Liverpool lost their 100% record in the Champions League but one suspects Arne Slot will be over the disappointment before he arrives back on Merseyside. It will take Amara Nallo much longer to recover.
The 18-year-old defender was handed his Liverpool debut in the 83rd minute at PSV Eindhoven, one of several young faces to appear in the group finale as Slot returned to the Netherlands with an eye on a more important date with Bournemouth on Saturday. Four minutes later the teenager was off, a disconsolate figure after receiving a straight red card for denying Johan Bakayoko a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Nallo’s misfortune was in stark contrast to impressive contributions from his fellow academy graduates James McConnell, Jayden Danns and Tyler Morton. Defeat, however, did not cost Liverpool top spot in the table courtesy of Barcelona’s draw with Atalanta. Slot’s side will face Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco or Brest in the last 16.
“It’s cruel,” the Liverpool head coach said of Nallo’s swift dismissal. “But making your debut at Champions League level is probably the hardest way. He misinterpreted the situation and that is immediately a problem at this level or in Premier League. It’s a big moment for him to learn from.
“A career isn’t always positive, there are also negatives, and he has to fight very hard to make sure he plays a second Champions League game. It is not going to be easy but hopefully he will.”
Slot was full of praise for the performance of McConnell and confirmed the young midfielder would not be loaned out this month as a result. Others might. “He impressed me a lot,” said Slot, who admitted PSG are not the reward he will be hoping for having finished top.
The former PSV favourite Cody Gakpo and Andy Robertson were the only players retained from the starting lineup against Ipswich on Saturday. It is testament to the work being done from academy to senior level at Liverpool that Slot’s makeshift team were still recognisable in style.
Danns and McConnell both impressed in a rollercoaster first half although it was an old head in the centre of defence who influenced the visitors’ assured start. Robertson took Virgil van Dijk’s position and captain’s armband for the night. He must have taken distribution tips from Van Dijk too as he dropped a series of pinpoint deliveries behind the PSV defence.
Gakpo gave Liverpool the lead with a coolly converted penalty won after Robertson’s long ball towards Federico Chiesa resulted in Joey Veerman upending the Italy international with a careless touch. Gakpo raised his hands in apology to his former club after scoring.
The contest suddenly had liftoff. PSV hit back with an exquisite goal from Bakayoko. Released into the Liverpool area by a deft touch from the striker Ricardo Pepi, the winger put Robertson and Jarell Quansah on their backsides with a dummy and curled an unstoppable finish inside Caoimhín Kelleher’s right-hand post.
Liverpool soon regained the lead when Gakpo turned Wataru Endo’s ball into the path of Chiesa, whose low drive was parried into the path of Harvey Elliott by Walter Benítez. The midfielder, who scored the winner against Lille last week, made no mistake from close range.
Back came PSV against a vulnerable Liverpool defence and an exposed Bradley at right-back. The visitors wanted a foul when Endo was dispossessed by Tygo Land. The referee, Tobias Stieler, was not interested and Veerman released Ismael Saibari inside the box with a perfectly weighted pass. The left winger lashed an unstoppable shot into the roof of Kelleher’s net.
PSV profited down their left again to take the lead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time. Mauro Júnior broke into the area and played a low cross towards Pepi. The delivery deflected off Bradley, diverting it away from both the striker and Robertson, and sailed inside the far corner.
The Champions League's inaugural 'league phase' is now complete, with the top eight sides – Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Atlético, Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa – going straight to the last 16. The teams who finished between 9th and 24th have been matched in seeded and unseeded pairs, to be allocated into playoff ties in Friday's draw (11am GMT).
To give an example, Celtic (21st) and Manchester City (22nd) will face Real Madrid (11th) or Bayern Munich (12th), with the winners advancing to play either Atlético (seeded fifth) or Leverkusen (6th). So the draw could potentially put Celtic v Real Madrid on one side, and Manchester City v Bayern on the other.
