Arne Slot’s Liverpool made it seven wins from seven in the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Lille, maintaining their spot at the top of the group. Through to the Last 16 with a game to spare, Liverpool faced a Lille side unbeaten in 21 matches, making for a tight start. But in the 34th minute, a moment of Salah brilliance—finishing a lovely pass from Jones—put the Reds ahead at halftime. Lille fought back in the 62nd minute, with Jonathan David converting a rebound to level the score. However, Liverpool responded swiftly. Just five minutes later, Elliott’s deflected shot off Mukau gave the Reds the lead once more. While Lille outperformed their xG of 0.47, Liverpool was held to a slightly underwhelming 2.23 xG despite creating plenty of chances. It wasn’t a flawless performance, but another crucial win to keep their perfect European run intact. Thanks for joining us; we hope you enjoyed the match!
END OF MATCH 90+4′
Commentary:– 90+1′ Nunez has it at the back of the net!
In the dying moments of the match, Nunez finds the back of the net, but his celebration is quickly cut short as the goal is ruled offside. Chiesa takes a shot from the left, forcing a superb low save from Chevalier. Nunez is in position to tap in the rebound, but he immediately knows it won’t stand. Or at least, that’s what we thought.
Harvey Elliot celebrates his goal with team mate Chiesa
Commentary:- 67′ GOAL!!! H.Elliot(Liverpool · Midfielder #19)
Liverpool 2 – 1 LOSC
67′ GOOOAAALLL!!! Liverpool 2-1 Lille, and it’s Harvey Elliott with the goal! What a response! The Reds win a corner on the left, and Tsimikas delivers. The ball is cleared, but Elliott reacts quickly, hitting a powerful low volley that deflects off Mukau and past a wrong-footed Chevalier. He won’t mind how it went in—his first goal in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League and his first since October 26, 2022, when he scored against Ajax. What a crucial moment for Elliott and the team!
Commentary:- 62′ GOAL!!! J. David(LOSC · Striker #9)
Liverpool 1 – 1 LOSC
1-1! Lille equalize through David! The visitors break forward, and Gudmundsson finds space behind the defence on the left, delivering a perfect pull-back. Haraldsson’s shot is blocked, but David is quick to pounce on the rebound and fires it past Alisson. That’s his fifth goal in the 2024 Champions League and 18th this season.
Commentary:- 59′ Red Card for Lille!
59′ Red card for Mandi! The Lille defender sees red after a rash challenge on Luis Díaz. Elliott played a brilliant pass for Díaz to chase, but the already-booked Mandi clumsily tripped him, earning himself a second yellow card. A needless foul that leaves Lille down to 10 men.
Substitution:- 46’
Mac Allister (IN) – Curtis Jones (OUT)
46′ Substitution for Liverpool: Alexis Mac Allister comes on for Curtis Jones, who unfortunately had to be replaced after picking up an earlier knock. It’s a shame to see Jones go off, but Mac Allister brings fresh energy to the midfield as we look to extend our lead in the second half.
Commentary:– Halftime
Half-time at Anfield, and Liverpool lead Lille 1-0. It’s been a tense and tight first half, with Lille having the best chance early on. Inside the first minute, Gudmundsson broke free on the left and fired a powerful shot that narrowly missed Alisson’s left post. After that, the game became a scrappy affair, with both sides conceding a few fouls. But Liverpool eventually settled and broke through Lille’s press. Tsimikas made a crucial steal from David, sparking a rapid counter-attack. Jones played a perfect ball to Salah, who coolly lobbed Chevalier to score his 50th European goal for the Reds. Just before the break, Salah almost doubled his tally, racing onto a long pass from Diaz, muscling past Gudmundsson, but his low shot slid just wide of the left post. A dominant showing from Liverpool, and we head into the second half with a well-deserved lead.
Commentary:– 44′ Salah!
That could’ve been a sensational goal! Diaz plays a brilliant long ball, and Salah uses his sheer strength to outmuscle Gudmundsson. He races through, slots the ball under Chevalier, but it just drifts wide of the left post. Incredible body control and power from the Egyptian king—he nearly made it two!
Commentary:- 34′ GOOOAAALLL!!!
Liverpool 1-0 LOSC Lille. Mo Salah strikes again! Tsimikas wins the ball off David and sends us on a lightning counter. Jones plays a perfect through ball, and Salah makes no mistake, delicately lifting it over Chevalier with a beautiful curling dink. That’s his third goal in this season’s Champions League! The Reds are off to a flying start, and Anfield is buzzing!
Lille’s Bafode Diakite in action with Darwin Nunez
Commentary :- 1’
Gudmundsson charges forward for Lille, making a quick break. He unleashes a shot, but it narrowly misses Alisson’s left post, much to our relief.
INSIGHTS
- Liverpool’s only prior encounter with Lille in European competition took place in the 2009-10 UEFA Europa League. The Reds advanced from the Last 16 with a 3-1 aggregate victory. Despite losing 1-0 away, we came back strong with a dominant 3-0 win at Anfield. That victory secured our place in the next round, proving our resilience on the European stage.
- Lille have faced English clubs in the UEFA Champions League 10 times, but they’ve only won once. With a record of 2 draws and 7 losses, they’ve struggled to make an impact. Their sole victory against an English side came in November 2005, when they managed to beat Manchester United 1-0 at home, but since then, they’ve faltered against Premier League teams.
- French sides have had little success when visiting Anfield in major European competitions. Only Marseille in 2007 and Lyon in 2009 have managed to leave with victories. Out of 15 attempts, only those two teams have tasted victory, with 12 of those trips ending in defeat. In fact, the only team to keep a clean sheet at Anfield in those 15 visits was Marseille in 2007, with a 1-0 win.
- Our record at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League is nothing short of remarkable. Liverpool have won the last 10 group-stage or league-phase matches at home, scoring 22 goals and conceding just three. The last team to avoid defeat or keep a clean sheet at Anfield in the group/league phase was Atalanta back in November 2020, when we handed them a 2-0 loss.
- This season, Liverpool has been unstoppable in the Champions League, winning all six of their matches. Even more impressive, we’ve managed to keep a clean sheet in the last five games. If we win again in our upcoming match, we will become only the second team in history to win six consecutive Champions League games while maintaining a clean sheet in each, joining the ranks of Leeds United from the 1969-70 season.
