Andy Hunter’s match report is in, so it’s time to wrap things up. Thanks for your company - goodnight! In other news, Erling Haaland scored a unique goal – good luck trying to describe it – in Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague. The Champions League table is taking shape, and the top end looks a lot like the Premier League. “Malcolm Macdonald once ran the 100 metres in 10.9 seconds on 70s and 80s TV staple Superstars,” says Simon McMahon, “faster I’m sure than fellow Superstar Geoff Capes, Olympic shot putter, twice World’s Strongest Man, Highland Games champion and former President of the Budgerigar Society, who has sadly died today, bringing back childhood memories of Brian Jacks, Lynn Davies, Kevin Keegan, Daley Thompson, John Conteh, Jackie Stewart, Tony Jacklin… “Can you imagine that today? Jude Bellingham, Lewis Hamilton, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyson Fury riding bikes and doing squat thrusts on a Wednesday night on Channel 5. I’d watch.” Are you sure he didn’t let someone else run the first 98 metres and then charge over the line with his hands in the air? Full time: Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool The Slot machine spits out another three points. Darwin Nunez’s first-half goal has given Liverpool a deserved victory in Leipzig, one that takes them to second in the fledgling Champions League table. It was a strong Liverpool performance overall, even if they needed Caiomhin Kelleher to make three difficult saves in the second half. Both keepers played well and were it not for Peter Gulacsi, Liverpool might have been out of sight by half-time. That’s 11 win 12 games under Arne Slot, including six out of six away from home. Pretty, pretty good. 90+3 min Diaz’s wobbling shot from the edge of the area isn’t held by Gulacsi, but he gets away with it. 90+1 min Baumgartner puts Openda right through on goal with a glorious pass. Openda inexplicably declines to shoot, tries to square the ball to Poulsen and makes a mess of that as well. It was a dreadful pass, well behind Poulsen, though as it transpired Openda was again offside. He’s missed the chance to complete his hat-trick! 90 min Liverpool are five added minutes away from their 11th victory in 12 games under Arne Slot. 89 min Gakpo cuts inside from the left and scorches a rising drive that is tipped over one-handed by Gulacsi, leaping to his left. Excellent save. 87 min “If Openda gets a third disallowed goal,” says Ian Copestake, “then Liverpool will probably sign him.” 85 min: Leipzig substitution Eljif Elmas replaces the impressive Amadou Haidara. Time to go for broke. 84 min It feels like Liverpool have been comfortable for most of the game, yet Caoimhin Kelleher has made three vital saves in the second half. I guess it’s because Leipzig have played in moments; at no stage have they had Liverpool under sustained pressure. Henrichs did brilliantly, collecting Konate’s headed clearance before surging round the outside of the Liverpool defence. Then he struck a fierce cross-shot that was pushed away superbly by Kelleher. Openda had an open goal but he had gone too soon and was clearly offside. 83 min: Openda has another goal disallowed! 81 min Szoboszlai’s sweet chest-volley is well blocked by Bitshiabu. 80 min One impressive thing about Liverpool under Arne Slot is their ability to manage the tempo of a game. They still have the capacity to overwhelm teams in a five- or ten-minute period but they can also slow things down and keep the opposition at arm’s length. That’s what they’re doing right now. 78 min: Another Leipzig substitution Yussuf Poulsen replaces Xavi Simons, who appears to have turned his ankle and needs help leaving the field. 77 min Gakpo has gone to centre forward for Liverpool, with Diaz on the left and Szoboszlai (I think) playing from the right. Gakpo belts over the bar from distance. 75 min: Triple substitution for Liverpool Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez and the in-form Curtis Jones come on for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kostas Tsimikas and the excellent Darwin Nunez. 74 min: Triple substitution for Leipzig Christoph Baumgartner, Kevin Kampl and El Chadaille Bitshiabu replace Arthur Vermeeren, Benjamin Sesko and Lutsharel Geertruida. 