Hugo Ekitike shows no mercy with Galatasaray verdict as Liverpool eases to win

Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike believes the Reds "could have won 10-0" after they dispatched Galatasaray to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League

Hugo Ekitike scored second goal of the night against Galatasaray(Image: Getty Images)

Hugo Ekitike believes Liverpool "could have won 10-0" against Galatasaray after they dispatched them 4-1 on aggregate to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

While Galatasaray fans made the headlines for making their way into Anfield despite them being banned by UEFA, it was Liverpool who came away from the second leg of their Champions League clash celebrating, after beating the Turkish side 4-0 to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Arne Slot's side will face off against PSG in a rematch of their Round of 16 clash last season, which saw the French side knock Liverpool out of the competition en route to winning their first Champions League title. Having lost the first round away in Turkey 1-0, the Reds had it all to do on Wednesday night.

And thankfully, following Dominik Szoboszlai's first-half strike, an 11-minute second-half blitz put Galatasaray to the sword. Ekitike scored Liverpool's second, latching on to a fine ball from Mohamed Salah before Ryan Gravenberch made it 3-0 to the Reds two minutes after the Frenchman's goal.

Then, on 62 minutes, Salah got in on the act, adding Liverpool's fourth.

It was a rampant second-half display from Liverpool, who had chances to win the game by a bigger margin than they did, something Ekitike admitted following the full-time whistle.

Dominik Szoboszlai opened the scoring for Liverpool against Galatasaray in their Champions League clash. (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Speaking to TNT Sports, the Liverpool forward was delighted with the Reds' second-half performance, with Ekitike crediting some half-time changes for their 11-minute blitz.

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

"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."

The game also saw Salah score his 50th goal in the Champions League for Liverpool. While Salah has endured a disappointing campaign following his Premier League title heroics last term, Ekitike hailed the Egyptian after the Reds' win over Galatasaray.

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

Mohamed Salah's impressive outing against Galatasaray was appreciated by fans at Anfield(Image: Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Having booked their place in the quarter-finals, the Reds are now set to face PSG. The defending European Champions beat Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate, with Luis Enrique's side beating the Blues at Stamford Bridge 3-0 on Tuesday following their first leg win in Paris.

The first leg of the quarter-finals clash will be played at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, April 8, with the return leg at Anfield on April 14.