The playoffs will take place on 11-12 and 18-19 February, before a further draw on 21 February decides who the playoff winners will face in the last 16. So, if Real Madrid and Bayern Munich advance, they will be drawn to play either Atlético or Leverkusen. Teams from the same country can be paired together at any point.
Playoff ties and last-16 opponents
(17) Monaco or (18) Brest v (15) PSG or (16) Benfica
- Winner will face (1) Liverpool or (2) Barcelona in last 16
(23) Sporting or (24) Brugge v (9) Atalanta or (10) Dortmund
- Winner will face (7) Lille or (8) Aston Villa in last 16
(21) Celtic or (22) Man City v (11) Real Madrid or (12) Bayern
- Winner will face (5) Atlético or (6) Leverkusen in last 16
(19) Feyenoord or (20) Juventus v (13) Milan or (14) PSV
- Winner will face (3) Arsenal or (4) Inter in last 16
(18) Brest or (17) Monaco v (16) Benfica or (15) PSG
- Winner will face (2) Barcelona or (1) Liverpool in last 16
(24) Brugge or Sporting (23) v (10) Dortmund or (9) Atalanta
- Winner will face (8) Aston Villa or (7) Lille in last 16
(22) Man City or (21) Celtic v (12) Bayern or (11) Real Madrid
- Winner will face (6) Leverkusen or (5) Atlético in last 16
(20) Juventus or (19) Feyenoord v (14) PSV or (13) Milan
- Winner will face (4) Inter or Arsenal (3) in last 16
Gakpo was given a rousing reception from the PSV fans when he was replaced by Morton early in the second half. With Slot introducing more young talent and PSV content to protect their advantage, the game unsurprisingly failed to maintain the entertainment value of the first half.
Morton made a superb block to prevent Pepi adding a fourth from a PSV counterattack and also tested Benítez from distance. Nallo’s quick red card effectively ended Liverpool’s chances of a comeback. Kelleher denied Bakayoko with a fine reaction save in the closing moments as PSV secured their place in the playoffs. Liverpool have bigger aims, starting with Bournemouth.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 8 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 8 | 15 | 19 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 8 | 13 | 19 |
| 4 | Inter Milan | 8 | 10 | 19 |
| 5 | Atletico Madrid | 8 | 8 | 18 |
| 6 | Bayer Leverkusen | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| 7 | Lille | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| 9 | Atalanta | 8 | 14 | 15 |
| 10 | Borussia Dortmund | 8 | 10 | 15 |
| 11 | Real Madrid | 8 | 8 | 15 |
| 12 | Bayern Munich | 8 | 8 | 15 |
| 13 | AC Milan | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| 14 | PSV | 8 | 4 | 14 |
| 15 | PSG | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| 16 | Benfica | 8 | 4 | 13 |
| 17 | Monaco | 8 | 0 | 13 |
| 18 | Brest | 8 | -1 | 13 |
| 19 | Feyenoord | 8 | -3 | 13 |
| 20 | Juventus | 8 | 2 | 12 |
| 21 | Celtic | 8 | -1 | 12 |
| 22 | Man City | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| 23 | Sporting | 8 | 1 | 11 |
| 24 | Club Brugge | 8 | -4 | 11 |
| 25 | Dinamo Zagreb | 8 | -7 | 11 |
| 26 | Stuttgart | 8 | -4 | 10 |
| 27 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 8 | -8 | 7 |
| 28 | Bologna | 8 | -5 | 6 |
| 29 | Red Star Belgrade | 8 | -9 | 6 |
| 30 | Sturm Graz | 8 | -9 | 6 |
| 31 | Sparta Prague | 8 | -14 | 4 |
| 32 | RB Leipzig | 8 | -7 | 3 |
| 33 | Girona | 8 | -8 | 3 |
| 34 | Red Bull Salzburg | 8 | -22 | 3 |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 8 | -20 | 0 |
| 36 | Young Boys | 8 | -21 | 0 |
