Liverpool 2-1 Lille: Mo Salah and Harvey Elliott strike as The Reds qualify for the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League

Mohamed Salah scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool as Arne Slot’s men qualified for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Lille at Anfield.

The Egyptian forward netted his 22nd goal of what is proving to be a stellar campaign with a clinical finish on 34 minutes as The Reds went on to make it seven wins from seven in the continent’s top-tier competition this season.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the second half when Aissa Mandi received a second yellow card, but still levelled through Jonathan David, before Harvey Eliott’s heavily-deflected strike 23 minutes from time ensured the Merseysiders of a top-two finish in the league phase.

The defeat ends Lille’s 21-match unbeaten run with Les Dogues dropping out of the top eight into 11th spot ahead of their final group stage clash at Feyenoord next Wednesday.  

Liverpool need a point to guarantee top spot at PSV Eindhoven ahead of second-placed Barcelona, who are currently three points further back with a superior goal difference.  

"It was a difficult game," he told Amazon Prime.

"We were against the team that are first in the Champions League group, so it was always going to be a complicated game here especially after going down to 10 men. We managed to equalise, and after we suffered, but I think we showed some good things even though it was 10 v 11.

 "Obviously we wanted to hold them as long as we could, but it was difficult. Today just was not our day."

On Liverpool: "They are a very good team. They might be the best in the world at the moment and they showed why."

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, as well as exclusive Premier League games across the 2024-25 season.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

On netting 50 goals in Europe for Liverpool: "Hopefully not the last one! But it’s something I’m very happy and proud about, especially because we won the game and that’s the most important thing.

"I wasn’t focused on it (the milestone) before the game to be fair."

On the threat of Lille: "They had quite a good game plan. They were unbeaten in 21 games, so they are quite a tough team. I’m glad we managed to win the game."

On his goal and the direct approach: "We recovered the ball from them, and Curtis (Jones) found a good ball and I managed to score. We were a little bit disappointed about it (their goal) because a clean sheet is very important."

On Harvey Elliott, who came off the bench to net a deflected winner: "It’s especially nice because he was injred at the beginning of the season and came back. I'm always there to help him. He's a great lad, who tries to give his best whether it's five minutes or 45 minutes. Today he was great."

On the importance of a strong pool of players: "When you want to win big tournaments, you need a big squad. We have a good one at the moment so hopefully we can." 

On whether Liverpool are best team in Europe: "I would say we are one of the best. The way we play - we help each other and have a very good game plan but this is nothing. Still in January so we need to carry on like this until the end of the season."

On UCL format: "It's quite tricky because we don't know who we're going to face. We could fae a really strong team so we're looking forward to that. We're excited about the win and see what happens next."

Barcelona's sensational 5-4 win at Benfica after hitting back from 2-4 down means The Reds are not guaranteed top spot and will need a point at PSV next week.

However, they are through to the Last 16 and will finish in the Top two.

Liverpool remain flawless in the UEFA Champions League as they snapped 10-man Lille’s 21-match unbeaten run with a 2-1 success at Anfield.

It was another landmark evening for Mo Salah as he grabbed his 50th European goal for The Reds, which is more than the tally notched by Ian Rush, Fernando Torres, Kenny Dalglish and Daniel Sturridge combined.

Harvey Elliott’s deflected strike ensured the Merseysiders matched their best ever run of seven UCL victories in a row (previously achieved in 2021-22) after Jonathan David levelled for the 10-man visitors, who had Aissa Mandi sent off.

The Reds also set a new club record for most minutes without conceding a goal in Europe (which previously stood at 572 minutes in 2005-06) prior to David’s second-half strike.

The latest win means Liverpool avoid the play-offs and qualify for the Last 16 with a game to spare.

Next up, Liverpool host Ipswich in the Premier League on Saturday before concluding the UCL Group Phase at PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. 

Lille visit Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday prior to hosting Arne Slot’s former club Feyenoord as they target a top-eight finish. 

Liverpool 2-1 Lille.

Mac Allister booked.

Elliott also booked right at the death.

Two minutes added.

The Uruguayan taps in after Chiesa's shot is well saved - but he's offside.

Still 2-1 to the home side.

It's now Benfica 4-4 Barcelona!

What a comeback by Barca.

Andre booked for a foul on Endo.

TAA on for Bradley.

It's now 4-3 in Benfica as second-placed Barca look to salvage something from a goal-fest in Lisbon.

Liverpool will qualify for the Last 16 as League Phase winners with a game to spare!

Second-placed Barcelona remain behind against Benfica late in the second half.

LATEST: Benfica 4-2 Barcelona.

Salah darts at his marker, shifts it to the right but can't squeeze a low shot past Chevalier at his near post.

The home team are bossing the majority of possession, but Lille are still a threat despite being down to 10 men.

Chiesa on for Diaz.

Gudmundsson, Mukau off.

Ismaily and Bouaddi on.