Here’s Ed Aarons’ match report from the London Stadium. Thanks for joining me tonight. Bye!
Here’s Jacob Steinberg reporting on a strange and emotional night in Cyprus as Maccabi Haifa returned to football.
Some post-match chat from James Ward-Prowse: “There was a bit of fire in the belly tonight [after losing in Greece] … we dug deep and got a good goal in the end. We had a really positive start to the season, a bit of a slump recently – the guys at the top are consistent and we need to improve on that. Tonight is a good step in getting that momentum.”
Here’s how West Ham and Rangers stand – and you can see all the Europa League tables here.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Ham | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | Freiburg | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| 3 | Olympiacos | 4 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Backa Topola | 4 | -9 | 1 |
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Betis | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 2 | Rangers | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Sparta Prague | 4 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Aris Limassol | 4 | -4 | 3 |
Other results in the Conference League: Breidablik 2-3 Gent, Club Brugge 2-0 Lugano, Ludogorets 2-0 Fenerbahce, Olimpija Ljubljana 2-0 Klaksvik, Slovan Bratislava 1-1 Lille, Zorya Luhansk 1-3 Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Other results in the Europa League: AEK 0-2 Marseille, Atalanta 1-0 Sturm Graz, Betis 4-1 Aris, Freiburg 5-0 TSC, Hacken 1-3 Molde, Sporting 2-1 Rakow.
Full time! West Ham 1-0 Olympiakos
They made heavy weather of it at times, but Lucas Paqueta’s finish from James Ward-Prowse’s superb pass was enough to earn victory. The Hammers stay top of Group A, five points clear of third-placed Olympiakos with two games to play.
Full time! Aston Villa 2-1 AZ Alkmaar
After going behind early in the second half, Villa fought back with a controversial Diego Carlos leveller and then Ollie Watkins’ late header. They are all but through to the knockout stages.
Full time! Rangers 2-1 Sparta Prague
Early goals from Danilo and Todd Cantwell get the job done as Philippe Clement’s side significantly boost their chances of progressing from the group.
We’ve played eight minutes of stoppage time now at Ibrox – I’m not entirely sure why. It finished Betis 4-1 Aris in Group C’s other match, the La Liga side staying top of the pile.
Rangers seeing things out with a free-kick deep in Sparta territory, while there are five added minutes in both the Villa and West Ham games.
Ritsu Doan’s injury-time goal has made it Freiburg 5-0 TSC, while in the Conference League, Fenerbahce – who began the season with 19 straight wins before losing to Trabzonspor – have lost again, going down 2-0 to Ludogorets.
At Ibrox, Ross McCausland, who replaced Cantwell, sends a shot just beyond the far corner. Six minutes of stoppage time there.
Olympiakos hit the post! West Ham almost punished for not wrapping this game up, as Mady Camara stoops at the far post – but his header crashes off the upright! A let-off for the hosts.
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Ward-Prowse’s free-kick swirls into the penalty area, where Mavropanos heads it wide! It’s still 2-1 to Rangers, and to Aston Villa, in the other games we’re focusing on.
Fabianski almost makes a costly error, but the ball ricochets behind the goal. Porozo is then booked for a clumsy foul on Kudus, and Maxwel Cornet is on for a rare runout, replacing Said Benrahma.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 AZ (Watkins 82')
Villa complete the turnaround, Ollie Watkins running on to Douglas Luiz’ perfect scooped pass and heading into the corner. He’s onside, and suddenly Villa are all but through to the knockout stages.
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No goal! Danilo thinks he has immediately restored Rangers’ two goal lead after bullying the centre-back off the ball. VAR, determined to spoil its brief moment in the sun, rules it out for a foul – which looked pretty soft to me.
GOAL! Rangers 2-1 Sparta Prague (Haraslin 77')
The visitors are back in it at Ibrox, Lukas Haraslin finishing tidily from Preciado’s pass. Nervous moments for Rangers now …
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Here are some post-game thoughts from Jürgen Klopp, whose Liverpool side lost 3-2 in Toulouse.
“I only saw the video back now and for me [the disallowed equaliser] is not a handball – but how can I decide that? Actually, I am a bit more concerned about … I would have loved us to have played better, to be honest. That’s my main issue tonight.
