Liverpool could not be in a better position in the Champions League after it secured a seventh successive victory this season in that competition against Lille. It has conceded just twice in that — to Christian Pulisic and Jonathan David.

But there was one negative from the 2-1 victory against the Ligue 1 opposition. Curtis Jones limped around for the final few minutes of the first half and then didn't reappear in the second.

"The idea was to take Ryan (Gravenberch) and Dom (Szoboszlai) off at half-time but Curtis couldn't continue, so Dom played a bit longer," Slot explained at the final whistle. "There was a moment in the game, he said let's play for five and let's see how it is. He then said he needs to come off."

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Jones will be assessed by Liverpool but the hope is that he only came off as a precaution. The number 17 has had a number of unfortunate setbacks in his career but has just got back into rhythm again under Slot, so another spell on the sidelines would be a major blow for him — and the Reds, whose midfield options are not limitless.

Joe Gomez, meanwhile, is still a number of weeks away from a return. Slot explained before the Lille game that the center-back is not close to a comeback yet and that Diogo Jota — though he should be back first — is going to be on the treatment table for a while too. Both players have muscle injuries but "weeks" could mean them returning at some point in mid to late February.

Liverpool.com says: While it is far from ideal to be without Jota and Liverpool faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of Jones' issue, the overall picture is pretty healthy injury-wise. Arne Slot has done a good job of managing the squad and that will need to continue with matches in four competitions coming up.