A busy night of European action for four Premier League clubs concluded with Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United and Aston Villa topping their respective Europa League and Europa Conference League groups.
While Liverpool, who had already qualified as group winners, slipped to a 1-0 defeat, Brighton and West Ham both won – and Aston Villa secured the point they needed to win their group.
Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 Liverpool
How the Liverpool match went
With qualification as Europa League Group E winners already secured, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp took the opportunity to rest his players ahead of a busy run of games.
Liverpool’s starting line-up was the youngest ever named for a European match in the club’s history and included three teenagers – Ben Doak, Luke Chambers and Kade Gordon. Mohamed Salah, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold had a rare night off and were not part of the matchday squad.
The hosts started the match on the front foot and after 32 minutes Mohamed Amoura beat Caoimhin Kelleher to put Union Saint-Gilloise 1-0 up.
Liverpool’s young side then had to absorb considerable pressure before equalizing six minutes before half-time. It was a goal to remember for 20-year-old defender Jarell Quansah, who controlled the ball superbly before finishing emphatically from 15 yards.
But the parity did not last long. With half-time approaching, Union Saint-Gilloise regained the lead in the 42nd minute. This time Amoura was the provider – filling in for Cameron Puertas, whose low shot beat Kelleher to give the home side a 2-1 lead at the break.
Liverpool failed to equalize in the second half. Despite the Reds dominating possession for long periods, it was Union Saint-Gilloise who continued to create the most dangerous openings and saw out the match comfortably to secure a deserved win and a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
Liverpool, who host Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, will not play in Europe again until the Europa League knockout stages in March.
Group E rating
Club | Grades | GD |
---|---|---|
Liverpool | 12 | +10 |
Toulouse | 11 | -1 |
Union Saint-Gilloise | 8 | -3 |
LASK | 3 | -6 |
Brighton 1-0 Marseille
How the Brighton match turned out
A dramatic late winner from Joao Pedro gave Brighton a memorable victory over Marseille, securing top spot in Europa League Group B for the Seagulls in their first European campaign.
Brighton progress to the last 16 of the competition and skip a potentially tough play-off against a Champions League side.
A 1-0 win over the former European Cup winners meant the hosts leapfrogged Marseille, who dropped to second in the final Group B standings.
A tense and criminal affair looked destined to end goalless, with Brighton frustrated by the visitors despite doing most of the running. But in the 88th minute, Joao Pedro struck to put the home fans on cloud nine.
Playing a loose ball into Marseille’s penalty area, the Brazilian created some space for himself before finishing past Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez. It was Joao Pedro’s sixth Europa League goal of the season, putting him at the top of the competition’s top scorers list.
Brighton, who travel to Arsenal for their next Premier League game, now qualify directly for the last 16 of the Europa League, which will be played in March.
Group B rating
Club | Grades | GD |
---|---|---|
Brighton | 13 | +5 |
Marseille | 11 | +4 |
Ajax | 5 | -3 |
AEK Athens | 4 | -6 |
West Ham 2-0 Freiburg
How the West Ham match went
West Ham and Freiburg met at the London Stadium with both teams having already qualified and tied at the top of Group A of the Europa League.
Needing a point to qualify as group winners and avoid a play-off with a Champions League side, the Hammers ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.
A Mohamed Qudous goal in the 14th minute put the hosts in control, with the Ghanaian chesting down Edson Alvarez’s pass before finishing emphatically.
Three minutes before half-time, Alvarez doubled West Ham’s lead by scoring his first goal for the club. Picking up the ball in midfield before starting a drive, the Mexico international finished it off with a smart shot to give the Hammers a 2-0 half-time lead.
A confident second-half display nullified the threat of Freiburg, who rarely threatened Lukasz Fabianski in the West Ham goal save for one fine save from the Hammers keeper to deny Richie Doan.
Having suffered a 5-0 defeat away to Fulham in their last Premier League outing, it was a positive response from West Ham ahead of their meeting with Wolves on Sunday.
Group A rating
Club | Grades | GD |
---|---|---|
West Ham | 15 | +6 |
SC Freiburg | 12 | +10 |
Olympiakos | 7 | -3 |
Baka Topola | 1 | -13 |
Zrinjski Mostar 1-1 Aston Villa
How the Aston Villa match unfolded
Nicolo Zaniolo’s 61st-minute goal was enough to earn Aston Villa a 1-1 draw away to Zrinjski Mostar, ensuring Villa finished top of Group E of the Europa Conference League.
Unai Emery’s side missed several chances before Zaniolo gave them the lead. The Italian struck from close range, converting John McGinn’s cross to score his first goal for Aston Villa and put them top of the group.
Villa made eight changes to the starting line-up from last weekend’s Premier League win over Arsenal and endured a tense final minute of the match after Zrinski scored an 87th-minute equaliser. Matija Malekinusic’s curling shot took a slight deflection on its way past debutant Villa goalkeeper Filip Marschall.
The guests saw the remaining minutes to confirm their place in the “16” of the tournament. Villa, who are third in the Premier League table and just two points behind leaders Liverpool, travel to Brentford on Sunday in their next Premier League game.
Group E rating
Club | Grades | GD |
---|---|---|
Aston Villa | 13 | +5 |
Legia Warsaw | 12 | +4 |
AZ Alkmaar | 6 | -5 |
Zrinjski Mostar | 4 | -4 |