Liverpool’s 100% record in the Champions League ended when they lost 3-2 at PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday but it was mission accomplished for Arne Slot’s side as they finished top of the revamped group stage.

A much-changed Liverpool, bidding to make it eight wins from eight, led twice in the Netherlands through Cody Gakpo’s penalty, against his old club, and Harvey Elliott.

Johan Bakayoko and Ismael Saibari equalised for PSV and Ricardo Pepi completed a remarkable first half by scoring what turned out to be the winner in stoppage time.

Liverpool ended with 10 men after debutant Amara Nallo was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge, shortly after coming on as a substitute.

Despite the loss, only their third of the season in all competitions, Slot’s side topped the group stage with 21 points, two ahead of Barcelona who could only draw their last game against Atalanta.

PSV will have to take their chances in the playoffs as they finished in 14th place.

“We can take a lot of positives from tonight and it was a chance to give the young lads a chance,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said. “We got our noses in front at 2-1 and then were a bit naive, which usually doesn’t happen.

“Results went our way elsewhere so we finish top and that’s what we wanted at the start of the season.”

Gakpo got the chance to silence his former fans after Joey Veerman brought down Federico Chiesa.

Bakayoko equalised with a clinical finish after leaving two Liverpool defenders on the deck in the 35th minute but Elliott restored the visitors’ lead five minutes later when he poached a rebound after an effort by Chiesa was saved.

Saibari thumped a second equaliser high past Caoimhin Kelleher to make it 2-2 before American Pepi provided the deftest of touches to turn Mauro Junior’s cross over the line.

The pace dropped after the interval as Gakpo departed to an ovation from both sets of fans.

Nallo came on for his senior Liverpool debut in the final minutes but it will not be the happiest of memories as he was shown a red card for a rash challenge on Bakayoko having been on the pitch for four minutes.

“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,” Slot said of the 18-year-old.

-Reuters

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Manchester City came from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-1 and secure their place in the Champions League playoffs, as big guns Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain also won to progress, while AC Milan and Juventus will join them despite both losing on Wednesday.

A goal-stacked night of 18 simultaneous kick-offs in the final group matchday of the competition’s new format, eventually ended as the traditional format usually ended – with all the big guns still alive.

Liverpool and Barcelona were the only teams already guaranteed a place in the top eight and automatic progress to the round of 16 and they stayed first and second respectively despite Liverpool losing 3-2 to PSV Eindhoven and Barca drawing 2-2 with Atalanta.

Joining them are Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa and Lille, who produced the performance of the night to thrash Feyenoord 6-1.

Although they eventually progressed reasonably comfortably, it was anything but for Man City at the Etihad. The 2023 European champions were exposed just before halftime when Raphael Onyedika brilliantly finished off a Brugge sweeping move.

Mateo Kovacic pulled one back for City early in the second half but at that stage they were still heading out of the competition and they needed an own goal by Joel Ordonez to get the lead and then a third by Savinho to relax.

PSG, who were in 22nd place and in danger of missing out at kickoff, avoided a nervous night by racing into a 3-0 halftime lead at Stuttgart. Bradley Barcola opened the scoring and a hat-trick for in-form Ousmane Dembele completed the 4-1 win.

It was the same score for Atletico Madrid at Salzburg. The visitors were helped by two goals for Antoine Griezmann.

SENT OFF

Lautaro Martinez got all three goals for Inter Milan in their 3-0 victory over Monaco, who had Christian Mawissa sent off after 12 minutes, but still made the playoffs.

Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1 at Girona and rubber-stamp their third-placed finish, while Leverkusen also avoided the two-legged play-offs by beating Sparta Prague 2-0 to finish sixth.

Lille began the day in 12th but ended in seventh after thumping Feyenoord, who contributed a remarkable three own goals to those scored by Osame Sahraoui, Jonathan David and Remy Cabella.

Real Madrid, seeking to extend their record 15 European titles, secured their playoff slot with a 3-0 win over Brest courtesy of two goals from Rodrygo and another by Jude Bellingham.

It was a second successive defeat for Brest but their flying start to the campaign proved enough for them to make the playoffs.

Aston Villa led Celtic 2-0 with two Morgan Rogers goals inside the first five minutes but two for Adam Idah made it level at halftime.

Ollie Watkins, who missed a penalty, then restored the lead and Rogers completed his hat-trick at the death to lift Villa into the top eight

AC Milan began the day in sixth but goals by Martin Baturina and Marko Pjaca combined with an early red card for gave Dinamo Zagreb a 2-1 that dropped the Italians into the playoff, but still left Zagreb missing out on joining them by one place on goal difference.

Bayern Munich beat Slovan Bratislava 3-1 with goals by Thomas Mueller, Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman while Benfica had an impressive 2-0 win at Juventus, a result that left both teams in the playoffs.

The draw for the two-legged next stage takes place on Friday, where, unlike in previous years, teams from the same country and group can meet. Those games will be played on Feb. 11/12 and 18/19 and the eight winners will then meet the eight top-ranked teams from the group stage in the round of 16 – with the seeded draw for that made on Feb. 21.

The final is in Munich on May 31.

-Reuters

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Expectedly, Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman had a great night for Atalanta and was on the scoresheet, but his effort was not enough to his Serie A club.

 Real Madrid were the dominant side of the night, winning 3-2 away at Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.

The slim win, no doubt kept the defending champion on slim hope of automatic qualification in the tournament should they pick vital wins in their last two matches at home.

A dominant first-half showing saw Madrid take a deserved lead through Kylian Mbappe, whose departure from injury before the interval changed the narrative of the game. Atalanta pounced on the uncertainty as Charles De Ketelaere scored a penalty with the final kick of the first half.

Vinicius Junior pounced on a fortunate deflection to restore Madrid’s advantage and Jude Bellingham scored soon after, but Atalanta slashed the deficit with Ademola Lookman’s fine strike from the edge of the box.

Atalanta had the momentum on their side and Lookman continued to torment Madrid’s makeshift defence, with the visitors forced to hold on and watch the clock tick down. Mario Retegui should have scored in the dying embers, volleying over from three yards out when it looked easier to score.

The final whistle was music to the ears of every Madrid fan. Three points take them to within a further three of the automatic qualification spots, although that gap could be stretched slightly after Wednesday’s matches.

RESULTS

Atalanta 2-3 Madrid

Girona 0-1 Liverpool

Brugge 2-1 Sporting

Zagreb 0-0 Celtic

Leverkusen 1-0 Inter

Brest 1-0 PSV

Leipzig 2-3 Aston Villa

Salzburg 0- PSG

Shakhtar 1-5

WEDNESDAY’S FIXTURES

Borussia Vs Barca

Juventus Vs Man City

Atletico Vs Bratislava

Lille Vs Sturm Graz

Milan Vs Zvezda

Arsenal Vs Monaco

Benfica Vs Bologna