LIVERPOOL showed its position in the round of 16 of the Champions League after beating Lille 2-1.
The Reds made it seven wins out of seven with the victory over Lille to triumph on 21 points and secure automatic progression.
Liverpool can still get stuck in the most sensible spot in the final round, after second-placed Barcelona beat Benfica 5-4 in an incident-ridden derby.
While Aston Villa lost the chance to check their position in the round of 16 after losing 1-0 in Monaco.
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Head over to the SunSport football page for more reaction to tonight’s bonkers Champions League night.
Liverpool enthusiasts can come back and watch tomorrow’s action knowing that the most sensible in the table still has confidence heading into next week’s final matchday.
Can Arsenal, Man City and Celtic put themselves in a position of strength? We’ll see tomorrow.
Will other tragedies come tomorrow? With a little luck!
Here’s what awaits us (8 p. m. unless otherwise noted)
OptaJoe say Arne slot is only the second manager in Champions League history to win his first seven games in charge of a club.
That feat was previously only done by Hansi Flick when at Bayern a few years ago.
Mo Salah claimed his 50th European goal for Liverpool as Arne Slot’s side stuck a red flag on the summit of the Champions League table.
Harvey Elliott continued the astonishing first crusade for the Dutchman who succeeded Jurgen Klopp.
For while the German will go down as one of Anfield’s true icons, history so far suggests Slot could, in time, be at least as revered. At least at this rate.
Elliott’s 67th goal against a team reduced to ten men at the start of the second half meant Slot’s men equaled the club’s run of seven consecutive wins in the competition, a streak established, of course, thanks to Klopp.
However, while many within the Kop feared his departure last summer would mean a softening of his intentions, the existing squad is improving.
Aston Villa discovered the hard way.
The last global position in which you can be deficient is Monte Carlo.
Unai Emery brought his Premier stars to the millionaires’ playground in the South of France.
But in front of watching royalty – Villa fan Prince William – his side performed like paupers.
Wilfried Singo’s first-half header was enough to sink Villa, who had 82 minutes to put things right but were never close.
They came out painfully until the end, deservedly defeated by the Monegasque children full of life.
Jonathan David may have added a few more million to his fortune after his goal at Anfield tonight.
The Lille man is hot property at the minute and has been linked with Newcastle, Arsenal and the Reds in the last couple of days, labelling the latter of those the ‘best team in the world’.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, he said: “We played first in the Champions League set-up so we knew it was going to be a tough game even more so when we went down to 10. It’s frustrating that we looked to hold on for so long. ” as we can, but it is very difficult.
“Today wasn’t our day. The togetherness. Everyone is very solid and compact. We want to play and play our game this is how we’re going to get further.
“They are a very smart team. I think they can be the world team right now. “
A dominant night for Liverpool despite a real start in first gear.
Lille with a lot of ball and 461 passes is not an easy task at Anfield on a Champions League night.
Mo Salah admits to being proud of Liverpool’s historic moment after his 50th European goal for the club.
But he admits that he hopes it may not be the club’s last step.
He told Amazon Prime: “Hopefully not the last one but I’m very proud of it. I wasn’t focused on it before the game.
“They have a smart game plan and were unbeaten for 21 games, so they are a pretty tough team. I’m satisfied that we controlled to win this game.
“We got the ball and Curtis played the ball very well finally and I managed to score.”
It was a dramatic evening, but we know that first position will go to Liverpool or Barcelona.
The Reds are in a very strong position after winning all seven games and are 3 points ahead of Barça with the last matchday remaining.
Liverpool are at PSV, Barca host Atalanta.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa are in a right piece for the very sensible eight, knowing they will have to beat Celtic next week!
Benfica boss Bruno Lage has taken a leaf out the Phil Brown playbook.
The furious Portuguese boss remained on the field to give them a dressing in the pouring rain.
The players still seemed surprised to ruined this game and, despite everything, having lost.
What a sensational night of drama in the Champions League.
Here are the results:
Wow wow wow, what a magnificent ending to the game and quite a comeback!
Raphinha is already at Barça!
Benfica were pressing and the idea that they had a penalty for a push at the back.
Ferran Torres smashes it long and Raphinha is on the halfway line to run clean through. He drives in towards goal and waits to beat the defender on the inside before smashing beyond the keeper.
Down 4-2 in the 78th minute, Barça won with the final shot. Extraordinary.
Job made for Liverpool at Anfield and the most sensible point, and they verify their position in the eight most sensible.
The goal of Harvey Elliott, the difference after Lille’s 10 -year equalizer, Jonathan David.
Now it will be difficult to catch them at the most sensible time . . .
Liverpool 2-1 Lille
JULIAN ALVAREZ with the winner!
The Leverkusen players give in as referee in this case.
Correa gets a path and a touch on its way, the box is a giant pass for Álvarez.
Kovar comes out to close the angle and the attacker collapses around him and hits the void from a tight angle.
It was game on for 60 seconds or so…
Magnificent counterattack finished by Fabian Rieder who is placed in front of the goalkeeper. Work done.
The return is complete for Spanish giants!
They were piling up the tension and it comes from a corner taken short through Pedri and his crunch crossed Eric Garcia to plant a header past the goalkeeper.
Wild scenes as the visitors celebrate but where was the Benfica marking!?
Idjessi Metsoko with what makes things interesting!
Barseghyan with a stunning through ball for Metsoko who takes a great touch into the box and a clever dinked finish beyond the keeper.
Each game in balance between the early stages, because Slovan Bratislava has scored!
? Atletico Madrid 1-1 Leverkusen ?
Benfica 4-3 Barcelona
Bologna 2-1 Dortmund
Brugge Club 0-0 Juventus
Liverpool 2-1 Lille ?
Red Star 2-3 PSV ?
Slovan Bratislava 1-2 Stuttgart
A return is on the line when Red Star gets one back!
Ivanic’s cross from the corner unearths NASSER DJIGA who directs it hard under the crossbar and goes in!
Liverpool opposed Lille a little sloppily, but for a while.
Jonathan David equalised five minutes after Alissa Mandi earned a second yellow card.
But there is a force and a presence about the team of Arne Slot and Harvey Elliott scored his first European purpose in Anfield to send and then extra on the to dominate the table of the Champions League. And then some.
Oh referee, you bottled it!
He’s been itching and itching to level the teams up and crumbled under the pressure Atletico Madrid’s theatrics and their supporters’ noise.
Emphasis, a victim of the collapse of the referee, received a second yellow card for an elbow shock in the right edge of the area.
Let’s start playing in Lisbon!
Again, it’s Robert Lewandowski and it’s still the place.
The resolution is very serious because Lamine Yamal falls easily, but the Polish shooter is wrong.
Home in it? Keep running to do it to the ten men like Cherif Ndiaye does.
Smart header. Too little too late?
What change: Bologna lost 90 seconds ago and now lead Samuel Iling Junior of England.
A few seconds after restarting, they won the ball and Anton Dallinga’s weak defense again, but the goalkeeper saves his efforts.
But he gently falls on Iring Junior by 8 meters. Incredible investment.
Just as it looked like being game on, it’s not again!
Benfica took the lead again and it was an own goal by Araujo. A giant ball inside the box is picked up at the far post and when played in the six-yard box, Araujo beats Wojciech Szczęsny and deflects it into his own goal.
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