By Lori Ewing LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -Liverpool booked their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Lille on Tuesday at Anfield, thanks to goals from talisman Mohamed Salah and substitute Harvey Elliott.

Hello and welcome everyone to The Athletic for our live coverage of Liverpool vs Lille. The Champions League is back today after a more than month-long hiatus and the fixture we're focusing on pits the Premier League leaders against one of the high-flying sides in Ligue 1.

Liverpool have won 2-1 against Lille in their Champions League match at Anfield. Mohamed Salah scored on the counter-attack in the first half and the hosts were cruising when Lille’s Aissa Mandi was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Mohamed Salah scored early and Harvey Elliott scored late, and that was all Liverpool needed to beat Lille at Anfield on Tuesday and move to 7-for-7 perfect in the newly formatted UEFA Champions League group stage.

Liverpool cruised from there and secured not only the win, but a direct berth to the round of 16 in the Champions League. Skipping the first round of the knockout stage will give the Reds time to regroup and focus on maintaining their pace in the Premier League amid challengers.

Liverpool booked their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Lille on Tuesday at Anfield, thanks to goals from talisman Mohamed Salah and substitute Harvey Elliott.