Liverpool

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool boss Arne Slot says the season is going even better than he had expected.

"You don't think after 20 games we will have that many points and I wasn't expecting us to be top with the margin we have," he told Gary Lineker in an interview for Football Focus.

"It's always nice to be up there, but nobody would have expected this. I'm the last person who would have expected [reigning champions Manchester] City to have such a bad run."

Slot signed a three-year contract with Liverpool last summer, and is already thinking how the club can improve.

"Liverpool should always be competing for a league title - we should always be competing for the Champions League. I'm hoping I will be able to keep the club at that level," he said.

"I know people sometimes question this because they haven't seen us doing a lot in the transfer market in the summer and now in the winter as well. There's a reason for that - because we're happy with the squad.

"But I do know we're definitely working on strengthening in the summer."

During his playing days, Slot was a goalscoring attacking midfielder, twice winning promotion from the Dutch second division to the Eredivisie with FC Zwolle and also playing in the Uefa Cup with NAC Breda.

But a route into coaching was a natural progression for Slot, who managed Dutch sides Cambuur, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, where he won the league title, before moving to Liverpool.

"I don't think anyone that played with me is surprised I've become a manager," he added. "It didn't take long before I thought 'I'm going to enjoy this for as long as I can and I definitely want to become a manager or a coach'."

Read the full article on Slot's rise here

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Champions League game between PSV and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: This was a game of no real consequence for us. The kids were given a run out and the first-team were rested. We are top of the leagues. Bring on Bournemouth!

Faiyaz: An atrocious performance. We deserved to lose.

Ian: I don't know what Arne Slot was thinking, but I feel sorry for the travelling fans who spent a lot of money to sit and watch a bunch of kids be totally outclassed and given the run-around. It won't have done much for their confidence.

Adrian: I'm not sure what Slot gained from this. We want to keep the winning mentality but some of the young players will be disappointed with that result. OK he gets to rest key players, but I think this backfired a little.

Vinkhu: The boys did us proud against a full first-team. We can look forward to a good team in the future. Although Bradley had a relatively poor game, most of our young stars did extremely well in the circumstances.

Alan: How can we keep a player like Elliott? He is a joke, he can't tackle and he has no pace. Please get rid - that is if anyone will take him.

Want to hear more analysis of a gripping night in the Champions League?

BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast has reaction to games involving Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City.

All four English clubs remain in the competition at the conclusion of the League Phase.

Listen on BBC Sounds

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Those finishing in the top eight automatically progress to the last 16, where they will be seeded.

They will await the winners of eight two-legged knockout play-off ties featuring the clubs ranked from ninth to 24th.

Liverpool could possibly face the following four teams - PSG, Benfica, Monaco or Brest.

Arsenal could possibly face the following four teams - AC Milan, PSV, Feyenoord or Juventus.

Aston Villa could possibly face the following four teams - Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon or Club Brugge.

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Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock praised Liverpool head coach Arne Slot on Match of the Day for the way he has rotated his squad in the Champions League.

The fixtures keep on coming for Slot's Reds, who are still competing on four fronts, so with a place in the last 16 guaranteed, Slot rested a number of key players against PSV Eindhoven.

"Job done," said Warnock. "Perfect for them to be able to rest players as that was important.

"He [Arne Slot] has taken this competition very seriously. I looked at the team last week against Lille and thought - why have you gone so strong? But it was so they were ready to rest in this game."

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Reuters

Arne Slot's return to the Netherlands might have ended in defeat.

But Liverpool still finished top of the 36-team league phase of the Champions League and will face one of Paris St-Germain, Benfica, Monaco and Brest in the last 16 in March.

Before then at least seven league and cup matches as the Premier League leaders continue to chase trophies on four fronts.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were all rested against PSV Eindhoven before the crucial game at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Instead highly-rated youngsters Jayden Danns and James McConnell were given a chance to show what they could do, while Federico Chiesa got 90 minutes in the tank after his injury problems.

Chiesa looked lively and posed a real threat as the Italy forward registered two of his side's five attempts on target.

In addition, he won the penalty which allowed Cody Gakpo to score against his former club in his home city and was also heavily involved in his side's second goal.

The key for Liverpool going forward is keeping Chiesa fit.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool midfielder James McConnell, speaking to TNT Sports: "Disappointed we didn't win the game but we topped the group thanks to the performance in the rest of the season.

