Gary Lineker has warning for Man City after Liverpool smash Rangers

Gary Lineker has warned Premier League champions Manchester City that Liverpool’s season has “finally started” after their 7-1 Champions League demolition of Rangers at Ibrox. Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled to get out of first gear since the start of the campaign but there is now optimism the ruthless thrashing of their Group A opponents could prove to be a turning point.

Roberto Firmino got the ball rolling with an easy header from a corner after Rangers went ahead through former Burnley midfielder Scott Arfield, who finished brilliantly past Alisson. The Brazilian then netted a second after the interval to put the visitors ahead before teeing up Darwin Nunez for a fine third goal.

A six-minute hat-trick from Mohamed Salah – the fastest in Champions League history – then cut Rangers to shreds before Harvey Elliott got in the act by adding a seventh goal that was eventually awarded following an extensive VAR check.

Liverpool now host Manchester City in the Premier League and Match of the Day presenter Lineker is adamant the Reds could now be coming up the hill.

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

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“The best football team in the world right now is coming to Anfield on Sunday. It’s not that we come with a big mouth and say: ‘We are waiting.’ This was for different reasons incredibly important for us.

“We had a really positive half-time talk. We showed the boys which spaces we could play in. In the end we needed to get clearer in the final third, which obviously worked out.”

The Liverpool boss was in good spirits in Glasgow, even making a joke out of Liverpool’s recent struggles on the road.

“It changes the mood, definitely,” Klopp said. “It is completely different. We usually drink a beer after away games, but it is that long [since we won away] that I will probably be drunk after one.

“We all know who we are welcoming on Sunday and this will be a different game. But it’s better to go into the game feeling like we do tonight.”

Liverpool played out two 2-2 thrillers with Manchester City in their two Premier League meetings last season.

The Reds did get the better of City in the FA Cup semi-final though, winning the match 3-2 at Wembley Stadium.

Three months later, the Reds scored two late goals to beat City 3-1 in the Community Shield at Leicester, a result that would provide false optimism for the season.