Liverpool vs Napoli: Mohamed Salah's goal just enough to fire Reds into Champions League last 16

Liverpool 1-0 Napoli: Mohamed Salah's ninth goal in nine Champions League appearances at Anfield was enough to see Liverpool through to the knockout round at the expense of Napoli, who are out after PSG beat Red Star

For a club and at a ground that embraces the madness of these occasions, this was a 'famous European night' when composure was required. Liverpool knew their task at the start of the evening and executed it, though by the slenderest of margins and not without the odd scare along the way.

Jurgen Klopp's side needed to beat Napoli 1-0 or by at least two clear goals in order to progress to the Champions League knockout stages and Mohamed Salah's unanswered first-half breakthrough, slid between the legs of David Ospina, ultimately proved enough.

Yet if not for Alisson's remarkable reaction save from Arkadiusz Milik, made in the second minute of four added-on, Liverpool would be playing Thursday night football in February. In a fraction of a second, the Brazilian paid back a substantial portion of his £67m summer transfer fee.

It should not have come to that. Liverpool had the opportunities in the second half to accumulate three, four or five goals they required to ensure one Napoli strike would not scupper them, but those opportunities were squandered. Sadio Mané even managed to spurn a one-on-one after Alisson's incredible stop.

That will not matter come the morning on Merseyside. Liverpool only ever needed the 1-0 and by the skin of their teeth, found it.

Napoli only needed to avoid defeat to progress but began on the front foot, searching for the goal that could kill this contest off, just as Carlo Ancelotti had promised. Liverpool, meanwhile, had no choice but to begin at full pace and this made for an end-to-end start.

Marek Hamsik went close for the visitors, dipping an early shot devilishly over Alisson's crossbar and into a Kop holding its collective breath, but Liverpool would have the better of the opening stages.

Salah could have opened the scoring earlier, though applied a heavy touch to Andy Robertson's dink over the top. Minutes later, James Milner then headed a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross over at close range.

As a frenetic start developed into sustained periods of Liverpool pressure, Sadio Mané would find the back of David Ospina's net, but only while standing a yard or so offside. By that point, Paris Saint-Germain had taken the lead, suggesting Liverpool would not be able to count on any assistance coming from Belgrade.

They would have to do it themselves, though at least they could rely on Salah. Shortly after the half-hour mark, the Egyptian backed up then peeled off Fabio Rui, Napoli's tormented left back. Kalidou Koulibaly attempted to send Salah wide, so Salah went wide, yet still found enough room to slip the ball between Ospina's legs from a tight angle.

Liverpool had their 1-0 lead and protected it for the remainder of the half against little Napoli resistance. The one sour note of the half was an early booking to Virgil van Dijk, who won the ball from Dries Mertens in a last-ditch sliding tackle but bent the Belgian's right ankle on the follow through.

Anfield was incensed, believing a fair and fine challenge was being unnecessarily penalised. Judging by television replays, Van Dijk's punishment could have been harsher.

Salah could have doubled Liverpool's lead shortly after the two teams re-emerged, having once again beat the hapless Rui all ends up, but dragged a poor close-range effort wide of Ospina's near post rather than inside it.

They pressed on. Roberto Firmino headed tamely at Ospina. Milner marauded into the area then curled wide of the far post. Van Dijk volleyed at range, inviting a belly laugh out of Klopp on the touchline.

At no point did Liverpool appear inhibited by the fact that a second goal would not benefit their hopes of progression much, while a Napoli goal would all but extinguish them. Such is the abandon that defines Klopp's philosophy.

The closing stages thus resembled the start of the game, with the two teams trading counter-attacks, but with Liverpool having more success.

Alisson made a vital save to keep Liverpool in the Champions League (AFP/Getty Images)

Salah was put through on goal once more but, while trying to round Ospina, had the ball clawed out of his feet. Ospina then blocked with his legs when Robertson's powerful cross diverted off Mané's legs. Neither player knew much about it.

Napoli's best opportunity to deflate the growing optimism around Anfield came when Jose Callejon was found at the far post by Lorenzo Insigne's curled ball across Liverpool's defensive live, but the Spaniard smashed wide. At the other end, Mané then fired into the Kop when it was simpler to place the ball into the open swaths of the Napoli net.

The visitors' best opportunity of the evening was still to come, two minutes into stoppage time. Milik initially fumbled when the ball broke to him six yards out, though recovered to beat it goal-bound. Alisson improbably blocked, between his upper leg and his midriff. With that, despite all the opportunities spurned, Liverpool were finally through.