Dominik Szoboszlai says Liverpool 'took it personally' after Galatasaray actions

Dominik Szoboszlai has disclosed that he and his Liverpool teammates used Galatasaray's post-match celebrations as motivation to complete a stunning 4-0 comeback victory at Anfield

Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed that Galatasaray's celebrations gave Liverpool extra motivation(Image: TNT Sports)

Dominik Szoboszlai has disclosed that Liverpool drew motivation from Galatasaray players' celebrations to stage a second-leg comeback.

After suffering a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, the Reds reversed the tie at Anfield with a resounding 4-0 victory, securing their spot in the quarterfinals. Second-half strikes from Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah ensured a comfortable progression in the end.

However, Liverpool did face a hiccup last week when Mario Lemina's goal handed Galatasaray the upper hand. The Turkish side's victory sparked jubilations, which Arne Slot's players used as additional fuel for their performance in the return leg.

Speaking to TNT Sport, Szboszlai revealed: "From the first minute, we were on that. Last game, during I was giving an interview, I heard them celebrating.

"I speak with a couple of guys in Turkey and this is usual after games you celebrate, there doesn't matter if there's a second leg and I took a little personally, you know, and I think a couple of us did as well.

"I'm still in the mind, you never celebrate too early. Maybe they didn't mean it, but that gave us a little push, and I think from the first second, it was just all in."

Liverpool was too good for Galatasaray on Wednesday(Image: Getty Images)

Ekitike also spoke to TNT Sports after Wednesday's game. He believes the Reds could've scored 10 goals against Galatasaray.

"We deserve to be here, so we're really happy," he said. "We did a really good job tonight. We could have won 10-0, so we can look forward to the quarterfinal.

"We made a few changes at half-time, and then when I took my chance we felt more free.

"Everybody did a great job and ran for each other."

As well as scoring, Salah assisted Ekitike's goal and missed a first-half penalty.

Salah's goal was his 50th in the Champions League, becoming the first African player to reach that landmark in Europe's premier club soccer competition.

On the Egyptian, Ekitike added: "He's a legend.

"Sometimes people say he has a difficult season, but he's been an important player for years. I'm really happy for him scoring his 50th goal."