"I'm proud to make my Champions League debut. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I loved playing in this atmosphere.

"The team was a bit makeshift at times with lads slotting in all over the place but we feel we should have won the game."

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In Conor Bradley, Harvey Elliott, James McConnell, and Jayden Danns, Liverpool started four players aged 21 or younger in a Champions League game for the first time since December 2006 against Galatasaray.

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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot: "It was an eventful game and I think everyone expected that before the game."

On Amara Nallo getting sent off just four minutes into his Champions League debut: "It is cruel but he has never played first team football before and to make your debut in the Champions League is probably the hardest.

"He misinterpreted the situation and it's a big moment to learn from. It is cruel when you think 'I'm making my Champions League debut,' but you go off a few minutes later.

"A career isn't always positive, it also has negatives and he has to make sure he plays in this competition again."

On James McConnell: "If I had been surprised that would mean he had not been at this level in training, but he has been competitive. I'm not surprised but you always wonder how they will react on this stage at this level. James deserves credit for his performance today."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, speaking to TNT Sports: "We can take a lot of positives from tonight and it was a chance to give the young lads a chance.

"We got our noses in front at 2-1 and then were a bit naïve, which usually doesn't happen. We tried to push when we fell behind but it just didn't happen. Results went our way elsewhere so we finish top and that's what we wanted at the start of the season."

On youngsters getting an opportunity: "They were really good. [James] McConnell was great in midfield and driving forward. Big [Jayden] Danns was great up top and held up the ball really well.

"We also had experienced players getting a chance, Federico [Chiesa] was really good and got the 90 minutes he needed."

On the new Champions League format: "Two extra games but tonight looked like carnage, the league table was all over the place, so I'm glad our place was settled.

"All the games on one night created excitement. We know whatever format it was, our aim is always to get to the last 16 and then we see if we can go further.

"I'm just glad we don't have a play-off and we're in the automatic eight. There will always be tough games so lets see who we face one they fight out in the play-offs."

Full time whistles have blown across Europe.

Liverpool claimed the top spot and are joined in the top eight by two other Premier League teams - Arsenal and Aston Villa.

That means they progress directly to the last-16.

Manchester City's 3-1 victory books their place in the knockout play-off phase alongside Celtic.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Tell us your thoughts on Liverpool's performance here

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

All four English teams take part in Wednesday's Champions League action.

• Aston Villa v Celtic

• Girona v Arsenal

• Man City v Club Brugge

• PSV v Liverpool

All kick-off times 20:00 GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown and BBC Sport's John Bennett join Ben Croucher on The Football News Show to discuss why they feel the revamped Champions League format has been a success and why we should be excited by the final round of group games on Wednesday.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

Mike Hughes
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

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As far Arne Slot is concerned there iss no such thing as a meaningless match and certainly not in the Champions League. In tonight's final game in the opening section of the Champions League, Liverpool could make it eight wins from eight if they can beat PSV Eindhoven.

They need one point to guarantee top spot. They have already pocketed £47 million in prize money and there is another £2 million coming if they win tonight.

However, given their ridiculously hectic fixture schedule, the Reds manager has decided the virtues of common sense have a superior bargaining power than even an extra couple of million pounds.

By leaving nine of his regular first team squad out of the group that have made the trip to Holland, he has owned up to the fact that he has decided to disengage from that touchstone of the football manager's lexicon of 'one game at a time'.

He has also admitted that, as well as preparing for tonight's game, he is doing some of the necessary planning for Saturday's big Premier League match at Bournemouth. Whatever happens in Eindhoven, it is clear that the game on the south coast is of much more significance.

But that is not because Slot is attaching more importance to winning the Premier League above the Champions League. It is because he realises that even if Liverpool lose tonight - something he and his players are not accustomed to this season - it will not have any effect on who they will be draw against in the first knock-out stages of the competition.

The barely fathomable logistics of the new Champions League set-up does have the advantage of much fewer "dead rubbers". As far as the competition as a whole is concerned we're all set for an exciting finale this evening.

And yet asking more players to play more matches is the absolute opposite of what we should be doing at the elite level of the game - and almost every manager will agree with that.

Given that the new-look format is one of the key factors behind the decision to scrap FA cup replays, isn't that a really sad indictment of the modern game?

Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Liverpool match commentaries on BBC Radio Merseyside

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Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool have already qualified for the round of 16 and will finish top of the table if they avoid defeat at PSV or if Barcelona fail to beat Atalanta at home.

