Liverpool's Arne Slot Highlights Importance Of Avoiding Champions League Knockout Round Over Finishing First

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Arne Slot emphasises that bypassing the Champions League knockout stage is more crucial than Liverpool topping the new 36-team table. Liverpool secured their spot in the last 16 with a 2-1 victory over Lille, maintaining their flawless record in this year's competition. This marks only the third instance of an English team winning their first seven matches in a European Cup or Champions League campaign, with Liverpool achieving this twice.

Slot has joined Hansi Flick as the second manager in Champions League history to win his first seven games with a club. Despite Liverpool's triumph, they haven't clinched the top position yet. Barcelona's thrilling 5-4 comeback against Benfica keeps them three points behind, making the final matchday next Wednesday decisive for determining who finishes first.

Mohamed Salah scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool, while substitute Harvey Elliot secured the win after Jonathan David equalised for Lille. Aissa Mandi was sent off just three minutes before David's goal. Salah has been involved in 18 goals at Anfield this season, leading all players in Europe's top five leagues at a single venue.

Elliot's deflected goal marked Liverpool's fourth consecutive game scoring through a substitute, a feat last achieved between November and December 2007 under Rafael Benitez. Additionally, Liverpool set a club record for their longest period without conceding a goal in European competition, spanning 599 minutes.

Slot expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, attributing success to player quality and work rate. "Very pleased," Slot remarked. "Where I put everything down to, first of all quality of the players and second, these players have a quality work rate." He noted that clean sheets were maintained not by excessive defending but through aggressive attacking play.

Despite being reduced to ten men, Lille remained threatening. They had more shots after Mandi's red card than when they had eleven players on the field. Slot acknowledged Lille's discipline and effort: "They don't have the best players in the world (but) it is how disciplined they are, how hard they want to work."

Slot highlighted that patience was necessary against Lille despite their numerical disadvantage. The French side managed only four shots throughout the match, with three occurring after Mandi's dismissal. Slot stated that maintaining possession was key: "We didn't force the pass; we kept the ball for as long as we could."

The focus remains on avoiding an additional round rather than securing top seed status due to potential variability in opponent strength under the new format. Slot explained that rankings might not reflect true advantage: "It is far off to say it is an advantage to be one or two."