Liverpool dominated with four goals within 14 minutes, securing a resounding 6-1 victory over Sparta Prague to advance to the Europa League quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen required two stoppage-time goals to edge past Qarabag.
AC Milan, Marseille, Roma and West Ham United also secured their spots in the quarterfinals draw for Friday.
Despite already leading 5-1 from the first leg, Jurgen Klopp opted for a strong Liverpool lineup, a decision that paid off handsomely as they remain in contention for multiple trophies.
Darwin Nunez and 19-year-old Bobby Clark initiated the scoring spree for Klopp's side, with Mohamed Salah adding his 20th goal of the season in his first club start since January 1.
Cody Gakpo added the fourth goal before Liverpool eased off the pressure ahead of their upcoming FA Cup clash with Manchester United. Veljko Birmancevic pulled one back for Sparta, but Dominik Szoboszlai and Gakpo completed the rout in the second half.
"It was an amazing win - and an amazing first 15 minutes," said Gakpo after an 11-2 aggregate victory. It's what we had in mind. It shows the confidence in the team at the moment."
There has been significant speculation linking Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso as a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. His team has maintained an unbeaten record across all competitions this season, largely due to Patrik Schick's late heroics, securing a 3-2 victory over Qarabag in stoppage time and progressing 5-4 on aggregate.
Schick's decisive contributions also featured in the first leg, where Leverkusen overcame a 2-0 deficit, with Schick finding the net in added time.
Leverkusen found themselves trailing at home against the Azeri champions, with Abdellah Zoubir and Juninho putting Qarabag ahead. However, Qarabag's disadvantage was compounded when Elvin Cafarguliyev received a red card, leaving them with 10 men.
Leverkusen capitalized on this, with Jeremie Frimpong and Schick reducing the deficit before Schick sealed the win with a late header.
In another fixture, West Ham overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg against Freiburg to secure a spot in the European quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen scored to overturn the tie before halftime, with Aaron Cresswell and Mohammed Kudus adding to the scoreline.
Kudus's goal, in particular, showcased his individual brilliance as he ran from deep within his own half through Freiburg's midfield and defense to secure a record European win for David Moyes' side before smashing home a shot from the edge of the box.
"Obviously we've got two or three exceptional individual players who helped us get goals," said Moyes. "It was a brilliant performance for us to win by five."
Brighton faced an insurmountable task, unable to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit despite securing a 1-0 victory over Roma. Danny Welbeck's goal ensured the Seagulls concluded their inaugural European campaign on a positive note.
Benfica dashed Rangers' hopes of advancing further in the Europa League with a 1-0 victory in the pouring Glasgow rain, progressing 3-2 on aggregate. Rafa Silva's composed finish, assisted by Angel Di Maria, sealed the win despite initially being flagged offside.
AC Milan, seven-time European champions, comfortably advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over 10-man Slavia Prague. Goals from Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leao secured victory before halftime.
Villarreal halted Jean-Louis Gasset's unbeaten streak as Marseille manager with a 3-1 win in Spain. However, the victory came too late for the Spaniards as they were eliminated 5-3 on aggregate.
Atalanta secured their quarterfinal spot by defeating Sporting Lisbon 2-1 at home, progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
(With AFP inputs)
