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Attack was the order of the day when Liverpool took on Spartak Moscow looking to secure a place in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, with both sides fielding arguably their most talented lineups and going for goals in the final group stage game.
The better side on the night wasn’t even close, as the host Reds romped to a 7-0. It was a scoreline that hardly flattered them such was the quality of their attacking play and the limited threat Spartak offered in response, but Sadio Mané says that was thanks to the team, not just the attack.
"I'm very happy to play alongside all these great players,” Mané told the club’s official website following the match. "I'm enjoying playing, they make it easier for me, so I'm happy for that. Everybody has spoken about it, but the whole performance of the team was always great.
"Without them, we are nothing, so it's everybody. The whole performance of the team was great tonight. We played fantastic football and we deserved to win because we created many chances and scored without conceding."
It was a performance that quickly put away any doubts of advancement and rendered Liverpool’s earlier Champions League stumbles—dropped points against Sevilla twice and Spartak in their first match against them—something of a distant memory.
It was, in short, Liverpool at their flowing, interchanging, attacking best, and it augers well for a busy holiday schedule that could go a long way to determining their success in the league now that they have at least assured themselves of a place in the Champions League in the new year.
“Every striker loves to score for his team," Mané added. "That's what I tried to do tonight and I'm very happy to be on the scoresheet [and] we won the game so we are happy."