David Lynch’s Five Key Takeaways from Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Marseille

Liverpool delivered one of their most convincing displays of the season with a commanding 3-0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League. Speaking on his post-match review on YouTube, football journalist David Lynch hailed the win as “brilliant” and “really, really important” in the context of Liverpool’s ambitions in the competition.

Lynch was unequivocal in his praise for Arne Slot, calling the tactical setup “absolutely spot on”. Slot, who has faced criticism at times this season, deployed a 4-2-2-2 formation with a box midfield, allowing Liverpool to “gum up that central midfield” and stop Marseille’s dangerous passing game.

He added, “Deserby teams want to pass through you, but when there’s no real space to run into because you’ve got so many bodies in the centre, it proves pretty impossible for Marseille to get any slick passing going.”

This was a masterclass in tactical control, and Lynch noted that “Slot deserves huge credit” for the way he used Ryan Gravenberch in a hybrid role, dropping into right-back to free up Jeremie Frimpong.

Joe Gomez was one of the standout performers on the night. Lynch admitted to being “a little bit worried” about his inclusion but quickly added, “I thought he was absolutely flawless… he was brilliant in there alongside Virgil van Dijk.”

Gomez recorded three out of five duels won, seven clearances, three recoveries and wasn’t dribbled past once. More impressively, he finished with 100% passing accuracy, something Lynch highlighted as a sign of composure under pressure.

Ryan Gravenberch also received plaudits for his versatility and intelligence, winning nine out of 14 duels and making four tackles. “So clever in his positioning,” said Lynch, who also emphasised the Dutchman’s role in setting up one of Liverpool’s goals.

This was no ordinary away tie. Marseille had scored more goals than PSG in Ligue 1 and were considered a real threat, particularly at the Stade Vélodrome. Lynch reminded viewers that “everybody had talked up Marseille and what they were capable of” and noted how tough the stadium can be to play in.

Yet, from the first whistle, Liverpool looked in charge. “Marseille really struggled to lay a glove on Liverpool at all,” Lynch stated. “Liverpool pretty much controlled the game throughout.”

He pointed to the expected goals (xG) data as evidence: 1.49 for Liverpool compared to just 0.88 for Marseille. “This was a performance that deserved a win, and a handy win, which is what they ended up with.”

Photo: IMAGO

Lynch spent significant time discussing how Liverpool’s current squad is more suited to this compact midfield structure. “It emphasises what they did in the summer,” he noted, referring to the club’s focus on full-backs and central strikers in the transfer market.

He was especially enthusiastic about how this system helps players like Frimpong and Kerkez, saying, “Kerkez is just going from strength to strength… Frimpong, such an outlet down that right-hand side.” Frimpong’s cross led to the own goal that gave Liverpool breathing room.

The tight midfield and flexible wide roles also make up for the team’s lack of raw pace in attack. “This is not the quickest Liverpool team you’ve ever seen,” Lynch pointed out, arguing that the formation helps them bypass that limitation through structured passing and positioning.

The result put Liverpool into fourth in the Champions League standings. Lynch described the three points as “even better” than the draw he had hoped for pre-match and said that this performance “gives you hopes… could this be a deep run in the Champions League?”

The key now is consistency. Lynch concluded by saying, “Hopefully, we can maybe see it followed up… because then they really could be about to turn this season round and hopefully for Slot as well, turn things around for him.”

He finished with optimism, urging Liverpool to carry this momentum into the Premier League fixture at Bournemouth and beyond.