73 min: Another good save by Kelleher! Simons’ shot from the edge of the area takes a nasty deflection and loops over the head of Kelleher, who jumps backward to tip it over the bar. The first save was the better of the two but it was another piece of excellent, assured goalkeeping. 72 min: Fine save by Kelleher! Leipzig almost equalise out of nothing. Konate lost the ball in a dangerous area to Haidara, whose tackle diverted the ball to Simons. He moved the edge of the area and played an angled pass to Sesko, whose low shot was kicked away by Kelleher. Excellent reflexes. 70 min: Mac Allister hits the bar! Lovely play from Liverpool. Mac Allister plays a nice pass to Szoboszlai, who drags his studs over the ball to return it to Mac Allister. He curls a fine shot from 25 yards that beats Gulacsi and hits the top of the bar. 68 min Openda gets behind Konate on the left side of the area, chops back outside onto his right foot and hits a shot that deflects off Konate and spins not far over the bar. The flag then goes up against Openda, though the replay suggested he might have been onside. 66 min Nunez receives a short pass from Gakpo on the edge of the area, opens his body and pings an awkward, dipping shot that Gulacsi saves at the second attempt. 63 min: Liverpool substitution Luis Diaz replaces Mo Salah, who isn’t happy about being taken off. Liverpool visit Arsenal on Sunday, hence the management of his minutes. 62 min In other news, Barcelona lead Bayern Munich 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Robert Lewand- Raphinha. The Barcelona team includes four 21-year-old and two 17-year-olds. Is something brilliant happening? 60 min “The travesty of the Champions League is not the format,” says Krishnamoorthy V, “but the fact that you mislead so many teams about winning this trophy which is then collected by Real Madrid come May. (Doubters may please talk with BVB Dortmund.)” The format doesn’t make football any more undemocratic, does it? Please don’t make me shout at that cloud again. 59 min Salah controls a crossfield pass, shuffles infield and wafts a trademark curler over the bar from 20 yards. Liverpool look very comfortable at the moment. 58 min As things stand – I know, I know – Liverpool are second in the Champions League table, behind Aston Villa on goal difference. A 2-0 win would send them top. 57 min “I reckon Kári Tulinius is onto something with a fully Swiss-system Champions League,” writes Andy Flintoff. “We just need a venue which has 16 pitches in close proximity, such as Hackney Marshes, and each round could be held there. Solves the logistics instantly (aside from about a million fans descending on East London every week). Do the same in two other locations for the Europa League and the Conference League. Or you could rotate between the three venues each matchday. “PS I am not mad.” Couldn’t we just play the whole thing on Football Manager? 56 min A fierce long-range shot from Henrichs hits Mac Allister flush in the masculinity. That looks seriously painful, and he’s lying on his back receiving treatment. Not sure you can really treat that; he just needs a bit of time to get his breath back. 54 min Alexander-Arnold farts around near the byline and is dispossessed by Simons. The attack peters out but Simons continues to look Leipzig’s biggest threat. Aside from one spectacular effort apiece, Openda and Sesko have been quiet. 51 min “Will Darwin’s strike mean survival of the fittest” wonders Peter Oh. “Or will Red Bull roar back and ensure survival of the fizziest?” Hang on, Red Bull is fizzy? I am so out of touch, I don’t even know which one’s Dec. 50 min Good defending from Gravenberch, who slides to concede a corner and stop Simons’ low cross reaching Sesko in the middle. Van Dijk embraces him like a goalscorer. 49 min: Big save by Gulacsi! Nunez goes after another lost cause, this time down the right. He screws a cutback that is cut out at the near post, only for Vermeeren and Geertruida to make a complete Horlicks of the situation and present the ball to Gakpo six yards out. His shot is stopped by the outstretched right leg of Gulacsi. 49 min A scruffy start to the second half, nothing to report except that there’s nothing to report. 