A busy night of European action for four Premier League clubs ended with Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United and Aston Villa all topping their respective groups in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
While Liverpool, who had already qualified as group winners, slipped to a 2-1 defeat, Brighton and West Ham were both victorious - and Aston Villa secured the point they needed to win their group.
Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 Liverpool
How Liverpool's match unfolded
With qualification as winners of Europa League Group E already assured, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp took the opportunity to rest his senior players ahead of a busy run of fixtures.
Liverpool's starting XI was the youngest ever named for a European match in the club's history and contained three teenagers - Ben Doak, Luke Chambers and Kaide Gordon. Mohamed Salah, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold had a rare night off and weren't part of the matchday squad.
Their hosts started the match on the front foot and after 32 minutes Mohamed Amoura rounded Caoimhin Kelleher to put Union Saint-Gilloise 1-0 up.
Liverpool's young side then had to absorb significant pressure before they grabbed an equaliser six minutes before half-time. It was a goal to remember for 20-year-old defender Jarell Quansah, who controlled the ball superbly before finishing emphatically from 15 yards.
Parity didn't last very long though. With half-time approaching, Union Saint-Gilloise regained the lead on 42 minutes. This time Amoura was the provider - teeing up Cameron Puertas, whose low shot beat Kelleher to give the hosts a 2-1 lead at the break.
Liverpool couldn't find an equaliser in the second half. Despite the Reds dominating possession for long periods it was Union Saint-Gilloise who continued to create the more dangerous openings and they saw the match out comfortably to secure a deserved win and a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
Liverpool, who welcome rivals Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday, will not play again in Europe until the Europa League knockout phase in March.
Group E standings
| Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 12 | +10 |
| Toulouse | 11 | -1 |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 8 | -3 |
| LASK | 3 | -6 |
Brighton 1-0 Marseille
How Brighton's match unfolded
A dramatic late winner from Joao Pedro gave Brighton a memorable victory over Marseille, securing top spot in Europa League Group B for the Seagulls in their first ever European campaign.
Brighton qualify for the last 16 of the competition and bypass a potentially-difficult play-off against a club from the Champions League.
The 1-0 win over the former European Cup winners meant that the home side leapfrogged Marseille, who dropped down to second in the final Group B standings.
A tense and cagey affair looked destined to finish goalless, with Brighton frustrated by the visitors despite making most of the running. But on 88 minutes, Joao Pedro struck to put the home fans on cloud nine.
Pouncing on a loose ball in the Marseille penalty area, the Brazilian worked some space for himself before finishing past Marseille 'keeper Pau Lopez. It was Joao Pedro's sixth Europa League goal of the season, putting him top of the competition's goalscoring charts.
Brighton, who travel to Arsenal for their next Premier League fixture, now advance straight into the Europa League last 16, which will take place in March.
Group B standings
| Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 13 | +5 |
| Marseille | 11 | +4 |
| Ajax | 5 | -3 |
| AEK Athens | 4 | -6 |
West Ham 2-0 SC Freiburg
How West Ham's match unfolded
West Ham and SC Freiburg squared off at the London Stadium with both teams already qualified and level on points at the top of Europa League Group A.
Needing a point to progress as group winners and avoid a play-off with a Champions League team, the Hammers ran out as comfortable 2-0 victors.
A goal from Mohammed Kudus in the 14th minute put the home side in control, with the Ghanaian chesting down Edson Alvarez's pass before finishing emphatically.
Three minutes before half-time, Alvarez doubled West Ham's lead, scoring his first goal for the club. Picking up the ball in midfield before embarking on a driving run, the Mexico international rounded it off with a smart shot to give the Hammers a 2-0 lead at half-time.
An assured second half display neutralised the threat posed by Freiburg, who rarely threatened Lukasz Fabianski in the West Ham goal, with the exception being one fine save from the Hammers 'keeper to deny Ritsu Doan.
Having been on the receiving end of a 5-0 defeat away to Fulham in their last Premier League outing, it was a positive response from West Ham ahead of their meeting with Wolves on Sunday.
Group A standings
| Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 15 | +6 |
| SC Freiburg | 12 | +10 |
| Olympiakos | 7 | -3 |
| Backa Topola | 1 | -13 |
Zrinjski Mostar 1-1 Aston Villa
How Aston Villa's match unfolded
Nicolo Zaniolo's 61st-minute goal was enough to give Aston Villa a 1-1 draw away to Zrinjski Mostar, ensuring Villa finished in top spot of Europa Conference League Group E.
Unai Emery's team wasted several chances before Zaniolo gave them the lead. The Italian struck from close range, converting a pinpoint cross from John McGinn to score his first goal for Aston Villa and put them in a commanding position in the group.
Villa made eight changes to the starting XI from last weekend's Premier League win over Arsenal, and endured a tense final few minutes to the match after Zrinjski scored an 87th-minute equaliser. Matija Malekinusic's curling shot took a slight deflection on its way past Villa's debutant 'keeper Filip Marschall.
The visitors saw out the remaining minutes to confirm their place in the last 16 of the competition. Villa, who are third in the Premier League table and only two points behind leaders Liverpool, travel to Brentford on Sunday in their next Premier League match.
Group E standings
| Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 13 | +5 |
| Legia Warsaw | 12 | +4 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 6 | -5 |
| Zrinjski Mostar | 4 | -4 |
