UCL: Arne Slot Admits Osimhen Injury Shifted Momentum In Favour Of Liverpool

Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot has conceded that an early injury to Victor Osimhen played a key role in his side’s dominant win over Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League.

Liverpool swept to a 4-0 win on the night, sealing a 4-1 aggregate triumph to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Osimhen picked up an arm injury inside the opening exchanges following a challenge from Ibrahima Konate. Although he battled on until half-time, the striker was withdrawn after the break.

Liverpool had already taken control before the break, with Dominik Szoboszlai opening the scoring. The hosts stepped up a gear in the second half as Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah added further goals to complete a one-sided contest.

Reflecting on the match, Slot admitted Osimhen’s absence shifted the balance.

”Osimhen is an incredible player for them,” Slot noted. “Yeah, [the injury] worked for us, but when you look at the first 10 minutes and how the team played with him, I thought he would play the full 90 because the rest of the team plays so well off him.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal FC forward Eberechi Eze has etched his name into the club’s history books after achieving a rare scoring milestone across competitions.

The England international has become only the second English player to score for Arsenal in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same season, matching the feat of Theo Walcott from the 2012-13 campaign.

Eze reached the landmark during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League round of 16 second-leg tie at the Emirates Stadium. The result secured the Gunners’ place in the quarter-finals.

The 27-year-old, who joined from Crystal Palace last summer, has quickly become a key figure under Mikel Arteta. His goals have come across all the competitions Arsenal are involved in this season.

Attention now turns to Wembley, where Arsenal will face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.