47 min “Just looked up Malcolm Macdonald’s career stats, mighty impressive they are too,” says Simon McMahon. “And he was outstanding in A Clockwork Orange.” Ah, a bit of the old ultrabanter. 46 min Peep peep! Leipzig begin the second half. “Not to get into the weeds, I say while getting into the weeds, but Uefa chose to use a Pots System rather than a Swiss System,” writes Kári Tulinius. “If it were truly a Swiss System, then teams would face an opponent with the same number of points, or as close to as possible, each round. It would ensure a lot more matches between the big clubs, and fewer meet-ups between sharks and minnows. Of course, that would mean more actual jeopardy, so that won’t happen, unless UEFA does a bait and switch next year and says the clubs had agreed to a Swiss System, so there. It would be logistically difficult, but a lot more fun to watch.” Half-time reading Half time: Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool Liverpool started slowly and looked susceptible to counter-attacks, but Darwin Nunez’s 27th-minute goal, nicked from Mo Salah, changed the game. It was one-way traffic after that: Peter Gulacsi saved brilliantly from Nunez, who might* have had a penalty after a dodgy tackle from Willi Orban, and the impressive Cody Gakpo flashed a shot just wide. * Edit: should have had a penalty. We’ve just seen a few replays and it looked a clear foul. 45 min “Glad to see Nunez bring his traditional touch of chaos to Salah’s effort,” says Matt Dony. “Stealing goals is a dangerous game. I have rarely found anything on a football pitch funnier than Nani trying to steal Ronaldo’s goal against Spain, only to be flagged offside. Ronaldo ‘scored’ an outrageous outside-of-the-boot chip from a preposterous position, and Nani sauntered in to ruin it. Cue the Look Of Death. Magnificent stuff.” Oh yes! Had totally forgotten that. Ronaldo’s reaction is marvellous. 44 min Gakpo moves infield with purpose, gives the ball to Szoboszlai and makes for the penalty area. Szoboszlai plays a cute return pass and Gakpo sweeps a first-time shot just wide from about 15 yards. He’s been full of menace. 43 min Haidara’s deflected long-range shot is held comfortably by Kelleher, diving to his right. 41 min Football is rarely dull when Darwin Nunez is on the pitch. He’s been a persistent pain in Leipzig’s derriere in the last 20 minutes or so, and the penalty appeal came from a typically determined pursuit of an apparently lost cause. Everyone, including Orban, thought the ball was going behind for a goalkick. 40 min Leipzig are hanging on to a 1-0 deficit. A very dangerous cross towards Nunez is cleared either brilliantly or fortuitously by Orban, who was facing his own goal and pulled down a ball that came towards him at a very awkward height. 39 min: No penalty Hmm, Orban’s a bit fortunate there. Nunez definitely got to the ball first and, though he was happy to run into Orban’s leg, ultimately he didn’t initiate the contact. We’ve only seen one replay though. 38 min Nunez goes flying in the area after scooting past Orban near the byline. The referee isn’t interested but this may well be overturned by VAR. 37 min Tsimikas’s corner from the right is met at the near post by Van Dijk, whose header is tipped over by Gulacsi. That was a more comfortable save than the one from Nunez. 36 min Liverpool have been well on top since the goal. Alexander-Arnold receives possession 25 yards from goal, walks past a defender and rakes a shot that deflects behind for a corner. 34 min “This might be too old for most of your readers,” says Espen Bommen, “but that’s a Malcolm Macdonald goal from Nunez if I’ve ever seen one.” 32 min: Terrific save by Gulacsi! Alexander-Arnold sprays an effortless crossfield pass out to the increasingly influential Gakpo. He flicks a lovely cross towards Nunez, whose powerful close-range header is tipped over acrobatically by Gulacsi; that’s a brilliant reaction save. 29 min Imagine if Nunez had been offside though. Nunez has achieved what Craig Johnston couldn’t quite manage in the 1986 FA Cup final. Liverpool won’t care as it was a well-worked goal. Gakpo combined nicely with the underlapping Tsimikas, who stood up a good cross towards the far. Salah strained his neck muscles to power a head back across goal and Nunez made sure on the line. I’m 99 per cent sure it would have gone in off the inside of the post, but I guess Nunez needs the goal more than Salah. GOAL! Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool (Nunez 27) Darwin Nunez has stolen a goal from Mo Salah! 26 min: Disallowed goal! Openda beats Kelleher with a spectacular rising drive on the turn… and then the flag goes up. He was miles offside in fairness. Just before that Konate made another important intervention, this time to dispossess Sesko just outisde the area. He’s been excellent. 25 min “I remember the Champions League group stages coming in during the nineties including the few seasons where they had back to back group stages. The joy of the European Cup prior to this, was that the two-legged ties were filled with jeopardy. It did, of course mean that big clubs or star players could exit the competition early doors (I’m thinking Maradona’s Napoli). But it was worth it for the fact that every game was meaningful. Amusingly the response to the general indifference created by the group stages has been to bloat the thing even further. It’s like asking Noel Gallagher to correct the excesses of Be Here Now by taking more cocaine.” Arf. While I’d love to go back to unseeded jeopardy, I’ve given up shouting at this particular cloud. I mean look at it. 23 min Leipzig remind me a little of the Romania side of 1994 in that they’re like a coiled spring, always on the lookout for counter-attacks. So far, for all Liverpool’s possession, Leipzig have carried the greater threat. 22 min Geertruida is booked for a hack at Gakpo. 20 min At the other end Salah pokes wide of the near post. It wasn’t really a chance, though it is Liverpool’s first attempt at goal. 19 min: Just wide from Sesko! A fantastic effort from the big man. Kelleher came out of his area to head the ball away but didn’t get enough on it to concede a throw-in. Sesko collected by the left touchline, turned and hit an extravagant curling shot just wide of the far post. Kelleher was still running back towards goal and would have had no chance. That was almost a glorious goal. 16 min Leipzig have had only 35 per cent possession but all three attempts at goal. So now you know. 15 min Here’s more on Celtic’s impressive, hard-fought draw in Bergamo. 14 min The corner is half cleared and Leipzig come again. The ball is screwed back to the edge of the D, where Haidara hits a sweet first-time shot with his left foot. Kelleher gets down smartly to his left to make a confident save. Moments later, Sesko gets behind Liverpool on the right side of the area but cuts the ball behind the man in the middle. 13 min Haidara plays a quick pass through to Openda, who tries to go past Konate in the area and gets no change. The assistant gives a corner, a decision with which Konate is less than thrilled. 13 min Mac Allister is booked for diving. Looked like a foul to me, but I haven’t got the whistle. 12 min There have been two early goals in the match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Will Unwin will give you chapter and verse. 10 min Leipzig are full of intent on the counter attack, charging forward as soon as they win the ball. Nunez runs the channel to win Liverpool’s first corner. Tsinikas takes it and Orban heads away well under pressure. 8 min Castello Lukeba is booked for standing on Szoboszlai’s foot. 7 min Simons cuts inside from the left and curls a nice cross towards Sesko, who flicks a header straight at Kelleher. It was a tough chance because he had to generate power while also trying to place it in the corner. 4 min Liverpool have taken the centre of the ring early on, moving the ball around with a relaxed confidence. Nunez finds Gakpo on the left; he beats his man but overhits a cross towards the unmarked Salah at the far post. 2 min Simons curls over from the edge of the area after a promising Leipzig break, sparked by a loose touch from Tsimikas near the halfway line. It looks like Leipzig have started with a back four by the way; Henrichs is at left-back. Leipzig (4-3-2-1) Gulacsi; Geertruida, Orban, Lukeba, Henrichs; Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Sesko, Simons; Openda. 