“In the end, we were intense, we threw everything in, but the problem is in a football game you have to make the decisive things in the right moment to do them right.”
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GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Olympiakos (Paquetá 74')
Just as West Ham look to be running out of ideas, Lucas Paquetá runs on to Ward-Prowse’s lovely lofted pass and half-volleys past the keeper. It’s flagged offside, but replays show he is very clearly onside. That’s what VAR is there for, and West Ham lead!
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Cantwell heads off for Rangers, who are holding on with relative comfort to that 2-0 lead. As it stands, they will open up a three-point gap (and better head-to-head record) over Sparta Prague, with games against Aris (at home) and Betis (away) still to come.
Freiburg lead TSC 3-0 in Germany, so West Ham could really use a goal to keep pace at the top of Group A. They’re enjoying their best spell since half-time, but are still struggling to break the opposing defence down.
Goals elsewhere: Betis lead Aris Limassol 2-0 through Aitor Ruibal; Berat Djimsiti has put Atalanta a goal up at home to Sturm Graz; and in the Confro, Gent have turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead at Icelandic outfit Breidablik.
Oof! West Ham’s best chance of the second half so far falls to Ward-Prowse, who shoots first-time from Bowen’s cutback, but sends it straight at the keeper.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 AZ (Diego Carlos 62')
Diego Carlos heads home a corner that shouldn’t have been given – a decision VAR can’t review, but one which is hard to accept for the visiting defenders.
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Let’s check in at Ibrox, where Qazim Laci – one of three second-half Sparta substitutes – sends an awkward diving header wide. At Villa Park, Boubacar Kamara skews his shot over the bar – but the hosts get a corner! Can you guess what happens next?
Olympiakos are causing West Ham more problems in the second half, a higher press forcing mistakes, particularly from Paqueta. Freiburg now lead TSC 2-0 in Group A’s other game.
Villa were caught completely cold there, and unexpectedly find themselves behind to a team they beat 4-1 away from home two weeks ago. Much like against Forest on Sunday, their attacking play has not hit anything like top gear yet.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 AZ (Pavlidis 52')
Vangelis Pavlidis beats the offside trap to race on to Bazoer’s long ball, takes a touch, draws Martínez off his line and lifts the ball into the net! There’s a VAR check but the striker was just onside.
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John McGinn tries to dance his way through the AZ defence but is eventually penalised. From the free kick, AZ break downfield …
Remember, under the new format in place since the Conference League was introduced, the team that tops their Europa League gets a bye to the last 16, whereas the runners-up have to play a Champions League third-placed team in the play-off round. So it’s definitely worthwhile trying to win your group.
Aris Limassol have levelled in Seville, Leo Bengtsson with the goal – actually, scratch that, it’s offside. The score stays Betis 1-0 Aris. Guardian clockwatchers: the real victims of VAR interference.
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Back under way at Ibrox, the players heading out at Villa Park and the London Stadium. Lucas Paqueta, who looked to be limping at the end of the first half, is OK to continue.
Half time: West Ham 0-0 Olympiakos
The hosts have had the better of a forgettable first half, but are yet to make the breakthrough.
Other half-time scores in the Conference League: Breidablik 2-1 Gent, Club Brugge 0-0 Lugano, Ludogorets 1-0 Fenerbahce, Olimpija Ljubljana 0-0 Klaksvik, Slovan Bratislava 0-0 Lille, Zorya Luhansk 0-3 Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Half time: Aston Villa 0-0 AZ
Both sides have had a goal ruled out for offside in a low-key Conference League contest at Villa Park.
Other half-time scores in the Europa League: AEK 0-1 Marseille, Atalanta 0-0 Sturm Graz, Betis 1-0 Aris, Freiburg 1-0 TSC, Hacken 0-2 Molde, Sporting 1-0 Rakow.
Half time: Rangers 2-0 Sparta Prague
Rangers in control at the break thanks to goals from Danilo Pereira and Todd Cantwell. The only complaint the home fans could have is that it might have been more.
Yukinari Sugawara goes close with a long-range shot that flashes wide of Emi Martínez’s far post. Two minutes of stoppage time here …
No goal! Having sat back for most of the first half, AZ get forward and a clever passing move sets up Sven Mijnans to tap home … but the flag is up, and rightly so.
