Liverpool overwhelmed Marseille to win a third successive Champions League Group A game and reach the last 16. Steven Gerrard won a penalty on four minutes and although his spot-kick was saved by Steve Mandanda, the Liverpool captain crashed home the rebound. Fernando Torres then scored a superb solo goal, beating a posse of Marseille players before curling the ball in. Early in the second half Dirk Kuyt swept home a third and in stoppage time Ryan Babel broke clear for the fourth.

Written off after gaining just one point from their opening three matches, Rafa Benitez's side roared back with successive victories over Besiktas, Porto and in France, scoring 16 goals in the process.

Labels: champions league, fernando torres