Liverpool maintained their 100-cent record in the Champions League this season after a 2-1 win over 10-man Lille.
Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott got the goals for the home side either side of Jonathan David’s equaliser. What made that equaliser so impressive was that it came a couple of minutes after the visitors went down to 10 men following a second yellow card for Aissa Mandi.
It means Liverpool have secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League and only need one more point to finish top of the league stage.
Meanwhile, Lille are 11th in the standings and still have a chance to sign up for tonight’s hosts in the round of 16.
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GOING FURTHER
Liverpool 2 Lille 1 – Salah scores, Núñez impresses, Elliott the super substitute
Both groups have domestic matches to prepare for before next week’s Champions League decider.
Lille will face Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday, while Liverpool will face Ipswich a few hours earlier at Anfield. Then it’s time for the last Champions League matches!
Lille face Feyenoord at home while Liverpool also play against a Dutch team, travelling to Eindhoven to face PSV.
Next Wednesday’s 18 Champions League matches will begin at 8:00 p. m. GMT, 3 p. m. m. ET and 12 p. m. PT. And we’ll be covering this mega day live here on The Athletic, so be sure to sign up!
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Arne Slot was, once again, very satisfied with his players’ bet when he spoke to Prime Video after the match.
“As a manager, I’m a bit more impressed than I think the crowd were or the people that watched on television. They probably thought ‘it’s only Lille’ but I knew that they were 21 games unbeaten,” he said. “They beat Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and, without any disrespect, they’re doing this without the best players which tells you that they’re very organised and very difficult to play through.
“They are a very hard-working team, so it is not that easy. I’m satisfied with the patience we showed, not forcing passes and keeping the ball.
“The only thing I wasn’t happy about is that, for a few weeks now, one chance conceded and one goal conceded.”
What a sight for Liverpool’s eyes!
One game to go and all they need is a point to confirm top spot.
As for Lille, they are right in the hunt for a top-eight spot but it will be tough for them after tomorrow evening’s results are accounted for.
One goal of his this season for Jonathan David but, according to what he told Prime Video, enough to get a result for his team.
“They’re a very good team, they might be the best team in the world at the moment and they showed why,” said the Lille striker.
When asked what it meant for him to score at Anfield, David replied: “It’s just one more goal. It’s a very complicated match.
“I’m convinced that we managed to score, but in the end we didn’t get the three points tonight. “
As mentioned, Liverpool have conceded two goals in the Champions League this season so far: against Milan’s Christian Pulisic in their first game and against Lille’s Jonathan David tonight.
It’s a feather in CONCACAF’s cap. Pulisic, of course, is the face of this era of the USMNT, while David is the forward of a Canadian team that reached the semifinals of the Copa América 2024 last summer.
What an epic seventh day across Europe!
Barcelona have clinched a spot in the Champions League last 16 with an incredible comeback finished by a 96th-minute winner from Raphinha.
Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez was the hero of an Atletico Madrid 10-man squad with two second-half goals in the win over Bayer Leverkusen. Here is the rest of the effects of the rest of Europe on matchday seven:
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Liverpool probably deserved some other goals, but they deserved the victory and they were conceded.
Mo Salah’s first goal was his 50th at a European festival with Liverpool, and he asked what it meant to him full-time.
“I hope it’s not the last one! It’s something I’m very satisfied and proud of, especially because we won the game,” he told TNT Sports.
He then spoke about the risk Lille posed to Liverpool’s 100% Champions League record.
“They had a really good gameplan, they’re a tough team,” said Salah. “They showed that in the first and second half so I’ll give them credit. I’m glad that we won the game.”
Even if it ended in defeat, what a moment for Canadian Jonathan David at Anfield.
This ends a six-week drought without scoring a goal in all competitions for David, who last scored on December 6 against Brest.
It is not a game that will live long in the memory but Liverpool make it seven wins out of seven in the Champions League.
Raphinha’s dramatic late winner in Barcelona’s 5-4 win against Benfica means that Slot’s side aren’t quote guaranteed top spot. They will need a point away to PSV next week to secure first place but the main thing is that they are into the last 16 and bypass the play-off round in February.
Liverpool make it seven wins out of seven in the Champions League. Elliott’s deflected strike proved to be the winner.
Lille fought well, equalizing thanks to David after Mandi was sent off.
Job done.
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Firstly, it looked like Liverpool were destined for a second goal with three quality chances going in vain, not to mention Salah’s one-on-one chance that went wide in the first half immediately after his first goal.
Then, while Lille looked doomed after Aissa Mandi’s red card, it was Jonathan David who surprised Anfield with a changed rebound after a blocked Haradlsson shot.
That Liverpool temporarily regained the lead is not surprising. How surprising how: through Harvey Elliott from outside the box and through a great deflection by Ngal’ayel Mukau.
What a joy for Elliott to score his first Champions League goal of the season!
FT Liverpool 2-1 Lille
Nunez heads away the corner, and that is a seventh Champions League victory in succession for Liverpool!
They have confirmed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a game to spare.
A first defeat in four months for an impressive Lille side who still hope to join tonight’s hosts in the last 16.
90+3′ Liverpool 2-1 Lille
So now!
Will Lille manage to equalize at the end of the match?
They have a late corner after a very good tackle by Ribeiro, the goalkeeper is standing. . .
90+1′ Liverpool 2-1 Lille
Almost the icing on the cake for Liverpool, but Nunez was in offside position!
Chiesa did well to paint a meter into the Lille box and his shot like a bullet into the back corner. Once again, Chevalier is in a position to make a smart save.
Núñez was there to collect the rebound but, as he usually does, the Uruguayan was offside.
Meanwhile, three minutes have been added on.
87′ Liverpool 2-1 Lille
Another replacement for the home team as Arne Slot looks for his defense.
Bradley, who was caught in Lille’s equalizer in an otherwise impressive performance, receives a standing ovation and starting right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is in his place.
A sign of the risk that Lille represents for Slot, who still resorts to his big men a few minutes from the end.
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85′ Liverpool 2-1 Lille
Lille are not going to die wondering here — they are still looking a real threat.
Their latest foray into the Liverpool half was built on a brilliant one-touch passing sequence and it left the hosts out of shape.
Liverpool thought they had dealt with the danger, but David pinched the ball back in the penalty area and the pull back was perfect into Haraldsson’s feet.
And his effort was well taken, but Mac Allister was perfectly placed to stick a leg out and deflect it over the bar.
82′ Liverpool 2-1 Lille
In any case of the red card, the equalizer and then Elliott’s goal, I forgot to mention that Federico Chiesa had been introduced to the warm applause of Anfield, Diaz gave him.
And the Italian wasted no time in looking to influence the game. He moved well with his right foot from the left flank and fired a low, hard effort into the back corner. But once again, Chevalier equalized with a very forged save.
79′ Liverpool 2-1 Lille
This is where Salah is at his destructive best, when Liverpool are already ahead and the away team will have to push forward in search of an equaliser.
Aware that he was going to back off on his left foot, his marker gave him space on his right foot. Salah accepted this area and fired a weak right-footed shot into the back corner, but Chevalier was equal to it as he kept his legs well.
The Lille goalkeeper was forged this afternoon.