Liverpool 7-0 Spartak Moscow: 5 Talking Points

A supposedly nervy tie ended up a rout as Liverpool waltzed to a 7-0 win over their hapless European opponents. The attacking quartet of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were all on the attacking score sheet.

Coutinho led the way with a hat-trick, while Mane with a brace and a goal each for Firmino and Mane completed a one-sided tie.

Liverpool never looked to be in trouble from the offset and the serious approach which Klopp had emphasized upon was on display from the start.

With the victory, Liverpool ensured they finished top of their European group, ahead of Sevilla, who were held to a tie by Maribor in their final group stage match. Here are the talking points from Liverpool's rout of Spartak Moscow:

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#5 The "Little Magician" weaves his way to a first hattrick

Over the summer, a lot of distractions meant Phillipe Coutinho was not a sure starter for the early part of Liverpool's campaign. But as the season has progressed, the Brazillian has given hints of his ability that had made him Barcelona's primary target in the transfer window.

The Brazilian has been in a rich vein of form since his return to the fold and scored a well-deserved hat-trick.

Coutinho commenced the scoring in this one-sided tie with a penalty as early in the 4th minute before doubling Liverpool's lead in the 15th minute. As the game progressed, the Brazilian found himself in pockets of spaces and was at the fulcrum of most Liverpool attacking moves.

Such was the dominance of Liverpool, that it was surprising that the Coutinho had to wait until the 50th minute to complete his hat-trick. In fact, having scored Liverpool's fastest Champions League goal, the Reds were well placed to topple their previous record of 8-0 against Besiktas.

#4 Carrera's Moscow left in need of smelling salts

Georgi Dzhikiya's mistimed tackle on Mo Salah

Coming into this game, Klopp had been wary of his opponents identifying the trio of Quincy Promes, Zé Luís and Denis Glushakov as the threats, possible of dismantling Liverpool's defence. Unfortunately for manager Massimo Carrera, that thought was left on paper as Moscow self-destructed from the start.

Giorgi Dzhikiya's mindnumbing challenge on Salah as early as the 4th minute set the tone for the game, as it helped calm the jitters of the home team. While over the weekend, Liverpool had put 5 past Brighton, there was still a sense of competitiveness as was evidenced by the third goal in that game.

Against the fourth-placed, Russian side, Liverpool's domination not just extended to the statistics but to the entirety of the game as well. Although the stats will reveal that the Russian side competed with the Anfield club shot for shot, it was the nature of the shot that failed to trouble Liverpool goal which will hurt Barrera more.

His charges seemed out of place and never really appeared to be in the contest. The Russian team now drops down to Europa League where they hope they will fare better than they did in their Champions League campaign.

#3 Liverpool's 'Fab Four' great on the eye

Sadio Mane's volley literally ripped the net off

A largely untroubled evening for the Liverpool defence meant that Klopp could heartily focus on his team's attacking verve at the end of the game. Scoring goals have always been considered as the hard part of the game, but over the past few games, the Reds have literally scored at will.

Mane, Salah and Firmino, in addition to Coutinho have been a delight to watch and their interplay to combine for the second goal was a delight to watch. The quartet is in sync with each others' movements and pull away at times to create space for each other, which can be mesmerizing to watch.

Special mention must be made of the Mane volley, which was hit so cleanly and even the second goal that the Senegalese scored was a testament of the rapport that has been built up among the Liverpool forwards.

#2 Europa campaign beckons for the Russian side

Spartak Moscow will do well to get the defeat out of their system as they continue their European campaign in the Europa League

The Russian side were out of the tie as early as the 18th minute, having already conceded 3 goals. Carrera can reflect on a match in which his side was schooled in attacks and counter-attacks by Liverpool. The nervousness and an ageing defence i.e. a combined age of 102 years, meant Liverpool started on the front foot when it comes to youth.

And at times, the age of the defence was exposed in a ruthless manner. The sight of Mane running at the Moscow defence was a recurring theme and as the game progressed, the Russians were more intent on damage control rather than giving a scare.

Liverpool had lamented the plethora of chances they had missed in the away tie against the Russian side. The fact that Liverpool had to wait until their last group game to confirm their position in the knockout stage can be said was self-inflicted.

The Russians will do well to give a better account of themselves in the Europa League if they are to leave their mark in Europe this season. Most importantly, the side will look to get the thrashing out of their system as soon as possible.

#1 Rampant Reds - the side to watch out for in the knock out stages

Klopp will need to have a stronger defence if his side are to progress

Liverpool may have emerged from their group as winners, unbeaten and seeded, but despite that, the Reds are in line to face a European heavy-weight. The rules of the competition mean that they won't' be facing opponents from the same country and same group. However, that still leaves the likes of Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as likely opponents.

As Juergen Klopp noted at the end of the game, "There are a lot of really strong teams. This year is quite special. Not often you can face Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but Juventus and all the others. We will not be happy when we see who we face in the next round, but we will be ready."

The Reds have scored 23 goals in the group stages and two 7-0 hammerings of their opposition irrespective of their opponent's pedigree make them contenders as well. If Liverpool is to progress further in the competition, one hopes the German can improve the much-maligned defence.

That said, Liverpool will be exciting opponents and will be the ones to watch out for as the tournament enters the business end.