Liverpool vs LASK – Europa League RECAP: Score, team news and updates as Jurgen Klopp’s side can wrap up group with a win and Toulouse loss plus updates from Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League tie

Thanks for following along with me tonight.

Keep your eyes peeled across MailSport for all the fall-out and reaction from tonight’s Europa League action.

Liverpool cruised into the last-16 of the Europa League as they put in a table-topping performance to down LASK in Group E.

Read Lewis Steele’s report from Anfield…

I think we started off well, first goal from Lucho (Luis Diaz). I think we could have scored more today, but it’s a good win.

[On his two goals] If it was up to me I would score all the chances but in the end it was only two. But, yeah, I can improve.

[Top the group] I think it’s important. We should be top of the group with the players we have. We have to keep going because we have big goals for the season.

We just have to keep going and win as much as possible. We have a lot of quality in the group and I think with this quality we can win a lot of games.

Cody Gakpo has his second on the night but this is all about the ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He fizzes it along the ground and Gakpo cuts back onto his right foot before leathering it into the back of the net.

It is great to see some of the emerging stars from Liverpool’s academy get a run out here.

The game may be beyond doubt now but it is still invaluable experience for both Chambers and Bradley in these closing stages.

How LASK haven’t scored is anyone’s guess!

This is the goal that has put Aston Villa ahead on the night…

Ryan Gravenberch OFF – Connor Bradley ON

Kostas Tsimikas OFF – Luke Chambers ON

Catching up with things at Villa Park, Aston Villa have got their noses back in front!

Mustapha hasn’t long come on for LASK but he’s hobbled off and he can’t continue.

He’s been carried down the tunnel.

I can’t recall having enjoyed watching a team that is losing as much as I have here with LASK.

No wonder their fans are making so much noise. There’s absolutely no quit in them.

The issue they have is the quality in attack is so glaring.

Liverpool would be 9-0 up – seriously – if they had had LASK’s chances.

This was the moment Mohamed Salah buried his 199th Liverpool goal.

He will have to wait for No 200 though having been taken off with this result beyond reasonable doubt.

Ljubicic OFF – Mustapha ON

Stojkovic OFF – Flecker ON

Darwin Nunez sees a wicked shot from a couple of yards out parried away.

The substitute cannot believe he hasn’t made it 4-0.

Ibrahima Konate OFF – Trent Alexander-Arnold ON

Luis Diaz OFF – Curtis Jones ON

Mo Salah OFF – Darwin Nunez ON

Substitutions are imminent for Liverpool… can’t say I think any of these players will want to come off.

There are more goals in this one.

And it is goal number 199 for Liverpool for Mohamed Salah!

LASK’s goalkeeper is slow off the mark and he collides with Cody Gakpo.

The Dutchman gets their first but is going away from goal.

I can’t see VAR overturning that.

Is this No 199 for Mohamed Salah? He’s stepping up…

Michael Owen on first goal: Reasonably comfortable for Liverpool. I love the early ball from Gomez, that’s what attacking players want. It’s a brilliant header.

Joe Cole on second goal: Diaz, again, he’s finding positions just outside the defender here. And Gakpo won’t get an easier finish all night. At this point we thought it was going to be sixes and sevens.

Owen on LASK: They have tried to counter-attack, and they’ve got in once or twice, Joe. Not brilliant chances but just enough.

Cole: They’re just doing enough to keep them honest.

Owen on potentially taking off Salah: He’ll be fuming if they took him off. I think Jurgen Klopp will be hoping he’ll get a goal and then bring him off. He’ll be frustrated he hasn’t scored yet.

Final few minutes of the half now.

This has been comfortable for Liverpool and yet it’s been wildly fun with LASK’s cavalier style.

The offside flag has been busy tonight.

Jurgen Klopp has a laugh about this one as Luis Diaz breaks free but he is offside – not that he agrees.

Soon after Joe Gomez takes aim from about 40 yards and he’s not far away!

It has been claimed that some Legia Warsaw fans have broken into Villa Park.

That would have been a STUNNER from Kostas Tsimikas.

He was whiskers away from getting his first goal in five-and-a-half years then as the left back rattled the crossbar with an extraordinary strike.

If Liverpool had had half the chances LASK had had so far tonight, this would be five or six already. Wild.

This is a remarkable game in that LASK are just throwing everything at this and appear to want to go down fighting.

The offside flag has been their nemesis so far, this time after a clever short corner, but it is one of those games where a big score feels inevitable.

There is certainly no fear from LASK’s players, that’s for sure.

It is game on at Villa Park…

LASK are very fun to watch – and no doubt fun for Liverpool to play against – because they are so open and expansive.

But the Austrians look like conceding every time Liverpool attack and that should be worrying the visitors’ coaching staff.

This time Salah managed to scamper free down the right but LASK somehow managed to force it out for a corner.

Will LASK go conservative to keep the score down? Don’t bet on it.

There’s a quality gap in attack that, from a LASK perspective, is rearing its ugly head now.