1 min And they’re off. Liverpool are kicking from left to right as we watch. A reminder of the teams Leipzig (possible 3-4-2-1) Gulacsi; Geertruida, Orban, Lukeba; Henrichs, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Simons, Sesko; Openda. Substitutes: Vandevoordt, Bitshiabu, Elmas, Poulsen, Baumgartner, Andre Silva, Kampl, Gebel. Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo. Substitutes: Jaros, Gomez, Endo, Diaz, Jones, Robertson, Quansah, Morton, Nyoni, Davies. Referee Sandro Scharer (Switzerland) Leipzig are second in the Bundesliga, behind Bayern on goal difference. Like Liverpool they’ve been superb in defence, concedingly only twice in seven games. But it hasn’t worked out quite so well in the Champions League: they lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid and 3-2 to Juventus, having been ahead in both games. Another defeat tonight and they’ll be needing snookers. “So, Rob, what’s your verdict so far on the Swiss Model?” asks Simon McMahon. “Loath as I am to give UEFA credit for anything, if nothing else it’s mixed things up a bit, and given teams like, say, Aston Villa, Brest and Slovan Bratislava top billing, at least for a while. “No doubt the last 16 will look pretty familiar, and Real Madrid will beat Man City in the final anyway, but it feels like the chances of an outsider, or maybe even two, making the latter stages have increased. And the more games UEFA can fit into the calendar the better, right? Surely only a matter of time before the final is played on 4th July in New York at 8pm (Eastern time).” I’ve enjoyed it and particularly Villa, though I think that’s more because of their newness than the format. My main gripe is the extra games; it’ll never happen but a way to make the league stage really interesting would be to have 12 teams qualifying rather than 24. The top four go straight to the quarters, the next eight playoff to join them. That would mean fewer games and loads more jeopardy, which is frankly how I prefer to roll. Champions League results The two early games were both drawn. That’s a fine result for Celtic, especially after their humiliation in Dortmund last time out. Atalanta 0-0 Celtic Brest 1-1 Leverkusen And this is the updates Champions League table. Liverpool and Benfica, who play Feyenoord, can both go top tonight. Ibrahima Konate is the only player on either side who’s on a yellow card. If he’s booked tonight he’ll miss Leverkusen at home in a fortnight. Pre-match bits and bobs Team news: Nunez and Gakpo start Arne Slot makes three changes from Sunday’s win over Chelsea. Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones are rested, with Kostas Tsimikas and Alexis Mac Allister coming into the side. Darwin Nunez replaces the injured Diogo Jota up front and Cody Gakpo is again preferred to Luis Diaz. Plenty of familiar names in the Leipzig team, including Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons, but they are without the Germany international Lukas Klostermann in defence. Leipzig (possible 3-4-2-1) Gulacsi; Geertruida, Orban, Lukeba; Henrichs, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Simons, Sesko; Openda. Substitutes: Vandevoordt, Bitshiabu, Elmas, Poulsen, Baumgartner, Andre Silva, Kampl, Gebel. Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo. Substitutes: Jaros, Gomez, Endo, Diaz, Jones, Robertson, Quansah, Morton, Nyoni, Davies. Referee Sandro Scharer (Switzerland) There are loads of other Champions League games tonight, including Barcelona v Bayern Munich. Will Unwin has drawn the Clockwatch straw. Preamble Hello, good evening and welcome to live coverage of Leipzig v Liverpool at the Red Bull Arena. You win nothing in October, unless it’s 1988 and the Mercantile Credit Cententary Trophy is up for grabs, but there’s never a bad time to be top of the league. If Liverpool win tonight, and other results that would not stretch credulity go their way, they will be top in both England and Europe. For now it still feels strange to talk about teams being top of the Champions League. That’ll soon pass – group stages were weird once – and the new competition is starting to take shape. The league stage is essentially a giant game of snakes and ladders and Liverpool would love to get to nine points ahead of the toughest bit of their fixture list: Leverkusen and Real Madrid at Anfield. Kick off 8pm.