- Liverpool beat Lille 2-1 and secured their place in the Champions League round of 16
- Meanwhile, Salah achieved a club first by scoring the first goal at Anfield.
- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! Ruben Amorim seems desperate… it is the last resort to publicly denounce your players
Arne Slot insisted he refused to get emotional even though Liverpool made it seven wins from seven in Europe and finished in the top two in the Champions League league stage.
His team beat Lille 2-1 to confirm their place in the round of 16 of the competition, where they will be seeded and will face one of the eight teams that advance from the play-offs in February.
'We are happy to be in the top eight. That's the only thing that tells me anything, because this classification doesn't say it,” said the Liverpool coach. “If you are number one in tennis, it is better to face number 24 than number 12, but that is a classification based on the years.
“Now we are in a format where some teams have a draw and some have an unlucky draw. It could be an advantage, it could be a disadvantage. For me the most important thing is that we were able to skip a round,” Slot added.
And the Dutchman praised the “special” Mohamed Salah, after the Egyptian scored his 50th goal in Europe for Liverpool, becoming the first player to reach that mark for the club.
“Special – that's the word to describe Mo's performance at this club, he's been excellent for many years,” Slot said. “He scored a great goal. When Mo goes one-on-one, there is a good chance he will score.
Arne Slot has insisted he will not get carried away by Liverpool's European dominance
He also praised a “special” Mohamed Salah after the striker scored his 50th goal for the European Reds.
Harvey Elliott (right), meanwhile, revealed his celebration was prompted by reports linking him with a Liverpool exit.
“This goal (today) says a lot about why we are leading the league, with the work rate of the players who recovered the ball before Curtis (Jones) passed it to Mo.”
Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott, scorer of Liverpool's winning goal, stressed that he is determined to remain at the club despite reports linking him with a move away from Anfield.
When asked about his “all talk” celebration, Elliott told Amazon Prime: “To be honest, it's pretty clear: I'm not leaving.” This is my team and my club. I'm a big fan and we're in a great position so far this season.
'I haven't really seen the chat, but my friends have messaged me and called me about things. It's always going to happen in January, especially after being out for a long time and not playing as much as I would like, but that's football.
'I have had conversations with the boss but at the same time I need to understand the situation. The team is flying: we are first in the Premier League and in the Champions League. For me to come in and say I should start would be really silly on my part. You already know what the answer is going to be.
“I need to be patient and when I have opportunities, however long they may be, just enjoy the moment, especially after having been injured for three months at the beginning of the season. I just want to enjoy my football and when the opportunity comes I have to show the coach “If they need me, I'm ready.”
Liverpool's next game is in Ipswich on Saturday at Anfield, before traveling to Holland knowing that a point against PSV Eindhoven next Wednesday will confirm them as first in the league phase of the new Champions League format.