Bill Shankly once said of Ron Yeats that he was so good, Liverpool could play Arthur Askey in goal. If Shankly had seen Virgil van Dijk in his prime, he might have added he could have picked Laurel and Hardy at full-back.

As Arne Slot’s skipper and field marshal celebrated a seventh consecutive Champions League win to confirm his side’s place in the round of 16, it reaffirmed the view that describing Van Dijk merely as the best defender is the understatement of the century.

Van Dijk is one of the best footballers in the world. Full stop.

Daring to write that is, of course, contrary to the unwritten laws of the modern game. World-class defensive players – centre-backs, full-backs and holding midfielders – must stay in their lane and be eternally defined by their position.

Ultimate greatness and all the individual awards that come with it tend to be reserved exclusively for creators and goalscorers. One need only witness the hissy fit by Real Madrid when Vinicius Jr was overlooked for the Ballon d’Or for the equally deserving Rodri, the rare outbreak of charity when voters looked beyond the front line almost causing a diplomatic incident.

Van Dijk is no less a generational talent because he patrols his own penalty area more than he plunders goals at the other end. In fact, the Dutchman had more reason to boycott the Ballon d’Or when he was declared runner-up to Lionel Messi in 2019, especially as he had effectively won the overall head-to-head over two legs in that year’s Champions League semi-final.

Six years on, perhaps that sense of injustice will be corrected. Liverpool will probably have to win the Champions League for that to be conceivable, and even then Van Dijk’s rival is likely to be Mohamed Salah, the goalscorer again in prime position to grab the headlines when scoring the excellent first goal in the 2-1 win over Lille. Salah’s 50th European goal for Liverpool – a club record – is an outstanding achievement. Van Dijk, however, may have prevented 150 during his eight years at Anfield.

It must be acknowledged this was not a blemish-free Liverpool defensive performance. Lille’s 10 men momentarily threatened the unlikeliest point when they equalised after an hour with their only shot on target.

Van Dijk was not culpable for that, although as captain he will assume collective responsibility. His search for perfection will no doubt leave him annoyed by the lack of a clean sheet, Harvey Elliott’s deflected winner securing the win.

Nevertheless, Lille’s equaliser was the first Champions League goal that Liverpool have conceded at Anfield this season. Given that the Spanish champions, Real Madrid, and German champions, Bayer Leverkusen, were among the visitors during this first phase, Lille’s Jonathan David can consider himself in elite territory.

It was also the first goal Liverpool had conceded in Europe for 599 minutes – another club record.

“The nice thing is we keep clean sheets not by defending a lot but by attacking a lot,” said Slot. “I prefer it like this than to keep a low block.”

This was a pertinent point which is stressed all too rarely. Van Dijk’s ability is all the more extraordinary given his starting position when Liverpool are attacking is the halfway line, compressing the play and backing himself when counter-attacked. His pace is deceptive and his ability to read the game ensures he is rarely, if ever, out of position. He will be studied by up-and-coming centre-backs in every football academy for generations to come with the same wondrous enthusiasm as an English literature student discovering Shakespeare’s plays.

Any strikers coming up against Van Dijk must feel like all those hopefuls facing Novak Djokovic at a grand slam – it often seems there is no way past him. You can’t outrun him and his supreme physicality will win any test of strength and stamina.

Tactically, Van Dijk is a game-changer for Liverpool and a nightmare for the opposition.

Two minutes into Tuesday’s victory, Lille’s game plan to allow Liverpool’s defenders to exchange passes looked fatally flawed. Van Dijk took possession, saw Salah 50 yards away and nonchalantly fizzed a long, diagonal pass on to the winger’s chest. It was the kind of ball that once prompted ovations for Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso when they made it their trademark.

Van Dijk does this so often, taking out five opposing players primed to pounce, they will be reminiscing about this skill when the Dutchman is no longer around in the same way they lamented the loss of a striding centre-half after Alan Hansen’s retirement.

In this form, Van Dijk is the definition of peerless. And he has been this good all season, without question the one player Liverpool cannot be so good without.

With understandable caution, Slot is reluctant to read too much into Liverpool’s position at the top of the Champions League and Premier League. But one defeat in 28 games across both competitions offers compelling evidence that they are where they deserve to be.

The manager is likely to be more receptive to the view that some of his players are performing better than any in their position, his skipper among them.

Van Dijk will be the first to stress he would rather win the Premier League and Champions League than the Ballon d’Or. Thanks to his class and leadership – and despite the enduring obsession with bestowing all the gifts on the attackers – he has a chance of a hat-trick of his own.