Ward-Prowse takes the free-kick from distance and opts to clip in a cross that Olympiakos deal with easily enough. At Ibrox, Cantwell is at it again, bustling down the right and forcing Peter Vinahl to save well with his feet.
In Brighton’s group, Marseille are back on top with a 1-0 lead at AEK Athens. Chancel Mbemba, once of Newcastle, has headed the French side in front from a corner.
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James Tavernier goes mighty close for Rangers with a curling free kick from some 30 yards out. Back at West Ham, Emerson’s dribble is ended in clumsy fashion by Podence, who is booked.
A warning for West Ham as Daniel Podence, on loan from Wolves, sends an awkward spinning volley wide. At Villa Park, the camera picks out a supporter wearing a giant pug-head balaclava. The highlight of the half, for me.
Rangers are stroking the ball around and looking untroubled at Ibrox. In the group’s other game, Betis now lead Aris 1-0, Borja Iglesias with the goal.
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Benrahma’s well-struck low shot is palmed wide at the near post, and West Ham get a corner. Bowen’s header is deflected away but from another corner, Aguerd sends his downward header wide. Olympiakos really need to start marking him.
Villa are trying to dribble, pass or cross their way beyond a mass low block in front of them, fanning out across the edge of the area. They win a corner which is cleared away – still goalless in that game.
Paqueta plays the ball out wide to Kudus but the ball is intercepted. The assistant flags to indicate the ball went out off the West Ham winger, who reacts angrily and earns a pointless booking.
Here’s more on a lively contest between Toulouse and Liverpool:
At Villa Park, Lucas Digne almost turns a long-range header into the net after Ryan flaps at a cross. At the London Stadium, Aguerd sends a closer-range header over the bar.
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West Ham continue to make most of the running without testing the Olympiakos defence too much. In the other Group A fixture, Freiburg lead TSC thanks to some Merlin Rohl magic.
GOAL! Rangers 2-0 Sparta Prague (Cantwell 20')
Rangers’ flying start continues as Todd Cantwell is given too much space once again, and this time picks out the far corner with a fine finish.
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That Rangers goal has edged them to the top of Group C, with Real Betis currently being held at home by Aris Limassol. Early days, though. At Villa Park, Tielemans is denied by a sprawling save from Mat Ryan in the AZ goal.
Here’s our report from Ajax 0-2 Brighton, where Ansu Fati was on target again:
Cantwell goes close again with an acrobatic effort, while Olympiakos are grateful to keeper Alex Paschalakis, who has saved from Benrahma’s shot and Aguerd’s header in short order.
GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Sparta Prague (Danilo 12')
Rangers lead! Danilo pounces on some defensive hesitancy, races through on goal and slots into the corner. Big goal!
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“Good to see Aberdeen getting a mention in the MBM, but how come the Guardian is not publishing Europa Conference League tables,” asks Ludovic Lemaignen.
Apologies – we do have live scores functionality, so it may be a technical issue. I can inform you, however, that Aberdeen are in third place, have two points and can’t catch Frankfurt in second place with nine. Sorry.
A penalty appeal from Olympiakos after a corner rebounds somewhere in the vague vicinity of Lucas Paqueta’s arm. No dice. In the Conference League, Maccabi Tel Aviv lead Ukraine’s Zorya Luhansk in a match being played in Lublin, Poland.
Rangers go close, Todd Cantwell whipping a cross-shot that misses both the far post and the masked Danilo, who was skidding in to try and connect. Benrahma has sent an early effort wide at the London Stadium.
Key event
No goal! It looked like Villa had taken the lead, Clément Lenglet heading home after Ollie Watkins’ header was cleared off the line – but it’s ruled out for offside by the buzzkill in the VAR booth.
Thanks, Scott. Plenty o’ drama in those early kick-offs. Let’s take a quick look at some of the other results…
Rennes are top of Group F and close to qualifying after a 3-1 home win over Panathinaikos. Villarreal are in second after coming from behind to win 2-1 over Maccabi Haifa, Alexander Sørloth netting a late winner in a rearranged game played in Cyprus.
