Champions League: Liverpool beat Lille to reach last 16

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. The victory was achieved through goals from talisman Mohamed Salah and substitute Harvey Elliott. Arne Slot’s men maintained their 100 per cent record and top the 36-team table with 21 points, three points clear of second-placed Barcelona with one game of the league phase remaining. Lille are 11th with 13 points. SEE ALSO: Cricket: Nigeria makes history, claims first world cup win Salah netted his 50th European goal for Liverpool in the 34th minute when he sprinted onto a long pass from Curtis Jones after Kostas Tsimikas won the ball inside the Reds’ half, and then curled a shot around goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. “We got the ball and Curtis played the ball very well finally and I managed to score,” Salah said. In spite of being reduced to 10 men when Aissa Mandi was shown his second yellow card in the 59th minute for his tackle on Luis Diaz. Jonathan David levelled for the visitors three minutes later when he hammered home the loose ball after Hakon Arnar Haraldsson’s shot was blocked. The strike was David’s fifth in the Champions League this season and only the second Liverpool had conceded, with the first coming in their opening game at AC Milan. “Not switched off but they went to counter-attack and managed to score,” Salah said. “The clean sheet is very important to us and our backline.” Liverpool quickly regained the lead when a corner was headed out to the edge of the box and Elliott fired a crisp shot that took a wild deflection into the net in the 67th minute. Darwin Nunez celebrated what he thought was Liverpool’s third goal just before added time, but it was chalked off for offside. SEE ALSO: Nottingham Forest wins at Wolves, closes gap on leaders Liverpool Lille showed why they are unbeaten in 21 successive games in all competitions inside the opening minute on Tuesday when Gabriel Gudmundsson’s shot from outside of the box sailed just wide of the net. Salah squandered several terrific chances. He could not quite connect with Diaz’s square ball in the first half, and then had only the keeper to beat in the 44th minute but shot wide of the post. Liverpool travel to PSV Eindhoven for their final match of the league phase on Jan. 29, while Lille host Feyenoord.

Champions League: Arsenal Return With A Bang, Madrid Win; Man United Lose

Arsenal made a triumphant return to the Champions League, securing a resounding 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium in their first campaign in six years. The Gunners displayed an electrifying first-half performance, storming to a 3-0 lead on a rainy night in north London. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring after eight minutes, capitalizing on a rebound when PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez could only parry Martin Odegaard’s shot into the path of the England winger. Saka played a crucial role again, setting up Leandro Trossard’s goal to double Arsenal’s lead 12 minutes later after Gabriel Jesus broke clear. Jesus continued his impressive performance, adding Arsenal’s third seven minutes before half-time with a powerful rising shot that left Benitez with no chance. In the second half, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made several changes with an eye on Sunday’s derby against in-form Tottenham, but his team maintained complete control. Odegaard sealed the victory with a powerful 20-yard strike, making it 4-0 with 20 minutes remaining. In another Champions League match, Manchester United faced a tough challenge against Bayern Munich, with Harry Kane playing a pivotal role in his new team’s 4-3 victory. Kane contributed an assist and scored from the penalty spot, bringing his goal tally this season to five in all competitions. United’s Rasmus Hojland scored his first goal for the club early in the second half, giving them a glimmer of hope at 2-1. However, an error by goalkeeper Andre Onana allowed Leroy Sane’s shot to slip under him in the 28th minute, giving Bayern a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, Serge Gnabry scored a precise low shot to make it 2-0. United made an effort to mount a comeback, but injuries and a lack of options from the bench hampered their ability to compete. Casemiro managed to score a second goal for United, providing a glimmer of hope, but Mathys Tel’s late strike for Bayern sealed the 4-2 victory. In another Champions League match of the night, Jude Bellingham secured a late 1-0 victory for Real Madrid with an injury-time tap-in against Union Berlin at the Santiago Bernabeu. This marked Bellingham’s sixth goal in six matches since joining Real Madrid this summer. Federico Valverde’s 94th-minute shot deflected into Bellingham’s path, allowing him to tap into an empty net. Union Berlin, making their Champions League debut, were unable to respond in the final minute, as Real Madrid claimed the late win.