LONDON: Liverpool secured a place in the Europa League last 16 with a convincing 4-0 victory over LASK, featuring a double from Cody Gakpo and goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah. The win, combined with Toulouse’s 0-0 draw against Union Saint-Gilloise, ensured Liverpool’s top spot in Group E, allowing Jurgen Klopp to rest players in the final pool stage fixture. In another Europa League matchup, Brighton advanced to the knockout round with a 1-0 win at AEK Athens, courtesy of Joao Pedro’s penalty. The Seagulls, competing in Europe for the first time, extended their European journey into the New Year.
Liverpool’s victory at Anfield showcased Gakpo’s brace and contributions from Diaz and Salah. Diaz netted the opener with a header, while Salah assisted Gakpo’s close-range goal. Salah added a penalty in the 51st minute after Gakpo was fouled, and Gakpo sealed the win with a powerful stoppage-time strike. Brighton’s Joao Pedro secured their place in the knockout round with a penalty against AEK Athens, who had a player sent off in the 85th minute.
In other Europa League results, West Ham secured a spot in the knockout round with a late Tomas Soucek goal, securing a 1-0 win against Backa Topola in Serbia. Freiburg joined them in the knockout stage after a dominant 5-0 victory over Olympiakos. Atalanta topped Group D with a 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon, while Rennes secured first place in Group F with a 3-0 win against Maccabi Haifa. Slavia Prague’s 3-2 win at Sheriff secured their knockout round place in Group G, with Roma advancing after a 1-1 draw at Servette. Bayer Leverkusen claimed Group H’s top spot with a 2-0 win against Hacken.
In the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa’s 2-1 win against Legia Warsaw was marred by crowd trouble, with clashes between Polish fans and police resulting in injuries to three officers. The match was played with Legia supporters kept out of the stadium due to pre-match violence, including the throwing of flares and missiles at the police.
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