Slavia Prague have overtaken Roma at the top of Group G after beating José Mourinho’s side 2-0. Leverkusen are through as Group H winners after Victor Boniface got a late winner against Qarabag.
In the Conference League, Besiktas are heading for an early European exit after losing 2-1 at home to Bodø/Glimt. Legia Warsaw move above Aston Villa in Group E with a 2-0 home win over Zrinjski, while Fiorentina earned a 1-0 victory at Cukaricki.
… and with that, I’ll tap out. Niall McVeigh will bring it home!
Brighton top Group B, for a couple of hours at least …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Marseille | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | AEK Athens | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Ajax | 4 | -4 | 2 |
… while Group E is suddenly much closer than Jurgen Klopp would like.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| 2 | Toulouse | 4 | -2 | 7 |
| 3 | Union Saint Gilloise | 4 | -4 | 4 |
| 4 | LASK | 4 | -1 | 3 |
FULL TIME: Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool
What an ending! Liverpool won’t be happy with the hand-ball decision … Jurgen Klopp has a short conversation with the ref … but there’s no question Toulouse were deserving of their victory.
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NO GOAL! Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool
The goal is chalked off! A handball by Mac Allister! The referee had pointed to the centre spot for the goal, only to be re-routed to the VAR screen. Earlier in the move, Mac Allister had chested a loose ball down, only for it to scrape the inside of his arm. Right on the t-shirt line! As close as you like, but it’s a call that could go either way, and it doesn’t go for Liverpool.
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FULL TIME: PAOK 2-2 Aberdeen
The Dons are out despite an impressive, hard-fought draw in Greece. Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-0 win in Helsinki means they are seven points clear of Aberdeen in second.
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GOAL! Toulouse 3-3 Liverpool (Quansah 90+7)
The ball bounces around the Toulouse box. Bedlam! It breaks to Quansah on the penalty spot. He slams home and Toulouse are heartbroken!
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FULL TIME: Ajax 0-2 Brighton
A huge result for the Seagulls in Amsterdam!
Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool. Gomez somehow digs out a cross from a tight spot on the right. Jota brings it down at the far stick but can’t get a shot away, and eventually concedes a foul that allows the hosts to run the clock down. Toulouse so close to a famous victory now!
PAOK 2-2 Aberdeen. Two minutes into the added seven at the Toumba Stadium. Taison with a free kick out on the left. He fizzes it into a crowded box. Some bagatelle. Aberdeen clear. Their European adventure is hanging by a thread, but it’s not over yet.
Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool. There will be seven extra minutes. Can Liverpool somehow scramble an unlikely point? “While I agree that Jürgen Klopp’s angry smile can be bone-chilling, I think what truly sets him apart is his ability to gnash his teeth in an almost impossible horizontal grinding motion. He is an absolute dentality monster.” A round of applause for Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the fluoride gum.
GOAL! Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool (Jota 89)
Mac Allister’s tenacity wins the ball 40 yards out. He spins and feeds Jota, who dribbles right to left, enters the box, and fizzes a forensic shot past the keeper. Too little, too late.
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Ajax 0-2 Brighton. Ajax paint some pretty triangles as they work the ball in from the right flank. Suddenly Akpom is free on the penalty spot. He puts his foot through the ball; had it gone either side of Verbruggen, the net would have been divested of its moorings. As it is, it went straight at the keeper, who nevertheless parried bravely.
Toulouse 3-1 Liverpool. The jig is already up for Liverpool, let’s be honest, but Jurgen Klopp – not smiling any more, Kári Tulinius will be pleased to hear – sends on Jota for Diaz, just in case there’s a miracle around the corner.
Ajax 0-2 Brighton. Borges is sent into the box down the inside-right channel. He’s got the beating of Gross, but can’t squeeze the ball past Verbruggen. Ajax fans, used to much better fare than this, are getting extremely agitated now.
Toulouse 3-1 Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold’s corner is flapped away by Restes. Elliott attempts a drive from the edge of the box but the ball’s never getting through the crowded area. Liverpool extremely frustrated. “Does anyone in football have a more terrifying smile than Klopp when he’s angry?” asks Kári Tulinius, a rhetorical question if ever there was one. “If I saw someone smiling like that in a pub, I’d tell whoever’s with me that we should find another place to continue. Heck, if I saw someone smiling like that on a bus I’d get off at the next stop, even on a dark night in the middle of nowhere.”