Here's how they did it.

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The Reds began this year's Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win against AC Milan at the San Siro.

Goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai got them off to the perfect start.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool then hosted Bologna and won 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah.

This victory meant Arne Slot became the first Liverpool boss to win eight of their first nine games in charge of the club.

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Liverpool clinched a 1-0 win away at Leipzig, before hosting Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite drawing 0-0 at half time, Liverpool won 4-0 with goals from Cody Gakpo and a Luis Diaz hat-trick, to ruin Alonso's return to Anfield.

Image source, Getty Images

After not beating Real Madrid in their previous eight Champions League encounters, Liverpool got the better of them at Anfield to make it five wins from five in the group stage.

Both Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe (who Conor Bradley bossed to great delight) missed penalties, but Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo fired the Reds to a 2-0 victory.

Image source, Getty Images

A Mohamed Salah penalty helped Liverpool to a 1-0 win over Girona, before they secured their place in the last 16 with a 2-1 home win over Ligue 1 side Lille.

Salah's 50th European goal for the club and a deflected Harvey Elliott strike were enough to beat the French side, who were reduced to 10 men just before the hour mark.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has revealed how the fate of his career changed when an own goal was awarded to him.

The 25-year-old, who joined the Reds from PSV following the 2022 World Cup, had heard whispers of a switch to England the previous summer but had not considered Liverpool as a potential destination.

Indeed, it was the intervention of his church minister - and an unexpected twist on the pitch - that convinced him.

"Everybody who knows me, knows I am a man guided by my faith," Gakpo explained in an article in The Players Tribune, external. "So, one day, I had a meeting with the pastor from my church and he brought a friend who was a pastor somewhere else. This other pastor said, "Can I tell you something?" This was before any big clubs had come knocking on my door. And he said that God told him that I would go to Liverpool. I kind of laughed it off like, 'Yeah, nice - we will see about that'."

With Anfield written off, the Dutch international would probably have been pulling on a very different shirt, had a goal outcome not changed everything.

"[In the summer of 2022] I could have gone to Leeds, Southampton, or I could have stayed at PSV," he explained. "So I said, 'If I score only one time, I'll go to Southampton... If I score two times, I'll go to Leeds... If I score three times, I'll stay'.

"The next day we played, and I scored twice. I was also involved in a third goal - and at first, it was called as an own goal. Then I was subbed out. So, two goals, right? I thought, 'Ah, OK, it's Leeds then'. I was at peace with my decision.

"As I was sitting on the bench, I told my friend, Jordan Teze, who now plays for Monaco, the whole story. He was like, 'If God wants you to stay, that own goal will be awarded to you.' It was like a coin toss, waiting to see what they decided. It could have gone either way! But after the game, they gave me the goal. I scored three, so my fate changed. I stayed at PSV.

"It's a funny story, but in a way, that's a really important piece of the puzzle.

"Thank God I stayed because that allowed me to play in the World Cup, which led to Liverpool."

Image source, Getty Images

Having a squad with fewer injuries is "the biggest difference" for Liverpool this season as they compete on four fronts, says forward Cody Gakpo.

When they won the Carabao Cup last campaign, the Reds had the chance to send outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp off with a four-trophy haul, but ultimately finished with just the one.

Once again, they are still in with the chance of an unprecedented quadruple under new boss Arne Slot, topping the Premier League and Champions League tables and still active in both domestic cups.

Speaking before their final Champions League group stage game against PSV Eindhoven, Gakpo said: "I think the biggest difference is at this point last season we had a lot of injuries.

"Mo [Salah] was away for the Africa Cup of Nations so that didn't help and he injured himself over there too. Then we had Darwin [Nunez] out, Dominik [Szoboszlai] was out, Curtis [Jones] was out and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] was out as well., [Diogo] Jota and Alisson as well. So we had some problems last year which obviously didn't help.

"This year, at this point, almost everyone is fit. As a group you get more experience and you get more togetherness. We were growing last year and growing this year as well. Hopefully we can bring it to a good end."

PSV academy graduate Gakpo could start against his former side on Wednesday, something that he feels will be "pretty strange".

"I think I've never been in the away dressing room, so it will be the first time and [to be] on the other side of the walkout," he said. "But when the game starts, all those things will fade away and we will be focused.

"We are going for the win."