10:32 PM GMT

Liverpool thank their home support

10:30 PM GMT

Into the last-16

10:29 PM GMT

Arne Slot speaking to Amazon Prime

“We are happy that we are top eight, which is the only thing that tells me something. as a manager I am a bit more impressed than the fans were. They may feel it was only Lille, but they beat both Madrid clubs and not with the best players in the world so it shows how good their organisation is. The only thing I was not happy with was conceding one chance and it was a goal.

“The privilege of managing Liverpool is you have more than 11 good players and that is why you can compete on all fronts. It is up to them they are ready when they get their chance and Harvey was good today. You expect that when you bring in a quality player. We have a lot of quality and we work really hard.”

10:21 PM GMT

Harvey Elliott on his goal celebration

10:16 PM GMT

Harvey Elliott talking to Amazon Prime

10:12 PM GMT

The thoughts of Jonathan David

10:10 PM GMT

Another milestone for Salah

10:08 PM GMT

A flavour of Salah’s 50 Liverpool European goals

10:07 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League results

Atalanta 5-0 Sturm

Monaco 1-0 Aston Villa

Atletico 2-1 Leverkusen

Benfica 4-5 Barcelona

Bologna 2-1 Dortmund

Club Brugge 0-0 Juventus

Liverpool 2-1 Lille

Red Star 2-3 PSV

Slovan 1-3 Stuttgart

10:06 PM GMT

Mohamed Salah talking to Amazon Prime

09:58 PM GMT

Match stats

Possession: Liverpool 56%-44% Lille

Shots: 13-4

Shots on target: 7-1

Corners: 3-3

Touches in opposition box: 24-16

09:53 PM GMT

Full-time

The Lille keeper was up for the corner but Liverpool head away from danger. Not long after the final whistle is blown and Liverpool make it seven wins out of seven in this season’s Champions League. They are through to the last 16 and, after a dramatic ending to the game in Portugal between Benfica and Barcelona, Liverpool will need a point next week at PSV to be guaranteed top spot. They are three points ahead of Barcelona ahead of the final game. It is the first time Lille have lost in just over 20 games in all competitions.

09:51 PM GMT

90+2 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Lille have a late corner in front of their fans.

09:51 PM GMT

90+1 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Mac Allister has been booked for a challenge on Alexsandro that looked harsh.

09:49 PM GMT

90 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Nunez has the ball in the net but he was offside. Chiesa’s shot is saved by Chevalier and Nunez puts in the rebound but was clearly offside. He probably could have worked to get back onside.

There will be three added minutes at the end of this one.

09:47 PM GMT

88 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Andre fouls Endo right outside his own box and is booked. Andre will miss their final group match. Alexander-Arnold sends in the free-kick but Lille head away.

09:44 PM GMT

86 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Liverpool make their final change as Alexander-Arnold replaces Bradley.

09:43 PM GMT

85 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

After Elliott makes a mess of things on his own byline, the ball is fed back by David to Haraldsson near the edge of the box. His effort is deflected behind for a corner. The ball was unlikely to run out and Elliott should have dealt with it rather than try and shepherd it out of play.

Liverpool deal with the corner and clear their lines.

09:40 PM GMT

81 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Chiesa cuts in from the left and inside the box curls one towards the far corner but is denied by a decent save from Chevalier. A save he should make but a decent save nonetheless to his left.

09:37 PM GMT

79 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Nunez finds Salah out on the right and he runs at Ismaily, who gives him space to go on his right. Salah tries to beat Chevalier at his near post but the Lille keeper gets down well to make the save.

Liverpool take the corner short and Tsimikas then sends it in but Lille head away. Liverpool had numbers at the back post so had there been a bit more on that Liverpool would have been in business.

09:32 PM GMT

74 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Lille are making a double change as Mukau and Gudmundsson go off to be replaced by Ismaily and Bouaddi.

Liverpool also make a change as Chiesa comes on for Diaz.

09:30 PM GMT

72 mins: Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Diakite goes flying in recklessly into a challenge with Mac Allister. He does get the ball first but keeps his leg quite high to make contact with Mac Allister. It is a little surprising there was no yellow card.

09:25 PM GMT

GOAL! Elliott restores Liverpool’s lead via deflection

Liverpool are back ahead. Tsimikas’ corner in front of The Kop is headed out to Elliott just outside the box, who takes it on first-time. It takes a significant deflection off Mukau and goes into the net, with Chevalier having no chance as a result of the deflection.

