Liverpool v Toulouse, Brighton v Ajax: Europa League clockwatch – live | Europa League

Liverpool 3-1 Toulouse: Nunez is a fine reminder to not judge someone by their first season in a new team. The striker was pretty mediocre for a lot of last year while showing touches of quality but now he looks settled, allowing him to utilise his attributes in a confident team.

GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Toulouse (Nunez, 34)

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: Van Hecke goes into the book for holding onto Brobbey after being spun by the forward.

GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Toulouse (Endo, 30)

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: A corner is headed back across goal to Adingra but he cannot keep his powerful shot down and it keeps rising.

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: Soon after the Seagulls get a free-kick 23 yards from goal, which Dunk whacks into the wall.

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: Mitoma flicks a pass into the path of Joao Pedro in the box. He gets a nudge in the back from Hato, which puts him down. The Brazilian wants a penalty but the referee is not interested.

Liverpool 1-1 Toulouse: Jones catches teammate Gomez when they both go in for a tackle, leaving the centre-back on the deck. He gets up gingerly and hobbles around in the hope of running the injury off.

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: The Dutch side are very much in knocking it around mode, irking Brighton in the process who are trying to put some pressure on.

Lucy Wesson emails: “On the subject of aging, I turn 52 this weekend, and have been the age to be a player’s momma for some time now. However, what is a worse happenstance is the first time someone asks if you’re eligible for the senior discount, which happened at the golf course last weekend.”

I am younger than James Milner, which would cheer me up, if it wasn’t for the fact he is currently playing in the Europa League.

Liverpool 1-1 Toulouse: It’s all quite lively at Anfield. Toulouse are not sitting back, desperate to make a game of this. I guess if you are going to make it to the Europa League, you might as well enjoy occasions like Anfield away.

GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Toulouse (Dallinga, 16)

Liverpool 1-0 Toulouse: Elliott whips in a free-kick from the right touchline. It flicks off a head and Gomez jabs a shot. Toulouse eventually clear but the ball comes straight back via Matip and a Jota flick into Nunez’s path, who shoots at the goalkeeper. While Liverpool await to take a corner there is a penalty check for a handball in the area but the officials decide against it.

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: A dangerous Seagulls cross is swung into the Ajax box and Ramaj ends up in a heap on the floor after Dunk pushes a defender straight into him.

Matt Burtz emails: “I’m watching Liverpool-Toulouse in Spanish here in the U.S. and they showed Jurgen Klopp having a friendly chat with Toulouse’s manager Carles Martinez Novell. Klopp seemed to tower over his counterpart and, not being familiar with his playing career, I was surprised to learn that he’s 6’3”. Then I learned that I’m three years older than Martinez Novell, which is always humbling. At least I’m taller than Klopp.”

I am hugely upset I am at the age where I am old enough to be a player’s father.

GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Toulouse (Jota, 9)

Peter Oh emails: “Ajax have got a Medic on the bench, perhaps as an extension of the club’s famous Total Football, jack-of-all-trades approach.”

Does cardiology and podiatry.

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: Mitoma turns an Ajax defender inside out before pulling the ball back to Joao Pedro but he steers his shot wide.

Liverpool 0-0 Toulouse: Liverpool are knocking it about nicely. Nunez looks to inject some speed into proceedings but the pass back to him goes out for a goal kick.

Brighton 0-0 Ajax: All pretty quiet at the Amex. Brighton earn a corner but Gross plays it way out of the box to makes things easy for Ajax.

Liverpool 0-0 Toulouse: Luke Chambers makes his first start for Liverpool tonight at left back. The teenager makes sure he has a few early touches.

Kick off

Elsewhere … Faroese team KI defeated Olimpija Ljubljana 3-0 in the Europa Conference League to secure the Faroe Islands’ first victory in the main part of a European competition.

Starting lineups: Brighton v Ajax

Starting lineups: Liverpool v Toulouse

Good evening! Thanks to John for doing the heavy lifting. I will be here for the lighthearted fun of Liverpool v Toulouse and Brighton v Ajax.

And so, the baton is passed to Will Unwin, who will guide you through tonight’s matches.

Here’s your full-time scores from the early kick-offs.

And here’s the group table, including those that will be completed by tonight’s matches.

Full-time: Olympiakos 2-1 West Ham

Olympiakos 2-1 West Ham: Time running out now, and time being run down. A couple of subs have been made. The boos and whistles ring out as the Hammers chase a Hail Mary moment. Paqueta’s cross is aimed for Soucek who can’t get over his marker and heads over.

