Liverpool end Europa League group stage with loss to Union

An inexperienced Liverpool side rounded out their Europa League group-stage campaign with a 2-1 loss to Union St.-Gilloise in Belgium on Thursday.

With 12 points to their name, Liverpool had already guaranteed top spot in Group E and a place in the round of 16 in Europe's secondary competition.

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Despite the victory, Union failed to get second spot and a place in the knockout round playoffs as Toulouse beat LASK Linz in the group's other final game. Instead Union will have to settle for third place in the group and dropping into the Europa Conference League knockout playoffs.

Mohamed Amoura gave Union the lead with a close-range finish in the 32nd minute after getting the better of Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Liverpool, though, took just seven minutes to get back level through Jarell Quansah. The 20-year-old defender collected a corner from Curtis Jones just inside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful drive into the net for his first senior Liverpool goal.

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Union went back in front for good shortly before half-time when Cameron Puertas found the net. Puertas thought he had a second goal after the interval but it was ruled out following a VAR review for a handball in the buildup.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made nine changes from the side that beat Crystal Palace on Saturday, ahead of the Premier League leaders' meeting with rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

With an average age of 22 years and 156 days, it was Liverpool's youngest lineup ever fielded in a European match. Among those getting a rare chance to impress was 19-year-old Kaide Gordon, making his first senior appearance since January 2022.