09:23 PM GMT

64 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 1

Changes for both sides. Liverpool bring on Endo for Szoboszlai and Lille make a double change with Meunier and Sahraoui replacing Bakker and Cabella.

09:20 PM GMT

GOAL! David equalises for Lille

The 10 men have equalised. Bradley should do better down Liverpool’s right but Gudmundsson is allowed to cut the ball across from the byline. Initially Haraldsson has an effort blocked but David slots home the rebound. Before that goal, Liverpool had not conceded in the Champions League since the opening matchday against AC Milan. A reminder this is matchday seven.

09:19 PM GMT

60 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Mac Allister has a similar chance to the one Quansah had a few minutes ago. Tsimikas sends in a good free-kick and Mac Allister has a good headed opportunity but he cannot keep it down and it goes just over the bar.

09:18 PM GMT

59 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Lille are down to 10 men! The ball is played into the left-hand channel by Elliott and Mandi is in trouble. Diaz was going to get on the end of it so Mandi decides to hack him down. He already had a yellow card so he is shown a second yellow and is off. Lille will play the final half an hour with 10 men.

09:17 PM GMT

58 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Bradley feeds a good pass into the path of Nunez on the right-hand side of the box but his effort is saved by Chevalier, who had come out to narrow the angle. It was straight at Chevalier.

09:16 PM GMT

57 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Liverpool work it well down the right through Salah and Elliott, with the latter laying it off to Bradley on the right-hand side of the area. I do not know if Bradley was trying to cross or shoot but it ends up being a shot and goes over the bar. Some of his teammates were not too impressed that he did not pass in that area.

09:11 PM GMT

53 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Bakker fouls Tsimikas not far outside the Lille penalty area, which gives Liverpool a good opportunity. Tsimikas sends in a lovely delivery and Quansah meets it on his first Champions League start. Chevalier is in no man’s land and Quansah only needs to head it on target and it was in but he cannot keep the effort down and it goes over the bar. Quansah will be kicking himself there.

09:10 PM GMT

51 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Diaz plays a ball forward towards Nunez. The ball is fizzed in but Nunez cannot get a good enough touch on it and that allows Chevalier to get out and clear just ahead of Nunez.

09:05 PM GMT

47 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Liverpool have a great chance down the right with Salah. He drives into the Lille box and tries to curl one into the far corner but it goes wide.

09:03 PM GMT

Second half

We are back under way at Anfield. Liverpool have made a double change at the break as Elliott and Mac Allister replace Jones and Gravenberch. Jones had received some treatment towards the end of the first half.

08:59 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League fixtures

5.45pm kick-offs

Atalanta 5-0 Sturm FT

Monaco 1-0 Aston Villa FT

8pm kick-offs

Atletico 0-1 Leverkusen HT

Benfica 3-1 Barcelona HT

Bologna 0-1 Dortmund HT

Club Brugge 0-0 Juventus HT

Liverpool 1-0 Lille HT

Red Star 0-3 PSV HT

Slovan 0-2 Stuttgart HT

08:55 PM GMT

Match stats

Possession: Liverpool 56%-44% Lille

Shots: 5-1

Shots on target: 2-0

Corners: 1-1

Touches in opposition box: 8-9

08:52 PM GMT

HT verdict

08:47 PM GMT

Half-time

There is the half-time whistle and Liverpool lead 1-0 at the break thanks to Salah’s 50th European goal for the club.

08:45 PM GMT

45 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Two added minutes at the end of this first half.

08:45 PM GMT

44 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Salah should put Liverpool 2-0 up and it is a surprise he did not. Diaz plays a ball forward into the Egyptian and a fantastic first touch gets him running into the box ahead of his marker Gudmundsson. He holds off the defender, opens up his body and curls one towards the far corner. It beats Chevalier and you think it will nestle into the bottom corner but it goes just wide. It would have been a sublime goal.

08:42 PM GMT

42 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Jones goes down and receives some treatment. He looks like he will be fine to continue.

08:40 PM GMT

40 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Liverpool are running forward like the red arrows and Nunez has it with teammates up ahead of him. He ships it out to Salah on the edge of the box, who clips in a cross with the outside of his left foot that is headed behind for a corner.

Chevalier does well to punch away the delivery.

