‘OSIMHEN INJURY HELPED US BEAT GALATASARAY’ – SLOT CONFESSES AFTER LIVERPOOL’S BIG WIN

Liverpool FC head coach Arne Slot has admitted that the early injury to Victor Osimhen played a crucial role in his team’s dominant win over Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League.

Liverpool produced a stunning comeback, overturning a first-leg deficit to secure a 4-0 victory at Anfield and advance 4-1 on aggregate into the quarter-finals. However, the turning point came just 10 minutes into the game when Osimhen collided with Ibrahima Konaté and suffered a serious forearm injury.

The Nigerian striker, who had been a constant threat, was forced off at half-time, leaving Galatasaray without their key attacking outlet. From that moment, the Turkish side lost momentum and struggled to contain Liverpool’s relentless pressure in the second half.

Slot acknowledged Osimhen’s influence, admitting his absence changed the game entirely.

“Osimhen is an incredible player. The injury worked in our favour, but before that, Galatasaray were playing really well with him leading the line,” he said.

Osimhen had been instrumental in the first leg, assisting Mario Lemina’s winner and previously scoring against Liverpool in the group stage—making him the biggest threat heading into the clash.

Galatasaray later confirmed the striker suffered a fractured forearm, with surgery likely—dealing a major blow to their push for both the league title and domestic cup.