Gary Lineker responds to Liverpool thrashing of Rangers with major claim

Gary Lineker has claimed Liverpool's season has 'finally started' after they thumped Rangers 7-1 at Ibrox.

The Reds put aside their domestic problems to pick up a third consecutive win in the Champions League. Roberto Firmino's brace either side of half-time turned around an early Scott Arfield opener before a six-minute Mohamed Salah hat-trick, plus goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, took Jurgen Klopp's side onto nine points in Group A.

Despite a litany of injuries hampering the squad, Liverpool 's second-half performance seemed to answer every question from the last few weeks, with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk solid in defence, Firmino outstanding throughout and Salah returning to his devastating best.

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And after the final whistle in Glasgow, former Leicester, Barcelona and Tottenham striker Lineker hailed a return to the norm for Klopp's men.

He tweeted: "Liverpool’s season appears to have finally started."

Old problems looked to have resurfaced just after 15 minutes when Fabio Carvalho was dispossessed and Rangers pounced, working the ball to Arfield who fired home. But two goals from the outstanding Firmino turned the game around before Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side folded. Nunez scored a third 11 minutes later and then Salah scored three in six minutes to end any chance of a comeback.

An excellent night for Liverpool was capped off by Elliott's first Champions League goal on 87 minutes, when the 19-year-old latched onto a loose ball to slot home. The goal was initially ruled out for VAR, but a lengthy review - in which Elliott and Salah waited excitedly for the result - overturned the decision to hand the Reds star his first goal in European competition.

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