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Liverpool 2-1 Lille: Elliott’s winner keeps Reds perfect in new Champions League format

Mohamed Salah scored early and Harvey Elliott scored late, and that was all Liverpool needed to beat Lille at Anfield on Tuesday and move to 7-for-7 perfect in the newly formatted UEFA Champions League group stage.

MORE - Arne Slot, Mo Salah, Harvey Elliott reaction

The Reds were already through to the round of 16 with a bye from the first knockout round ahead of game no. 7 (of 8), yet Arne Slot elected to retain six starters from the weekend in the first XI for a game with no tangible consequence to his side.

MORE — Who can qualify for Champions League last 16?

Salah’s goal was his 50th in European competition for Liverpool, and it was a classically Salah goal as he raced in behind Lille’s defense to take Curtis Jones’ perfectly weighted through ball and lift it over the out-rushing goalkeeper with his first touch from outside the box. Lightning quick, expertly timed and deftly dispatched. Just over five months from the expiration of his contract, the 32-year-old Egyptian superstar is still not signed for next season.

MORE - Champions League schedule | UCL live table

Player ratings - Liverpool vs Lille

What’s next?

  • Liverpool vs Ipswich — Saturday, 10 am ET
  • PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool — Wednesday, Jan. 29 (next UCL fixture
  • Lille vs Feyenoord — Wednesday, Jan. 29

Liverpool vs Lille live updates - by Andy Edwards

Liverpool vs Lille final score: 2-1

Goalscorers: Mohamed Salah (34'), Jonathan David (62'), Harvey Elliott (67')

GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Lille: Elliott fires into traffic, gets a helpful deflection (67')

GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Lille: David cleans up after a poor clearance (62')

GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Lille: Salah gets in behind, curls it home (34')

TEAM NEWS! Salah, Van Dijk start; Alexander-Arnold, Mac Allister rested

Even with a top-8 place already secured, Slot has elected to start Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and Ryan Gravenberch — all of whom started against Brentford on Saturday — while Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate are on the bench. A rare start and chance to impress for Curtis Jones, who has played just 25 total minutes in Liverpool’s last three games now that everyone in the midfield is fit.

Liverpool starting lineup

Alisson - Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas - Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai - Salah, Diaz, Nunez

Lille starting lineup

Chevalier - Mandi, Diakite, Ribeiro, Gudmondsson - Andre, Mukau, Haraldsson - Cabella, Bakker, David


How to watch Liverpool vs Lille live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 3 pm ET Tuesday (January 21)

Venue: Anfield — Liverpool

TV/Streaming: Paramount+

Liverpool have won all six of their League Phase games so far, sitting pretty at the top of the table. To confirm their spot in the top eight of the table, which guarantees a spot in the last 16 without going through the playoff round, they need a point against French upstarts Lille on Tuesday.

Slot may choose to rest some players given the heavy schedule in recent weeks but getting over the line to avoid an extra Champions League game and give them some time to rest in February is essential for their Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup hopes. Liverpool are fine with rotating their squad and substitute Darwin Nunez was their hero at Brentford at the weekend as he scored twice late on to seal a crucial win and extend their lead atop the Premier League table.

But Lille have punched well above their weight, once again, as they sit in eighth in the Champions League table and occupy the final spot to make it straight through to the last 16. The northern French side sit third in Ligue 1 and are way off leaders PSG, but they’ve flourished in the Champions League this season with wins away at Atletico Madrid, at home against Real Madrid and drawing away at Juventus.

Liverpool team news, focus

Slot has plenty of options to rotate into the lineup and the likes of Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are pushing for a start. Andy Robertson is likely to start at left back after Kostas Tsimikas started there at the weekend. Slot confirmed that Diogo Jota is out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury, with Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and of course Mohamed Salah the Reds’ starting trio in attack.

OUT: Joe Gomez (hamstring), Diogo Jota (shoulder)

Lille team news, focus

Canadian striker Jonathan David is Lille’s main threat, with 17 goals in all competitions this season. David is out of contract this summer and is attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League. Bruno Genesio’s Lille haven’t lost a game in any competition since September 17, when they lost at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, as they’re currently on a 21-game unbeaten run. They have plenty of experience in captain Benjamin Andre, midfielder Remy Cabella and defender Thomas Meunier, while Lille also have a host of talented youngsters. This is a very balanced side and both Madrid giants have slipped up after underestimating Lille this season.

Liverpool vs Lille prediction

This will be a tough game for Liverpool but they’ll find a way to get past Lille, and they may have to bring the superstars off the bench late on to do it. Liverpool 2-1 Lille.