GOAL! Toulouse 3-1 Liverpool (Magri 76)
… but it’s not going to matter, because Toulouse bounce back straight away! Dønnum sends a diagonal towards Suazo on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Suazo crosses low. Dallinga misses the ball altogether, six yards out, but no worries, because Magri steams in from the right and whistles a low drive past Kelleher!
GOAL! Toulouse 2-1 Liverpool (Cásseres og 73)
… so having said that, Liverpool are gifted a lifeline! Gomez heads a ball across the face of the Toulouse goal from the left. At the far stick, a couple of yards out, Cásseres and Nicolaisen get in each other’s way with Salah lurking. Salah doesn’t get involved, but he doesn’t need to, because the ball clanks off Cásseres’s shoulder and in! What a farce!
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Toulouse 2-0 Liverpool. Toulouse keeper Restes has had very little to do this evening. As Liverpool continue to huff and puff, Gakpo makes way for Nunez.
GOAL! PAOK 2-2 Aberdeen (McGrath 70)
Scrub that! An Aberdeen free kick, the best part of 30 yards out on the left. McGrath sends an ambitious effort towards the bottom left … and it flies in! A fine hit, though Kotarski in the PAOK goal will be disappointed with the weak hand that helped it in.
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GOAL! PAOK 2-1 Aberdeen (Samatta 67)
A cross from the left is headed back across the face of the Aberdeen goal. Samatta eyebrows a flick into the top left, and Aberdeen are heading out of Europe.
Ajax 0-2 Brighton. Ajax are another European giant in Rabble Mode. Ramaj’s poor clearance tees up Fati on the penalty spot. The keeper’s blushes are spared by Šutalo’s late intervention, the ball taken off Fati’s toe just as a third looked likely.
Toulouse 2-0 Liverpool. Another disallowed Toulouse goal! Schmidt springs clear down the right and crosses low. Dønnum flicks elegantly across Kelleher and into the bottom left. But the flag goes up correctly for offside, Schmidt having gone far too early. Liverpool are a rabble right now.
Ajax 0-2 Brighton. João Pedro only just fails to meet a corner with a header six yards out; Mitoma then lashes over from distance. A third Brighton goal looks more likely than any Ajax response.
Toulouse 2-0 Liverpool. This scoreline doesn’t flatter Toulouse at all. The second goal had been in the post. On the touchline, Jurgen Klopp smiles, albeit with plenty of frost around the teeth. He knows his side are in a hole now.
GOAL! Toulouse 2-0 Liverpool (Dallinga 58)
Diaz tries one turn too many out on the right flank. Sierro takes a touch before wedging a cross in for Dallinga, who swivels and smashes an unstoppable shot across Kelleher and into the bottom left! They won’t be ruling that one out!
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GOAL! Ajax 0-2 Brighton (Adingra 53)
This is a lovely goal! The ball snaffled in midfield, and a five-on-four break. Fati, storming down the centre, drops a shoulder before slipping Adingra clear into the box on the right. Adringa whistles a shot across Ramaj and this is a brilliant Brighton performance! Ajax might not be very good right now … but they are still Ajax. A result to remember is very much on now!
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Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool. It’s all happening in France. Salah battles down the inside-right channel and tries to hook a bouncing ball goalwards. He’s clattered by Restes as he sends the ball wide right. A worrying couple of minutes as Salah stays down, but after some treatment he’s good to continue.
Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool. Another huge let-off for Liverpool! Dallinga chases a pass down the inside-left channel, and shrugs off Matip with ease before whipping into the top left! He races off to soak up the acclaim, only to turn back from the crowd and realise the ref has blown for a foul. He did flick Matip, but the contact was minimal. That’s harsh … although replays suggest he might have been a smidgen offside anyway.
Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool. A huge chance for Toulouse to double their lead. Dallinga is allowed to waltz down the left, cut infield past Quansah, and slip Suazo clear. Suazo draws Kelleher and dinks the keeper … but the ball bounces well wide right. A massive let-off for the visitors.
Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp does indeed send for the cavalry. Ben Doak, unluckily, and Kostas Tsimikas and Wataru Endo, unsurprisingly, are hooked; Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai come on.
Brighton, by contrast, would declare right now if they could. Marseille travel to Athens later this evening.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Marseille | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | AEK Athens | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Ajax | 4 | -3 | 2 |
Liverpool may end up kicking themselves by the end of the evening. They’ll qualify from Group E as winners with two matches to spare, should they beat Toulouse and Union Saint Gilloise fail to win at LASK. Well, LASK are certainly doing their part: Maksym Taloverov has made it 2-0 against USG just before the break. Jurgen Klopp will want to effectively park the Europa League tonight until March … but he won’t be able to do so as things stand. Suddenly the table doesn’t look so good.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| 2 | Toulouse | 4 | -2 | 7 |
| 3 | Union Saint Gilloise | 4 | -3 | 4 |
| 4 | LASK | 4 | -2 | 3 |
HALF TIME: Ajax 0-1 Brighton
Albion have subdued the crowd in Amsterdam. They’re well worth their lead.
HALF TIME: PAOK 1-1 Aberdeen
The Dons were holding on a bit towards the end of the half, but they’ve made it to the break on terms.
HALF TIME: Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool
Klopp to call on the cavalry for the second half?
Ajax 0-1 Brighton. The Seagulls nearly double their lead in Amsterdam as Fati flicks a pass down the inside-right channel to release Adingra, who whips a low shot towards the near post. Ramaj does well to save with a telescopic leg, turning the ball around the post for a corner from which nothing happens.
PAOK 1-1 Aberdeen. The jig looks up for Aberdeen as the hosts launch a four-on-two counter. But fine work by MacKenzie denies Konstantelias twice from a tight angle on the left. PAOK should have worked that better, but hats off to MacKenzie for the last-ditch heroics.
Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool. Endo goes flying in on Dallinga and catches his man late. He’s very lucky not to be shown a second yellow. He’s surely in the last-chance saloon now. A fair chance he’ll be hooked at the break. If he makes it that far.
PAOK 1-1 Aberdeen. Schwab sends a shot millimetres wide of the left-hand post with Roos in the Aberdeen goal beaten all ends up. The width of a lick of paint in that.
GOAL! Toulouse 1-0 Liverpool (Dønnum 36)
Tsimikas faffs about down the Toulouse right. Dønnum strips him of possession and steams off towards the box. He takes a whack. The ball takes a deflection off Quansah to wrong-foot Kelleher and flies into the top right. Liverpool have plenty of work to do now, if they’re to secure qualification this evening.
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Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. Endo is booked for standing on Dallinga’s foot. Seeing he’d earlier got away with a shirt tug, he’ll be treading a fine line now. “Taison knockout punch indeed! PAOK!, er, POW! Right in the kisser!” Peter Oh there, with a Jackie Gleason reference. The internet kids can’t get enough of those.
Ajax 0-1 Brighton. Another hand-ball penalty scare for Brighton as Hlynsson’s dinked cross from the right hits Gross on the arm. But the referee’s not having it, and after a check, neither is VAR. Gross’s arm was by his side, though to reiterate, nobody knows anything any more.
Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. Tsimikas crosses from the left. Restes should claim, but crashes into his own man Diarra. The ball drops to Doak, who sends a pearler goalwards. Restes redeems himself with a brave parry. Doak really got behind that one.
Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. A cross from the right into the Liverpool box. Suazo slides in ahead of Kelleher but squirts his shot wide left. A let-off for the visitors. Meanwhile there’s more good news for the Reds as LASK take the lead against Union Saint Gilloise, Sascha Horvath with a 25th-minute penalty. If USG fail to win tonight, a Liverpool victory will ensure top spot in Group E.
PAOK 1-1 Aberdeen. The Dons nearly bounce back immediately, a low cross from the left flipped goalwards by Duk from six yards. Either side of the keeper and Aberdeen retake the lead … but it’s straight at Kotarski.
GOAL! PAOK 1-1 Aberdeen (Taison 23)
Taison with a knockout punch! Luis Lopes loses the ball in the midfield. Suddenly the visitors are on the back foot. Taison strides down the middle and lays off to Despodov on the right. Despodov cuts back from the byline and Taison can’t miss, slotting into the bottom left from ten yards.
