Match report and talking points as the Reds book a Champions League last 16 place

FROM ANFIELD – Liverpool secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League by beating 10th-placed Lille 2-1 at Anfield on Tuesday.

The Reds looked set for a simple night when Aissa Mandi was given his marching orders with his side already within a Mohamed Salah goal in the first half. But Jonathan David’s strike ensured the hosts were made to work for a victory sealed by Harvey Elliott’s second-half effort deflection.

Victory for Liverpool coupled with Barcelona’s defeat at Benfica means they will qualify for the next round as group winners.

How it unfolded

As was the case with the majority of LiverpoolThis season’s fixtures have seen a close start to proceedings at Anfield. As such, by the half-hour mark, both sides had managed just one shot, with neither managing to test the keeper.

However, it was at that point that Liverpool flourished, starting a series of chances created late in the half by scoring through Salah. The Egyptian finished off a swift counterattack that began with a tackle on Kostas Tsimika, running onto Curtis Jones’ pass and finishing with customary composure.

And he almost ended the half with another goal in similar circumstances, taking a superb first touch past Gabriel Gudmondsson but this time sending his effort wide of the post.

Salah was almost on the scoresheet again after the restart but missed an effort after a well-timed build-up, a chance followed by Liverpool following Jarell Quansah’s header from a free-kick.

However, the mounting pressure soon showed in a different way, with Lille reduced to ten after Mandy was shown a second yellow card for tripping Luis Diaz as he looked to go in behind.

But if that moment was supposed to spell the end of the game as a contest, then clearly no one had told the visitors, who leveled things shortly after when David headed home inside the box after the home side failed to chase the cross from the left. .

That joy was short-lived, however, with a huge piece of possession restoring Liverpool’s lead, a crucial deflection from Ngal’Ayel Mukau ensuring Elliott’s low strike nestled into the back of the net.

From there, Liverpool largely took things in stride, ensuring their upcoming trip to PSV Eindhoven will have very little riding on it.

See the player ratings for Liverpool 2-1 Lille here.

So a significant offside may have helped, but Harvey Elliott’s crucial goal here offered even more evidence that the youngster still has a big part to play for Liverpool this season.

The 21-year-old has struggled for minutes under Arne Slott but strengthened his claim for more involvement by coming off the bench to play a key role in the two goals that beat Brentford at the weekend.

And he was similarly impressive here, pulling a stubborn Lille line here and there before unleashing the strike that restored Liverpool’s advantage. Surely Kouloheris can no longer ignore a player who is not only one for the future, but clearly one for now as well.

Liverpool would have known going into this game that the possibility of securing passage to the last 16 of the Champions League promised benefits beyond a better knockout tie.

And they will reap the benefits of that next week when they travel to PSV Eindhoven to complete this leg of the competition. The slot will now have the luxury of naming a fully rotated team and leaving some big guns behind for a earned rest.

Barcelona’s late heroics against Benfica ensure they are the only club who can catch Liverpool at the top of the league table, yet there is no difference in seeding between first and second place. Liverpool’s guaranteed place as one of the top two means they will play one of the teams that finish 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th in the round of 16.

Despite conceding a goal here, this was another performance that will ease concerns about a perceived recent defensive wobble from Liverpool.

David’s strike represented Lille’s only shot on target, and their threat was dealt with expertly even when the sides were level at 11-11.

That owed much to a brilliant collective effort that secured a new club record for minutes without conceding a goal in Europe, beating the previous benchmark of 572 set under Rafa Benitez.

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