Liverpool fell to PSV on the final day of the Champions League league phase with a number of key starters absent from the matchday squad.

Liverpool will give some star players including Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk a rest for the Champions League game at PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.

Mohamed Salah scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool as the Reds booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with victory over 10-man Lille at Anfield. Salah's goal came when he latched onto a brilliant Curtis Jones through ball and slotted over the advancing Lucas Chevalier in the 34th minute.

In a week that he was being compared to Eden Hazard, Mohamed Salah once again underlined his status as Champions League star.

Liverpool return to Premier League action by hosting Ipswich Town at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, aiming to strengthen their lead at the top of the table. REA

Manager Arne Slot opted to heavily rotate his squad on the final day, content to play out the final game with a mix of youngsters, squad players and stars sprinkled in. Designed to give important players like Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah a rest, Liverpool were in front twice this game. Cody Gakpo, in his return to Eindhoven, scored the opener.

Mohamed Salah and Egypt will face South Africa in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 on December 22. The Pharaohs have learned their AFCON fate and the other two teams they will face in their group alongside the Bafana Bafana.

It is the third consecutive time Salah has been adjudged Player of the Month and earned the accolade in August. UEFA Champions League - League Stage Liverpool v Lille Mohamed Salah of Liverpool ...

Liverpool have won all six of their League Phase games so far, sitting pretty at the top of the table. To confirm their spot in the top eight of the table, which guarantees a spot in the last 16 without going through the playoff round, they need a point against French upstarts Lille on Tuesday.

“Hopefully (it’s) not the last one,” said Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the season and has increasingly raised the prospect that this could be his last with the Merseyside club.

The only hat-trick scorers to end on the losing side were Ronaldo (Manchester United 4-3 Real Madrid in 2002/03), Gareth Bale (Inter 4-3 Tottenham, 2010/11), İrfan Can Kahveci (İstanbul ...