Lot not sure if Champions League top spot 'an advantage'

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is not convinced that finishing top of the Champions League's inaugural league phase standings will prove to be an advantage after securing progress to the last 16 on Tuesday.

The Reds beat Lille 2-1 at Anfield to maintain a perfect record of seven wins from seven games in the competition's new format.

Liverpool are guaranteed to finish in the top two, with Barcelona the only side that could pip them to first place.

That means the Premier League leaders will face a side that finishes between 15th and 18th in the last 16.

However, Slot does not believe the table tells a true story given that each club faces a different draw of eight opponents in the league phase.

"We're happy that we are top eight. That's the only thing that tells me something, because this league table doesn't tell you anything," said the Dutchman.

"So normally in tennis, if you're number 1, you know if you play against the number 24, he's probably not as good as the number 16.

"But here, because we play different teams, maybe the number 24 is better than the number 16, but the number 16 had an easier draw.

"We also want to be on top of the league, but I'm not so sure. We have to wait and see if it's an advantage, let's put it that way."

Liverpool were far from their flowing best against 10-man Lille and needed a deflected strike from Harvey Elliott to maintain their winning run.

But in doing so they inflicted the French side's first defeat in 22 games in all competitions – a run that included victories over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

"As a manager, I'm a bit more impressed than I think the crowd was, or the people that watched the television, because they probably feel like 'oh, Lille, it's only Lille'.

"But I knew, and probably you guys (the media) as well, that they were 21 games unbeaten, that beat Real Madrid, beat Atletico Madrid.

"Without any disrespect, they don't do this with the best players in the world. So that tells you that they were very well organised and difficult to play through, and it's a hard-working team, so it's not so easy."