Mohamed Salah on target as Liverpool reach Champions League last 16 while Chelsea take advantage of Ajax slip

Holders beat RB Salzburg 2-0 in Vienna to win Group E as Chelsea advance from Group H alongside Valencia

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action against RB Salzburg. Reuters

RB Salzburg's Cican Stankovic makes a save from Liverpool's Naby Keita. Reuters

Liverpoo midfielder Naby Keita (L) and Salzburg's Japanese midfielder Masaya Okugawa vie for the ball. AFP

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their second goal with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Action. Reuters

Liverpool's Naby Keita celebrates scoring their first goal with Virgil van Dijk and teammates. Reuters

Naby Keita of Liverpool scores dthe opening goal in a 2-0 win. AFP

Salzburg's Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai kicks the ball. AFP

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores against Salzburg. AFP

Mohamed Salah celebrates. AFP

Liverpoolmidfielder Jordan Henderson reacts at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group E match against RB Salzburg. AFP

Liverpool's Naby Keita shakes hands with manager Jurgen Klopp after being substituted. Reuters

Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta scores their second goal. Reuters

Chelsea's Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta applauds the fans after a 2-1 win over Lille. AFP

Chelsea's Tammy Abraham scores their first goal in a 2-1 win against Lille. AFP

Chelsea's Tammy Abraham (C) celebrates. EPA

General view as fans light flares inside the Johan Cruijff Arena before the match between Ajax and Valencia. Reuters

Dusan Tadic of Ajax lies on the floor as Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista receives a red card. EPA

Valencia players react after their 1-0 win over Ajax. EPA

Napoli's Belgian forward Dries Mertens (R) pinches Napoli's Polish forward Arkadiusz Milik's nose after Milik scored his third goal against Genk. AFP

Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik, after scoring an hat-trick, leaves the pitch with the ball. EPA

Napoli's Dries Mertens scores from the penalty spot. EPA

Napoli's Dries Mertens (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Genk. EPA

Carlo Ancelotti was sacked hours after Napoli's 4-0 win over Genk. EPA

Carlo Ancelotti guided Napoli through to the last 16 of the Champions League. AFP

Holders Liverpool secured safe passage through to the last 16 of the Champions League with a win at RB Salzburg, while Ajax's defeat at home to Valencia saw them miss out on a place in the knockouts.

Last season's semi-finalists were not the only big-name casualty as Inter Milan also missed out while Carlo Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli despite guiding the Italian club successfully through the group phase.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool needed at least a point in Austria to keep alive their bid to retain the European Cup, but the champions left no room for doubt with a 2-0 victory courtesy of two goals in two second-half minutes, by Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah.

Guinea midfielder Keita opened the scoring against his old club in the 57th minute, heading home a Sadio Mane cross. Salah sealed victory from a tight angle after rounding home goalkeeper Cican Stankovic.

The victory ensured the Liverpool won Group E ahead of Napoli, who walloped bottom-club Genk 4-0, while Salzburg are out and drop into the Europa League instead.

"What a team," Klopp told BT Sport. "What an effort. It was a tough game."

"We scored two wonderful goals. We could have scored six or seven which is crazy. We won the group, we won the game, all good."

The sheen was taken off Napoli's night somewhat with the news that Ancelotti had been dismissed in the wake of the home win over Genk.

Arkadisuz Milik's first-half hat-trick and a Dries Mertens penalty proved too much for the Belgian club, snapping a nine-match winless run.

Napoli released a statement hours after the final whistle saying they had parted company with the 60-year-old Italian after just under one-and-a-half seasons.

"Napoli has decided to revoke the position of first-team coach from Carlo Ancelotti," it read. "The relationship of friendship, esteem and mutual respect between the club, its president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Carlo Ancelotti remain intact."

There was high drama in Group H as Valencia beat Ajax 1-0 in Amsterdam.

Rodrigo Moreno's strike took the Spaniards through to the last 16 despite them finishing the game with 10 men following a straight red card for Gabriel Paulista after the defender decked Dusan Tadic with a butt to the head in injury time.

Frank Lampard's Chelsea progressed in second place, a point ahead of the Dutch giants, as a result of a 2-1 victory against Lille.

Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta were on the scoresheet for the Londoners, who held on after former Blues striker Loic Remy pulled one back for Lille.

Chelsea, the 2012 Champions League winners, finish level on points with Valencia but come second due to their inferior head-to-head record.

Meanwhile, Lyon went through in dramatic fashion in Group G, coming from behind to draw 2-2 with RB Leipzig.

The Germans were two goals ahead at half time thanks to two penalties, one scored by Emil Forsberg and the other by Timo Werner.

However, Houssem Aouar's curler gave Lyon hope just after the break and Memphis Depay levelled matters with eight minutes left.

Leipzig win the group, while the draw proved enough for Lyon to finish second because Zenit Saint Petersburg lost 3-0 to Benfica in Lisbon.