Barcelona's spectacular fightback against Benfica on Tuesday meant Liverpool would have to wait another week to be confirmed winner of the league phase of the new look Champions League. But manager Arne Slot was full of praise for referee Danny Makkelie playing so much stoppage time in the 5-4 win for Barcelona. Liverpool Beat LOSC Lille To Reach UEFA Champions League 2024–25 Round of 16; Barcelona Win Nine-Goal Thriller Against Benfica.

“Let's start with a compliment for the referee in Lisbon,” Slot said. "Because for the times I've worked in football, I saw four minutes of extra time and then there was three minutes of time delaying and then at four minutes the referee blew his whistle. But this referee kept on playing for a while, so maybe that was not in our advantage this time, but I like to see these things.”

Liverpool confirmed its place in the last 16 with a 2-1 victory over Lille at Anfield. It looked set to advance as league winner until Barcelona's comeback at Estadio da Luz. Benfica led 3-1 and 4-2 in the game, but was stunned by goals in the 86th and 96th minutes from Eric Garcia and Raphinia, respectively. Mohamed Salah Scores Landmark Goal for Liverpool; Could This Really Be His Final Season at the Club?.

Liverpool still tops the standings with a 100% record in Europe's elite club competition this season. Barcelona is three points behind in second. Liverpool plays PSV Eindhoven in its final game of the league phase next week, while Barcelona plays Atalanta.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)