Ajax v Liverpool player ratings: Timber 6, Klassen 3; Salah 8, Nunez 7

Reds claim 3-0 win in Amsterdam to advance to the Champions League last 16

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  AJAX RATINGS: Remko Pasveer - 3. The 38-year-old made a poor decision to charge off his line and presented Salah with the opening goal. He was also beaten at the near post by Elliott. AFP

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  Jorge Sanchez - 4. The Mexican was never secure when defending. He got forward but his use of the ball was sloppy. PA

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  Jurrien Timber - 6. The 21-year-old defended well and contributed to the attack. He went on a mazy run in the second half but his shot was unconvincing. AFP

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  Calvin Bassey - 5. The 22-year-old was physical and put in plenty of effort but his positional play was poor. He was not helped by those around him. Getty

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  Daley Blind - 4. The 32-year-old’s lack of pace was exposed. He should have seen the danger develop before Salah’s goal and it was no surprise when he made way for Wijndal in the 58th minute. EPA

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  Davy Klassen - 3. The 29-year-old never got into the game. He was replaced by Kudus in the 58th minute and did not worry Liverpool. AFP

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  Edson Alvarez - 4. The Mexican was neat in possession in the first half but was bypassed too easily during Liverpool’s scoring blitz. He was withdrawn for Grillitsch with five minutes to go. AP

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  Steven Berghuis - 4. The 30-year-old hit the post in the opening minutes but should have scored. His passing was incisive but the miss will haunt him. Conceicao replaced him with five minutes left. EPA

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  Steven Bergwijn - 5. The 25-year-old struggled to impose himself on the match. He was not mobile enough to create and use space. AFP

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  Brian Brobbey - 6. The 20-year-old looked as if he might be a handful in the early exchanges, teeing up Berghuis for a golden chance. Service was poor, though, and he was withdrawn in the 63rd minute for Taylor to the crowd’s dismay. AP

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  Dusan Tadic - 4. The Serb had a good chance in the first half but hit Alexander-Arnold rather than the target. Aside from that he rarely worried the defence. EPA

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  SUBS: Mohammed Kudus (Klassen 58') - 5. The Ghanaian showed a couple of nice touches but might have been more effective had Brobbey still been on the pitch. Getty

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  Owen Wijndal (Blind 58') - 5. The 22-year-old gave glimpses of his potential. The back line were more secure for his presence. AP

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  Kenneth Taylor (Brobbey 63') - 4. The 20-year-old was given a shooting opportunity but ballooned the ball over the bar. EPA

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  Francisco Conceicao (Berghuis 85') - N/A. There was not much he could do to affect the game. EPA

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  Florian Grillitsch (Alvarez 85') - N/A. The Austrian needs more playing time. EPA

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian was barely involved. When he was called into action, he responded with the minimum of fuss. AFP

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6. The 23-year-old had a ropey first half and was all at sea for the Berghuis chance. He settled down as the game went on but did not produce much going forward. AP

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  Joe Gomez - 7. Brobbey tried to target the 25-year-old but did not get much joy. He was comfortable for most of the game. EPA

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  Virgil van Dijk - 7. The Dutchman kept his composure during Ajax’s good spell and things became increasingly easy for him as the match went on. EPA

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  Andrew Robertson - 8. The Scot got up and down the line and caused the opposition problems. He played a splendid ball to Firmino in the move when Nunez hit the post and provided the corner for the Uruguayan to score the second goal. Tsimikas replaced him with three minutes to go. AFP

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  Fabinho - 6. The Brazilian was nowhere near top form but he put in a shift to protect the defence. He went off in the 71st minute when Bajcetic came on. Reuters

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  Harvey Elliott - 7. The 19-year-old worked hard to little avail in the first half but scored with a sharp shot from a narrow angle after the break. He was withdrawn for Carvalho in the 71st minute. AFP

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  Jordan Henderson - 7. The captain provided a subtle, curling pass that set up Salah to score. His pressing lacked urgency but he tried to get the team moving forward. He came off in the 71st minute for Milner. AFP

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  Mohamed Salah - 8. The Egyptian barely had a sniff in the first half but, when the opportunity came, he finished in style. He set up Elliott to score and oozed class. AFP

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  Roberto Firmino - 7. The Brazilian was quiet in the first half but presented Nunez with a glorious chance that the Uruguayan wasted. In retrospect the 31-year-old should have shot instead of crossing. AFP

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  Darwin Nunez - 7. The Uruguayan hit the post when it seemed easier to score. He was more clinical in the second half and showed his strength by scoring a fine header. He was replaced by Jones in the 63rd minute. PA

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  SUBS: Curtis Jones (Nunez 63') - 6. The 21-year-old was watchful on the ball and pressed hard. PA

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  Fabio Carvalho (Elliott 71') - 6. The Portuguese enjoyed the runout and showed touches of skill. PA

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  James Milner (Henderson 71') - 6. The 36-year-old was as reliable and as tough in the tackle as usual. Getty

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  Stefan Bajcetic (Fabinho 71') - 6. The 18-year-old did not look out of place on the big stage. AFP

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  Kostas Tsimikas (Robertson 87') - N/A. There were no alarms as Liverpool eased their way to victory. AFP

Liverpool overcame a slow start to beat hosts Ajax 3-0 on Wednesday, ensuring a top-two finish in Group A and progress into the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead against the run of play three minutes before halftime and they then took command after the break with two quick goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott to claim a convincing triumph.

The victory kept Liverpool three points behind leaders Napoli, who won at home against Rangers at the same time to make it five out of five in the group.

Napoli will be at Anfield next Tuesday to decide top place, when Liverpool would need victory by at least 3-0 to edge the Serie A leaders on the head-to-head result between the two after losing 4-1 in Naples in September.

Tony Evans provides the player ratings from Anfield in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.