Cody Gakpo won’t get many goals easier than that one as Mo Salah squares it across the face of goal for a tap-in.

Unselfish from the Egyptian there!

So much for that bright start for LASK!

Luis Diaz has headed Liverpool in front.

Diaz flipped it out to the right wing where Joe Gomez was able to lift his head up and clip the ball back to Diaz, who made a late run into the box which meant nobody picked him up.

It’s the first time the Colombian has scored at Anfield since August.

Some groans just now as Harvey Elliott dithers on the edge of the box and he can’t get a shot off after an encouraging break.

LASK aren’t showing any fear and they are committing plenty of men forward.

The issue they have is they are lacking quality and leaving themselves exposed when Liverpool get the turnover and break.

It’s the away fans that you can hear loud and proud at Anfield right now though.

It’s all square at Anfield but a much-changed Aston Villa have made a dream start against Legia Warsaw.

Moussa Diaby has the opening goal at Villa Park!

Liverpool have 9 games in 27 days coming up and so a much-changed side for this one tonight is no surprise.

Nonetheless it’s still a very good turnout at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp has stressed how he wants players and fans to take the Europa League seriously this season – and go and win it.

Despite the nine changes there is still Mo Salah going in search of goals 199 and 200 for Liverpool tonight. He hasn’t had a look-in yet which is good news for LASK.

There has been a feeling that Liverpool needed to make a quick start to lay down a marker after losing in this competition last time out.

And yet it is LASK that put together the first good move of the game.

Luis Diaz carelessly gave the ball away with a backpass in his own half but LASK’s one-touch play on the edge of the box ends up running through to a grateful Kelleher.

We are underway at Anfield as Liverpool look to secure top spot in Group E!

You’ll Never Walk Alone is bellowing out around Anfield as the two sets of players line up in the tunnel… kick-off is fast approaching.

Not long to go now at Anfield as Mohamed Salah and his team-mates put in the final preparations during the warm-up.

Not a moment any of these mascots will forget any time soon…

Trent Alexander-Arnold is only on the bench tonight… but is this high praise from Gary Neville merited?

The stage is set ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s final few words before his team come out to do battle tonight.

It’s an 8pm kick-off at Anfield.

Here is how the two English teams are getting on in the early games:

AEK Athens 0-1 Brighton – 65 minutes gone

Backa Topola 0-0 West Ham – 69 minutes gone

Joao Pedro with the goal for Brighton, who are playing the remainder of that game in Athens with a man advantage.

Here is how both teams and both benches look at Anfield this evening:

Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Konate, Tsimikas; Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott; Diaz, Salah, Gakpo

Subs: Pitaluga, Van Dijk, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Jones, Matip, Chambers, Gordon, Doak, Alexander-Arnold, Bradley

LASK XI: Lawal; Ziereis, Andrade, Talovierov; Stojkovic, Horvath, Ljubic, Bello; Zulj; Usor, Ljubicic

Subs: Siebenhandl, Renner, Kone, Balic, Jovicic, Mustapha, Havel, Ba, Goiginger, Flecker, Luckeneder, Darboe

Sticking with Aston Villa, here is how they line-up this evening…

Meanwhile, over in Birmingham it is time to get down to business for Unai Emery and his Aston Villa players.

Here is a video of them arriving at Villa Park just now…

It’s another big night in Europe for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp’s players are now in the building…

Here is how Liverpool line-up against LASK tonight…

Two players we won’t see at Anfield this evening is goalkeeper Alisson Becker and attacker Diogo Jota.

READ JURGEN KLOPP’S INJURY UPDATE…

Here is how West Ham and Brighton are getting on in their Europa League early kick-offs:

Backa Topola 0-0 West Ham

With Matchday Five now here, many groups are getting close to being settled with who makes it to the knockout stages.

What does your team need to progress?

Here is how things stand heading into tonight’s match between Liverpool and LASK at Anfield.

Liverpool are in firm control even after their defeat to Toulouse.

Even so, they cannot afford another slip up tonight if they want to stay in control of winning Group E.

Here is a look back at the last time Liverpool played LASK this season…

“I have said previously that one of the things I really love about this team is that there is so much to like about the way it is developing, while at the same time recognising that there is still a lot of scope for improvement, and this is still the case.

We are on a journey that only began in the summer and the finishing line is nowhere near in sight, so it makes absolute sense that it is like this.

The German boss has had his say on tonight’s match:

I know there was an expectation that we would just fly through this competition, starting with the group stage, but I have said from the very start that it would not be like this and every game we have played so far has been a contest.

We are a bit off from team news yet but with injury striking down No 1 goalkeeper Alisson Becker, opportunity knocks for Caoimhin Kelleher.

He has had to wait patiently in the wings for his chance and tonight looks set to be the night.

The stage is set at Anfield for this one…

Good evening and welcome to tonight’s live blog for Liverpool’s Europa League clash against LASK.

We’ll also be delivering key updates from Aston Villa’s game against Legia Warsaw, but much of our focus here will be on Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Stick with me throughout the night for all the latest…