08:39 PM GMT

38 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

After a free-kick is taken short, a ball is sent in and Alisson comes out to catch but drops it. Liverpool clear but not long after Lille win themselves a corner on the left in front of The Kop. Liverpool then counter...

08:36 PM GMT

36 mins: Liverpool 1 Lille 0

Mandi was booked for Lille in the aftermath of the goal for dissent.

08:34 PM GMT

GOAL! Salah gives Liverpool the lead

Salah slots home whilst the Lille players are furious they were not given a free-kick in the build-up. Tsimikas gets the ball cleanly from David and there is clearly no foul. Jones gets hold of it and sends a pin-point through ball into Salah, who is close to being offside. Chevalier comes racing out of his goal but Salah gets to it first, lifting and curling it past the Lille keeper and into the net. Salah is onside and the goal stands. That is his 50th European goal for the club. 1-0 Liverpool.

08:31 PM GMT

31 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Chance for Liverpool. Jones is implored by the home faithful to play forward and he obliges, finding the run of Diaz in the left-hand channel. The Colombian fires in a cross into the path of Salah, who tries to volley home but it comes off his knee and goes away. It came at him fast.

08:26 PM GMT

26 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Bradley wins a free-kick on the right inside the Lille half after a foul by Cabella and Liverpool have the chance to send it into the Lille box. Liverpool take it short and Salah then clips it in but it is well over-hit. What a waste that was!

08:21 PM GMT

21 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Liverpool work it brilliantly from deep in their own half all the way into the Lille box. Bradley made great ground down the right before shifting it in-field to Salah, who tries to pick out the run of Diaz into the box but the ball is over-hit and runs behind for a goal-kick.

08:19 PM GMT

19 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

A ball over the top finds Cabella in space down the left. Cabella then finds Haraldsson on the edge of the box and he shifts it out to the right. The first cross is blocked and the second is headed away by van Dijk. That initial ball over the top for Cabella was far too easy for Lille.

08:16 PM GMT

15 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Quansah chips a ball over the top of the Lille defence, trying to pick out the run of Salah but the ball is slightly over-hit and rolls through to Chevalier. Nearly a very good ball.

08:11 PM GMT

11 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

08:07 PM GMT

7 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Salah is found out on the right by Szoboszlai. He moves to the edge of the box, cuts inside and curls in a shot but it is an easy save for Chevalier.

Lille are pushing up high out of possession, seemingly playing in a 4-2-4 formation without the ball.

08:03 PM GMT

3 mins: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Van Dijk picks out Salah with a long, raking diagonal. Salah sends in a cross from the byline with the outside of his left foot but Chevalier catches it.

08:01 PM GMT

1 min: Liverpool 0 Lille 0

Gudmundsson has the first effort of the night inside the first minute from the left-hand side of the Liverpool box but it goes wide of Alisson’s right post. Alisson had it covered anyway.

08:00 PM GMT

Kick-off

We are under way at Anfield.

07:57 PM GMT

Kick-off fast approaching

Both sides emerge from the tunnel and we are moments away from kick-off at Anfield.

07:53 PM GMT

Reminder of the teams

Liverpool: Alisson, Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah, Nunez, Diaz.

Substitutes: Kelleher, Jaros, Endo, Konate, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Danns, Morton.

Lille: Chevalier, Mandi, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson, Andre, Mukaku, Cabella, Haraldsson, Bakker, David.

Substitutes: Mannone, Caillard, Gomes, Sahraoui, Meunier, Bayo, Mbappe, Ismaily, Bouaddi, Cossier.

07:49 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League fixtures

5.45pm kick-offs

Atalanta 5-0 Sturm FT

Monaco 1-0 Aston Villa FT

8pm kick-offs

Atletico vs Leverkusen

Benfica vs Barcelona

Bologna vs Dortmund

Club Brugge vs Juventus

Liverpool vs Lille

Red Star vs PSV

Slovan vs Stuttgart

07:47 PM GMT

Daniel Sturridge on Amazon Prime

07:43 PM GMT

Hosts gearing up

07:40 PM GMT

Arne Slot speaking to Amazon Prime

07:32 PM GMT

Aston Villa still trail

Over in Monaco Unai Emery’s side trail 1-0 and there is around 10 minutes to go on the French south coast. You can follow the closing stages of that game right here.