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Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. Liverpool are dominant in terms of possession. Mac Allister lashes a shot over the bar. Doak embarks on a determined dribble that forces Diarra into evasive shirt-grabbing action. But Restes in the Toulouse goal hasn’t had too much to do.
GOAL! PAOK 0-1 Aberdeen (Duk 14)
A similar story in Thessaloniki! It’d been all PAOK during the early exchanges, but Duk opens the scoring on the break with a cute spin and forensic finish. Aberdeen’s European campaign isn’t quite done yet.
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GOAL! Ajax 0-1 Brighton (Fati 15)
The hosts had been getting on top at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. First Mitoma survives a VAR penalty check for handball, then Hlynsson’s long drive is gathered by Verbruggen. But then a lax pass by Vos allows Adingra to intercept. He plays a simple ball down the middle to release Fati, who drills a low shot into the bottom left!
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Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. The visitors are beginning to ask questions. Mac Allister’s mere presence forces Schmidt into a rugby tackle that earns the first caution of the match, then Diaz twists the blood of Desler down the left, and cops a couple of accidental whacks in the mush for his trouble. Like he’ll care about such minor trifles this evening.
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Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. A couple of corners for the home side. Kelleher isn’t put to work. The Gomez near miss apart, it’s been a quiet start at the evocatively titled Stadium de Toulouse.
Ajax 0-0 Brighton. Yep, Milner’s done his hamstring. He trudges off in the solemn style. Billy Gilmour comes on in his stead.
Ajax 0-0 Brighton. A miserable start for James Milner in Amsterdam. He’s down on the turf and shaking his head sadly after stretching to block a shot. Doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to continue.
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Toulouse 0-0 Liverpool. Nearly a fast start for Liverpool as Gakpo’s free kick from the left is flicked on by Gomez, whose header cannons off the bar with keeper Restes rooted to the spot! Gomez has never scored a goal for Liverpool; so close to breaking his duck.
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Off we go, then! They’ve kicked off in Amsterdam, Toulouse and Thessaloniki. Big night coming up. Let’s get the network together!
The teams are out! Toulouse wear white and Fiorentina-purple stripes; Liverpool are in red. So are Aberdeen, with PAOK in Newcastle-esque black and white. Brighton sport green and black, while Ajax are dressed as Ajax. We’ll be off in a minute!
Roberto De Zerbi speaks to TNT. “To win the game we must play a great game with quality and a great mentality … in attack we have a lot of different characteristics … it is difficult to decide on the first XI … we always want to win the game in every competition … it is a very tough group … to qualify we have to play three important, difficult games with difficult opponents … but I think we have enough quality to win.”
Aberdeen will be knocked out of the Conference League if they fail to beat PAOK tonight and Eintracht Frankfurt win at HJK Helsinki. They make two changes in the wake of their League Cup semi-final win over Hibs. Duk and Ryan Duncan come in for Bojan Miovski and Leighton Clarkson.
PAOK v Aberdeen teams
PAOK: Kotarski, Vieirinha, Troost-Ekong, Koulierakis, Baba, Tsingaras, Schwab, Despodov, Konstantelias, Taison, Brandon.
Subs: Michailidis, Meite, Murg, Andrija Zivkovic, Kedziora, Zivko Zivkovic, Lyratzis, Ozdoev, Vrakas, Samatta, Rafa Soares, Tzimas.
Aberdeen: Roos, Jensen, Rubezic, Gartenmann, MacKenzie, Devlin, Duncan, Shinnie, Barron, McGrath, Lopes.
Subs: Miovski, Clarkson, Gueye, Hayes, Williams, Sokler, Polvara, MacDonald, Milne, Dadia, Doohan, Marshall.
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (Albania).
