Already-qualified Liverpool ended their Europa League group campaign with an away defeat in Belgium against Union Saint-Gilloise.
Jurgen Klopp’s youthful Reds side fell behind in the 32nd minute when Mohamed Amoura scored after taking the ball around goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Twenty-year-old centre-half Jarell Quansah equalised with a powerful effort from inside the penalty area for his first Liverpool goal.
But the hosts regained the lead just before half-time thanks to Cameron Puertas’ low strike, which proved to be the winner.
Puertas thought he had scored again with another well-struck shot but the goal was disallowed for handball following a video assistant referee check.
Despite the loss, Liverpool win Group E with 12 points from their six games, while Belgian league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise finished third to drop down into the Europa Conference League play-offs, in February.
Premier League leaders Liverpool will not play another European fixture until the last 16 in March and can focus on other competitions.
They now have three vital home games – Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday and then Arsenal in the league on 23 December.
Learning experience for Liverpool’s youngsters
Liverpool’s 4-0 win over LASK in November guaranteed top spot with a game to spare in the group.
That meant Klopp was able to rest forward Mohamed Salah, defenders Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold and goalkeeper Alisson with Liverpool playing 10 times between 30 November and 1 January.
Three teenagers started – 18-year-old Scottish winger Ben Doak, 19-year-old left-back Luke Chambers and 19-year-old midfielder Kaide Gordon – while the side also featured three 20-year-olds, Quansah, right-back Conor Bradley and established midfielder Harvey Elliott.
Eighteen-year-old defender Calum Scanlon and midfielder James McConnell, 19, also made substitute appearances on a valuable learning night for Klopp’s squad.
The hosts were the better team throughout though and Noah Sadiki, Amoura and Gustaf Nilsson had missed chances before Amoura capitalised on Reds’ captain Curtis Jones losing possession in midfield, racing clear and bundling his way past Kelleher.
Liverpool were only behind for seven minutes as Quansah superbly controlled the ball from a corner before producing a fine finish with his second touch from 15 yards.
However, that was the visitors’ only attempt on goal in the opening 75 minutes, with the Belgian side retaking the lead through Puertas’ near-post strike on their way to a deserved win.
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Union Saint-Gilloise
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Squad number49Player nameMoris
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Squad number5Player nameMac Allister
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Squad number16Player nameBurgess
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Squad number28Player nameMachida
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Squad number21Player nameCastro-Montes
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Squad number8Player nameAmani
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Squad number27Player nameSadiki
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Squad number10Player nameLapoussin
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Squad number23Player namePuertas
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Squad number29Player nameNilsson
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Squad number47Player nameAmoura
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Squad number4Player nameRasmussen
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Squad number9Player nameEckert Ayensa
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Squad number13Player nameRodrÃguez
Line-ups
Union Saint-Gilloise
Formation 3-4-1-2
- 49Moris
- 5Mac Allister
- 16Burgess
- 28Machida
- 21Castro-Montes
- 8AmaniSubstituted forEckert Ayensaat 88′minutes
- 27SadikiBooked at 53mins
- 10Lapoussin
- 23Puertas
- 29NilssonSubstituted forRodrÃguezat 78′minutes
- 47AmouraSubstituted forRasmussenat 84′minutes
Substitutes
- 4Rasmussen
- 9Eckert Ayensa
- 11Teklab
- 13RodrÃguez
- 14Imbrechts
- 17Terho
- 26Sykes
- 34Wenssens
- 35Huygevelde
- 48Leysen
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
- 62Kelleher
- 84BradleyBooked at 23mins
- 5KonatéSubstituted forGomezat 45′minutes
- 78Quansah
- 44ChambersSubstituted forScanlonat 63′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 19Elliott
- 3EndoSubstituted forGravenberchat 45′minutes
- 17Jones
- 49GordonSubstituted forMcConnellat 75′minutes
- 18Gakpo
- 50DoakSubstituted forNúñezat 63′minutes
Substitutes
- 2Gomez
- 7DÃaz
- 8Szoboszlai
- 9Núñez
- 21Tsimikas
- 38Gravenberch
- 45Pitaluga
- 48Scanlon
- 53McConnell
- 67Koumas
- 83Hill
- 93Mrozek
Live Text
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Match ends, Union Saint-Gilloise 2, Liverpool 1.
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Second Half ends, Union Saint-Gilloise 2, Liverpool 1.
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Attempt saved. Harvey Elliott (Liverpool) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the top left corner.
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Attempt blocked. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Darwin Núñez.
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Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Anthony Moris.
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Offside, Union Saint-Gilloise. Cameron Puertas is caught offside.
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Calum Scanlon (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Calum Scanlon (Liverpool).
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Kevin RodrÃguez (Union Saint-Gilloise) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Conor Bradley (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Cameron Puertas (Union Saint-Gilloise).
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Corner, Union Saint-Gilloise. Conceded by Calum Scanlon.
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Attempt saved. Dennis Eckert Ayensa (Union Saint-Gilloise) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mathias Rasmussen.
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Delay over. They are ready to continue.
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Substitution, Union Saint-Gilloise. Dennis Eckert Ayensa replaces Lazare Amani.
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Delay in match because of an injury James McConnell (Liverpool).
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Corner, Union Saint-Gilloise. Conceded by Jarell Quansah.
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Substitution, Union Saint-Gilloise. Mathias Rasmussen replaces Mohammed Amoura because of an injury.
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Delay over. They are ready to continue.
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Delay in match because of an injury Mohammed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise).