Liverpool squeezed into the Europa League knockout phase after the five-time European champions beat Udinese 1-0 in Italy to finish top of their group.
The win earned the Reds pole position in Group A, leapfrogging Anzhi Makhachkala on goals scored, with the Russians losing 3-1 at Swiss side Young Boys, who boasted the same number of points as the top two but exited on goal difference.
Jordan Henderson was Liverpool's match-winner but Udinese substitute Antonio di Natale almost cut short any celebrations when flashing a shot over the crossbar in the dying seconds.
Liverpool were joined by compatriots Tottenham Hotspur, 1986 European champions Steaua Bucharest as well as VfB Stuttgart and Basel as the last five clubs through to the knockout stages.
The twelve group winners in the Europa League will avoid the weaker sides that drop into the competition from the Champions League, with Chelsea - who finished third in their group despite amassing 10 points - among the top seeds.
Joining the reigning European champions in the Europa League draw on 20 December are CFR Cluj, Olympiakos, Benfica as well as Dynamo Kiev, Zenit St Petersburg, Ajax Amsterdam and BATE Borisov.
Elsewhere, Romanians Steaua held Copenhagen to a 1-1 draw in Denmark to go through as Group E winners, with Germans VfB Stuttgart progressing ahead of the Danish side thanks to a better head-to-head record.
Under Andre Villas-Boas, who won the competition with Porto in 2011, Tottenham took the final berth in Group J when beating Panathinaikos 3-1 at home, with group winners Lazio cruising to a 4-1 win at Maribor.
The Europa League's defending champions, Atletico Madrid, eventually had to settle for second place in Group B, after losing 1-0 to Viktoria Plzen with the victory earning the Czechs top spot.
The remaining sides to go through as group winners are Fenerbahce (Group C), Bordeaux (Group D), Dnipro (Group F), Genk (Group G), Lyon (Group I), Metalist Kharkiv (Group K) and Hannover (Group L).
Jordan Henderson was Liverpool's match-winner but Udinese substitute Antonio di Natale almost cut short any celebrations when flashing a shot over the crossbar in the dying seconds.
Liverpool were joined by compatriots Tottenham Hotspur, 1986 European champions Steaua Bucharest as well as VfB Stuttgart and Basel as the last five clubs through to the knockout stages.
The twelve group winners in the Europa League will avoid the weaker sides that drop into the competition from the Champions League, with Chelsea - who finished third in their group despite amassing 10 points - among the top seeds.
Joining the reigning European champions in the Europa League draw on 20 December are CFR Cluj, Olympiakos, Benfica as well as Dynamo Kiev, Zenit St Petersburg, Ajax Amsterdam and BATE Borisov.
Elsewhere, Romanians Steaua held Copenhagen to a 1-1 draw in Denmark to go through as Group E winners, with Germans VfB Stuttgart progressing ahead of the Danish side thanks to a better head-to-head record.
Under Andre Villas-Boas, who won the competition with Porto in 2011, Tottenham took the final berth in Group J when beating Panathinaikos 3-1 at home, with group winners Lazio cruising to a 4-1 win at Maribor.
The Europa League's defending champions, Atletico Madrid, eventually had to settle for second place in Group B, after losing 1-0 to Viktoria Plzen with the victory earning the Czechs top spot.
The remaining sides to go through as group winners are Fenerbahce (Group C), Bordeaux (Group D), Dnipro (Group F), Genk (Group G), Lyon (Group I), Metalist Kharkiv (Group K) and Hannover (Group L).
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