Liverpool can qualify for the knockout stage with victory against Toulouse. Should that happen, and Union Saint Gilloise fail to beat LASK, the Reds would win the group and go straight into the last 16 with two games to spare.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 3 | 8 | 9 |
| 2 | Union Saint Gilloise | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Toulouse | 3 | -3 | 4 |
| 4 | LASK | 3 | -4 | 0 |
It’s a bit tighter for Brighton.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marseille | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | AEK Athens | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Brighton | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Ajax | 3 | -2 | 2 |
Jurgen Klopp, who takes charge of Liverpool for the 450th time, speaks to TNT. “Lucho [Diaz] is really happy and thumbs up all the time, so it looks good, very, very good … timing-wise it couldn’t have been better … we asked him [if he wants to play] and he wants to, and he will … we wasted energy [against Luton] rather than invest it … counter-press is the most economic way to defend … that I didn’t like and I want to see a massive improvement … Toulouse play probably their best team … we have to be ready for them … the people are ready to create a proper atmosphere … we have to concentrate on our own performance … real compactness, real discipline.”
Brighton make three changes to the starting XI sent out at Goodison Park last weekend. Ansu Fati, Joao Pedro and Mahmoud Dahoud replace Billy Gilmour, Evan Ferguson and Adam Lallana, all of whom drop to the bench.
The big news regarding Liverpool is the welcome release of Luis Diaz’s father … and the player, relieved and delighted, starts this evening. Other notable selections: teenage winger Ben Doak, the Jinky Johnstone de nos jours; Alexis MacAllister, who can’t play against Brentford at the weekend due to suspension; and Jarell Quansah, filling in for the ill Virgil van Dijk. There are quite a few members of the cavalry on the bench should things go wrong: Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Luis Diaz's father safe
The news everyone wanted to hear.
We are delighted by the news of @LuisFDiaz19's father's safe return and we thank all those involved in securing his release ❤️ https://t.co/oBp8Nw7lh9
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 9, 2023
Updated
Toulouse v Liverpool teams
Toulouse: Restes, Desler, Costa, Nicolaisen, Diarra, Suazo, Schmidt, Sierro, Casseres Jr, Donnum, Dallinga.
Subs: Cissoko, Gelabert, Kamanzi, Mawissa Elebi, Begraoui, Magri, Bangre, Keben, Dominguez, Lacombe.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Tsimikas, Elliott, Mac Allister, Endo, Doak, Gakpo, Diaz.
Subs: Alisson, Konate, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Salah, Jota, Chambers, Scanlon, McConnell, Alexander-Arnold, Mrozek, Gordon.
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria).
#TFCLIV, notre onze européen 😈 pic.twitter.com/P3UYphn1j1
— Toulouse FC (@ToulouseFC) November 9, 2023
The Reds to take on Toulouse 📋🔴#TFCLIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 9, 2023
Updated
Ajax v Brighton teams
Ajax: Ramaj, Gaaei, Rensch, Sutalo, Hato, Vos, Hlynsson, Taylor, Berghuis, Brobbey, Bergwijn.
Subs: Akpom, Borges, Saleh-Eddine, Medic, Mikautadze, Pasveer, Sosa, Avila, Tahirovic, Godts, Martha, Setford.
Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Milner, van Hecke, Dunk, Veltman, Dahoud, Gross, Adingra, Fati, Mitoma, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Igor, Webster, Gilmour, Lallana, Baleba, Steele, Ferguson, Estupinan, McGill, Buonanotte, Hinshelwood, Duffus.
Referee: Nikola Dabanovic (Montenegro).
All names for #ajabha ⤸#UEL https://t.co/R1kOIHUPIr pic.twitter.com/4rHwzhL647
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) November 9, 2023
TEAM NEWS! 🚨 Here's tonight's starting XI to face Ajax in the @EuropaLeague. 👀📝
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) November 9, 2023
📲 https://t.co/S3j1TIedJv // #BHAFC 🟢⚫️ pic.twitter.com/SqdUITtxTA
Preamble
There’s a sprawling card in the Europa League and Europa Conference League tonight. Full details of that can be found here … but in the sort of myopic, parochial and narrow-minded style that might give us a shot at being home secretary one day, we’re mainly concentrating on these 5.45pm kick-offs …
Ajax v Brighton and Hove Albion (EL)
Toulouse v Liverpool (EL)
PAOK v Aberdeen (CL)
… and these 8pm matches …
Rangers v Sparta Prague
West Ham United v Olympiacos
Aston Villa v AZ (CL)
… though that little lot should still be enough to get the juices flowing, right? Yes that’s right! Team news when we have it.