07:25 PM GMT

Lille’s Champions League campaign so far

Sporting 2-0 Lille

Lille 1-0 Real Madrid

Atletico Madrid 1-3 Lille

Lille 1-1 Juventus

Bologna 1-2 Lille

Lille 3-2 Sturm Graz

07:18 PM GMT

Liverpool’s Champions League results so far

AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool

Liverpool 2-0 Bologna

RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool

Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid

Girona 0-1 Liverpool

07:12 PM GMT

Jarell Quansah, who starts for Liverpool tonight, speaking to Amaazon Prime

07:08 PM GMT

Full team news

Liverpool make four changes from their 2-0 win at Brentford on Saturday. Darwin Nunez, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones come into the starting XI, replacing Cody Gakpo, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister.

Liverpool: Alisson, Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah, Nunez, Diaz.

Substitutes: Kelleher, Jaros, Endo, Konate, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Danns, Morton.

Lille make three changes from their 2-1 league win against Nice on Friday. Aissa Mandi, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Ngal’Ayel Mukau come into the starting side. England midfielder Angel Gomes is on the bench.

Lille: Chevalier, Mandi, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson, Andre, Mukaku, Cabella, Haraldsson, Bakker, David.

Substitutes: Mannone, Caillard, Gomes, Sahraoui, Meunier, Bayo, Mbappe, Ismaily, Bouaddi, Cossier.

07:04 PM GMT

Opportunity to guarantee last-16 place for Liverpool

06:59 PM GMT

Liverpool in fresh contract wrangle with Konate yet to sign new deal

Chris Bascombe has the full story.

06:55 PM GMT

Slot is adept at blocking the noise from bloggers and blaggers

For more from Chris Bascombe, click here.

06:50 PM GMT

Lille team news

06:45 PM GMT

Liverpool team news

06:44 PM GMT

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Betting on the football today? Take a look at these best betting sites for free bets and betting offers.

06:41 PM GMT

Tonight’s Champions League fixtures

5.45pm kick-offs

Atalanta 1-0 Sturm HT

Monaco 1-0 Aston Villa HT

8pm kick-offs

Atletico vs Leverkusen

Benfica vs Barcelona

Bologna vs Dortmund

Club Brugge vs Juventus

Liverpool vs Lille

Red Star vs PSV

Slovan vs Stuttgart

06:37 PM GMT

Match preview

Liverpool host Lille at Anfield on matchday seven of eight in the Champions League group stage. Arne Slot’s side come into tonight’s match off the back of a 2-0 win away at Brentford on Saturday after a late double from Darwin Nunez. As well as being top of the Premier League by six points, they also are at the summit of the big Champions League table having won six out of six, three points clear of second-place Barcelona, and can absolutely guarantee their spot in the last-16 this evening. The premier European competition has undergone transformation this season, with the old six-game format divided into groups swapped for an eight-game group phase with one big league. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has given his views on the new Champions League format.

“It is difficult to judge as long as the season is still going. One of the positives, especially for the teams in pot three and pot four, is that they can also face teams from their own pot and that gives them a bigger chance to win games.

“In the old format, as a pot four team, you always faced from teams from pot three, two and one, so it was not always easy to win a game. Now they have two games against equal opposition as well. For those teams, I am 100 per cent sure they feel it is a step up.

“For the teams that were always in pot one, I have to wait and see to give you an honest opinion about what I would prefer. You cannot judge the league table and say this is the best team in Europe, this is the second best team, this is the third best team because we have not played against the same teams.”

Slot has confirmed that his side will be without Diogo Jota and Joe Gomez for the next few weeks. Jota missed the win at Brentford on Saturday after picking up a knock against Nottingham Forest last week whilst Gomez has been out since injuring his hamstring against West Ham at the end of December.

“Maybe [Diogo] Jota a bit earlier than Joe [Gomez], but both of them are expected to be back with us in weeks, not in months. I have said many times before the last stage of rehab is the most difficult, the one that can sometimes add a few days. But it is clear we are expecting them to be back with us in the upcoming weeks. It is always difficult to say exactly how long it is, but both of them are not going to be out for months, that is for sure - as long as the rehab goes as planned, of course.”

Liverpool’s opponents tonight, Lille, are currently in the final position of the top eight going into this round of fixtures, which would see them progress into the last-16. Lille, who come into tonight’s game off the back of a 2-1 home win over Nice last Friday, are currently third in Ligue 1 and have lost just three games so far in the league and Champions League. So far this in the Champions League they have beaten both Madrid clubs.

The only previous meeting between these sides came in the last-16 of the Europa League during the 2009-10 season, with Liverpool progressing 3-1 on aggregate.

Team news to follow shortly.