Full-time: Sparta 0-0 Rangers

Full-time: AZ 1-4 Aston Villa

Olympiakos 2-1 West Ham: Suddenly, West Ham are full of attacking zeal, with Maxwell Cornet having a shot blocked. As the Greek team seek to escape, Ogbonna almost caps his night with a red card, but escapes a second yellow. Somehow.

Olympiakos 2-1 West Ham: Eight minutes to be added on. Plenty of time for the European late show specialists? Fortounis has a dig from distance that flies just wide.

Olympiakos 2-1 West Ham: There’s an Olympiakos defender down, and that will add to the injury time in which the Hammers will seek an equaliser that looked unlikely for so long.

Goal! Olympiakos 2-1 West Ham (Paqueta, 87)

Josip Ilcic ultras denied? Sturm Graz have equalised, Szymon Wlodarczyk with a penalty to make it 2-2.

We’re into the final five minutes of the first half of this feast of football.

Sparta 0-0 Rangers: Danilo and Wright continue to be troublesome for Sparta but a goalless draw looks the more likely. And Danilo rattles the crossbar, chasing down a dinked pass and a fine save is made by the Sparta goalie.

Sparta 0-0 Rangers: Rangers hanging on or going for it? Scott Wright has made a difference, as has Danilo. Sadly, the Sparta defender, Vitik, has taken a sore one and hobbles off. He was howling in agony, a player seen as a star as a future. He comes back on, perhaps foolhardily. It’s a fairly grim affair, this one.

Kári Tulinius is back: “The Faroese team KÍ, from the small town of Klaksvík, has just scored its third goal without reply against Olimpija Ljubljana. To say that the radio commentators at Faroese public broadcasting are excited is something of an understatement. That a Faroese team reached the group stage of a European competition is achievement enough, now they’re well on their way to a first ever win.”

AZ 1-4 Aston Villa: Zaniolo, under similar investigation as Sandro Tonali, banned for 10 months today, comes on for Douglas Luiz. The latest is that he wasn’t a priority name in the betting investigation. Young Van Bommel meanwhile goes close as AZ show some spirit. It appears they have plenty of young talent and chose to keep it on the bench.

AZ 1-4 Aston Villa: Stoke legend Bruno Martins Indy is putting himself about in Alkmaar, And on comes a Ruben van Bommel, whose tight curls give away that he is indeed the son of one-time Dutch international and well-travelled exec-class hatchet man Mark van Bommel.

Goal! AZ 1-4 Aston Villa (Sadiq, 66)

Sparta Prague 0-0 Rangers: Connor Goldson is booked for the Gers and it’s a tired booking. Off goes Todd Cantwell, for Scott Wright. Cantwell was making his first start in a while.

Olympiakos 0-2 West Ham: To nobody’s surprise, Danny Ings has been hooked by David Moyes. On comes Antonio instead, with Jarrod Bowen too. And Lucas Paqueta.

Goal! AZ 0-4 Aston Villa (McGinn, 57)

Manchester United geeks may recognise the latest goalscorer as Molde make it 4-1 against Hacken: Magnus Wolff Eikrem, now 33, the former United youth team captain.

Goal! AZ 0-3 Aston Villa (Watkins, 52)

Olympiakos 2-0 West Ham: Fortounis, the goalscorer, has just shown off his best ball skills, and David Moyes has rolled up his sleeves on the sidelines.

Brian Withington gets in touch: “I have previously opined that a half time Danny Ings heat map might require a scarf and mittens. On this occasion I would add that thermals, bobble hat and a warm overcoat might also be in order.”

Peter Oh, too: “Am I the only one confused by the message on the Olympiakos tifo? Who exactly is dining in hell? The opponents? Wouldn’t they appreciate being offered food in hell? Or is the home team dining in hell? Which would raise the question, wouldn’t they rather eat elsewhere? In any case, it sounds like West Ham have served up some cold slop so far..”

Kári Tulinius adds his ever-welcome expertise: “The pick of the halftime scores is surely KÍ 2, Olimpija Ljubljana 0, thanks to local boys, Páll Klettskarð and René Joensen. That a team from Klaksvík, a town of five thousand people, and a nation of fifty thousand people, the Faroe Islands, is doing so well is remarkable.”

A rival publication has sent their best man to that game.