LIVERPOOL VS RANGERS HIGHLIGHS

In the clash of the clubs from the banks of the Mersey and the Clyde, the real winner was Trent. Mohamed Salah scored with nonchalant ease but Trent Alexander-Arnold set Liverpool on a path to victory they were expected to get. Perhaps he effected a swift transformation from scapegoat to top dog and certainly his celebration of a cathartic goal had an air of vindication.

Whether a brilliant free kick was an eloquent response to criticism or simply a demonstration of the gifts that make him a unique right-back, it brought him respite on an evening that ended not with another inquest, but a standing ovation.

For Liverpool, too, it was a restorative affair. A continental campaign that began with the nadir of their worst performance under Jurgen Klopp now looks on course to conclude somewhere in the knockout stages. Napoli’s win over Ajax helps position Liverpool to qualify, if not win Group A, and they can plan for the return trip to Ibrox next week in greater need of points in the Premier League then the Champions League.

On a night when Liverpool were comfortable and commanding, if not clinical, they took a two-goal lead for only the second time this season – the first brought a further seven goals against Bournemouth – but a relatively small scoreline needs to be placed in the context of Rangers’ limitations.