Ahead of their Champions League match at Eintracht Frankfurt, Liverpool had lost four matches in a row in all competitions. If the Premier League champions had gone down against the Germans, it would have been the first time the Reds had lost five on the spin since 1953. And when Frankfurt took a 26th-minute lead through ex-Leeds United player Rasmus Kristensen, there would have been plenty of nervous Liverpool fans.
As it turned out, the Reds fans needn’t have worried as Arne Slot’s men powered their way back into the match and ran out 5-1 victors. It ended up as an almost perfect night for Liverpool, the one negative being a groin injury to record signing Alexander Isak, who was subbed off at half-time. Overall though, this was just the result and performance they needed. So will the triumph kickstart Liverpool’s Premier League title defence and should the other title contenders be worried?
How Liverpool Cruised to Victory in Frankfurt
To say Slot was under pressure coming into this match is an exaggeration, but it was clear his side needed a big performance. The manager made a big call ahead of kick-off as he opted to leave Mohamed Salah out of the starting line-up. He instead opted to test the new striking partnership of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, the latter of whom is in very fine form at present.
Despite a perhaps understandably nervous opening 10 minutes from the Reds, and the Frankfurt opener against the run of play, Liverpool dominated this match. With just shy of 65% possession, the Reds had 18 shots, 14 of which were on target. That compares to just four shots from the Germans, only one of which – the goal – was on target.
Ekitike, who was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, got the equaliser against his former club as he strode clear of the home side’s defence to slot home a confident finish. The Reds took the lead minutes later when captain Virgil van Dijk rose well to nod home from a Cody Gakpo corner. They struck again five minutes after that, again from a corner, this time from the other side as Ibrahima Konaté met Dominik Szoboszlai’s fine delivery with an unstoppable header that left Frankfurt keeper Michael Zetterer with no chance.
The one-way traffic continued after the break, despite Isak having been replaced by Federico Chiesa, as the Reds brought out fine saves from Zetterer. Florian Wirtz appeared to have raised his game against the German opponents and he provided an assist for Gakpo to tap in from close range in the 66th minute. Wirtz was the provider minutes later too as he laid it off for Szoboszlai to smash home from outside the box.
All in all, it was a very impressive performance, and it provided a positive glimpse of how an Isak-Ekitike partnership might flourish in the future. And that probably gave Salah something to think about, and the Egyptian will be eager to take advantage of any injury layoff Isak faces after a tough season so far. Slot, though, will be relieved his side has returned to winning ways, and he will no doubt be happy with his team’s best performance of the season to date.
Can Liverpool Build on Fine Victory?
Hear what Arne Slot and Curtis Jones made of our 5-1 #UCL victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in our official post-match podcast 🔊
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 23, 2025
Coming into the 2025/26 season, there was always going to be a “bedding in” period for Liverpool, given the number of new players they signed over the summer. The Reds got away with not playing particularly well on numerous occasions early in the campaign, often relying on very late goals to edge victories. The four games before the Frankfurt match exposed some of the potential problems Slot faces as he attempts to knit his talented players into an effective winning machine. And though this victory will be very welcome, it doesn’t automatically mean Liverpool are back.
Liverpool’s next match is away at Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday. Ordinarily, the Reds would expect to win such a fixture with relative ease. Indeed, they have beaten the Bees in each of their last five meetings, by an aggregate scoreline of 12-1. If they can carry the momentum of Wednesday’s win into the league match, Slot’s men should brush their opponents aside.
Then, however, they face Crystal Palace in the last 16 of the League Cup. Palace have been something of a bogey team for the Reds in recent times, and Liverpool have lost to them twice already this season (once on penalties in the Community Shield and then 2-1 in the Premier League). Despite it being the least important of Liverpool’s competitions this term, Slot will certainly want revenge on Palace in this one, and it will be a good indicator of whether Liverpool are approaching top form once again.
After that, a jam-packed fixture schedule in November could make or break the Reds’ season. With matches against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and West Ham in the league, and Real Madrid and PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, we will certainly have a clearer picture of the club’s prospects for silverware as we roll into December.