Arne Slot was delighted to see Mohamed Salah back on the scoresheet for Liverpool in the Champions League and hopes his team can all take confidence from their big win over Qarabag.

The Reds have stuttered in the Premier League this year, failing to win any of their five matches so far, but they secured their last 16 spot in Europe's premier competition in style.

They thrashed Qarabag 6-0, with Salah on the scoresheet, along with Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa.

Salah has now scored 251 goals for Liverpool in all competitions – but his strike against Qarabag was the first to come from a direct free-kick.

The Egyptian left for the Africa Cup of Nations with a cloud over his Liverpool future, but has slotted straight back into the side, and Slot is hoping to build on the morale-boosting victory.

"It's always about the team, and the team has to make sure that he gets in good positions," Slot said in his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Newcastle United.

"That's what we are doing more and more, not only with him but with many players.

"I have said recently that our game in between both boxes is good enough for our attackers to be often in promising positions, and we know that if this happens enough times, then our players will do what we expect of them because they have so much quality.

"You were talking about Mo, but a great example might also be Florian [Wirtz], who was three minutes before the end against Bournemouth in exactly the same position as he was when he scored for 2-0 [against Qarabag]. In Bournemouth, he decided to play a through pass, and now [against Qarabag] he went on and scored.

"This is how football works – sometimes the ball hits the post, sometimes the bar. Sometimes you make the wrong decisions, sometimes the execution is not perfect.

"But I was really pleased for Mo that he scored that goal because, no matter how much he has scored for this club, it is always good to be on the scoresheet, as it was for Federico [Chiesa] as well, and for Florian. That always gives a bit of confidence to the team, but also to individuals."

Liverpool sit sixth in the Premier League heading into the weekend, though are just two points behind Manchester United in fourth.

Winless in five, Slot will be hoping the Reds can change their fortunes in the top-flight on Saturday, having gone unbeaten in their last 18 Premier League games against Newcastle (W13 D5).

And the Dutchman conceded they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they want to confirm their place in the Champions League next term.

"It's obvious that the closer you come to the end, the less chance you have to make a mistake," he added.

"We are now in a position that we cannot afford a lot of mistakes anymore because we have made far too many. When I say mistakes, I mean giving away goals in the last minutes, or we don't do any justice on the performance in terms of the score.

"So, it is clear and obvious that the closer you come to the end, then there is not a lot of room for mistakes anymore."