Liverpool equalized in quick succession; Ekitike swept in a through ball at the edge of the box to level the score, then a deflected move saw Frankfurt briefly threaten before van Dijk rose highest to convert a corner for the lead.
At halftime Liverpool were ahead thanks to a powerful header from Konaté, after Szoboszlai’s corner found him at the near post, sending the visitors in with a 3-1 advantage.
Second half, Slot shuffled the forward line again by introducing Kaiza for Isak, while Liverpool pushed to finish the job as Gakpo nearly added a fourth with a strike that skimmed the post.
Szoboszlai then curled a shot from outside the box for a fifth, sealing the rout as the Reds imposed relentless pressure on the Frankfurt goal. Liverpool completed the job with three substitutes—Gomez, Salah and Mac Allister—appearing late to replace Konaté, Ekitike and Gakpo and help seal the win.
Statistics and records followed: Ekitike became the first player to score for and against Frankfurt in a major European competition, and OtA noted Liverpool’s first goal allowed in five consecutive matches across all competitions was finally overcome. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s defense steadied after a shaky opening, and the team capitalized on every chance to stamp their authority on the night.
