Liverpool cruised from there and secured not only the win, but a direct berth to the round of 16 in the Champions League. Skipping the first round of the knockout stage will give the Reds time to regroup and focus on maintaining their pace in the Premier League amid challengers.

By Lori Ewing LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -Liverpool booked their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Lille on Tuesday at Anfield, thanks to goals from talisman Mohamed Salah and substitute Harvey Elliott.

Liverpool secured victory over Lille at Anfield as Arne Slot's men guarantee a top-eight finish in the Champions League group stage

The latest Liverpool transfer news as the Lille striker was on the scoresheet in the 2-1 Champions League win on Tuesday night.

Liverpool maintained their 100% winning record in the Champions League league phase as they booked their place in the round-of-16 courtesy of a 2-1 win over Lille. Goals in each half from Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott secured the victory as the Reds ensured at least a top two finish by claiming their seventh successive win.

There was no sign of Jota in team training on Monday, ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Lille in midweek, and Slot provided an update on both Jota and Joe Gomez in his pre-match press conference.

Follow 5 Live commentary and live text as Monaco host Aston Villa and Liverpool face Lille in the Champions League.

Liverpool vs. Lille is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Liverpool vs. Lille (plus more Champions League fixtures) for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

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.

Aston Villa’s hopes of automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16 took a blow after a 1-0 loss to Monaco on Tuesday, while Atalanta won big to keep up its strong campaign.