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Reuters

Sport

Oxlade-Chamberlain hits double as Liverpool trounce Genk

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - KRC Genk v Liverpool - Luminus Arena, Genk, Belgium - October 23, 2019 Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in action with KRC Genk's Jere Uronen Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

GENK, Belgium (Reuters) - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain marked his return to the Champions League arena with two superb goals as Liverpool claimed their first group stage win on the road for two years with a 4-1 triumph at Belgian club Racing Genk on Wednesday.

It was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests but two sublime finishes by Oxlade-Chamberlain, playing his first game in the competition since suffering a serious knee injury in the semi-final against Roma 18 months ago, put Liverpool in control before Sadio Mane and Mo Salah sealed the points.

Genk got a late consolation through Stephen Odey.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - KRC Genk v Liverpool - Luminus Arena, Genk, Belgium - October 23, 2019 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action with KRC Genk's Bryan Heynen REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Victory lifted Liverpool to six points, one behind Group E leaders Napoli, although the evening began on a sour note when a banner depicting striker Divock Origi was removed from the away end with Liverpool condemning it as racist. [L5N2786MF]

Liverpool had not won away from home in group play since a 7-0 win in Maribor two years ago but ended that sequence in emphatic fashion with a clinical display of firepower.

"I've definitely missed (the Champions League)," Oxlade-Chamberlain, who sat out almost the whole of last season, said. "It's nice to be back in the starting line-up and put in a performance to help the team."

It took them only two minutes for Oxlade-Chamberlain to make his mark. Receiving the ball just outside the area in a central position he took aim and fired a low shot inside the post.

Genk, who held Napoli to a 0-0 draw on matchday two after a 6-2 thrashing by Salzburg, were not about to roll over and their pace caused several alarms in the Liverpool defence.

A ball over the top released Tanzanian striker Mbwana Samatta but he shot wide and soon afterwards Paul Onuachu also got behind the Liverpool defence but was denied by Alisson.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - KRC Genk v Liverpool - Luminus Arena, Genk, Belgium - October 23, 2019 KRC Genk's Jere Uronen in action with Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

A wide-open match then saw Liverpool go close to a second goal when Roberto Firmino's clever flick release Mane inside the area but his shot was saved by Gaëtan Coucke.

The chances came thick and fast and Liverpool had a let-off in the 26th minute when Samatta's bullet header beat Alisson but his celebrations were cut short when referee Slavko Vincic disallowed it and a lengthy VAR check backed up the most marginal of offside decisions.

Genk were still in the hunt but Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool breathing space in the 57th minute with a goal of supreme skill. Firmino played the ball back to the former Arsenal man and he dug out a first-time shot with the outside of his right foot that flew past Coucke and in off the bar.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - KRC Genk v Liverpool - Luminus Arena, Genk, Belgium - October 23, 2019 Liverpool's Sadio Mane scores their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Mane gave the scoreline a rather flattering look when he finished off a superb move after 77 minutes and Salah rubbed salt into the hosts' wounds with a silky turn and deft finish as Genk finally began to run out of steam.

Liverpool's win made it a full house for the four English clubs in Champions League action this week with Chelsea winning earlier and Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.