The Barcelona striker's clever, low free kick helped Uruguay to beat hosts Russia 3-0 on Monday and to clinch top spot in Group A with three straight wins.
Liverpool have cashed in on midfielder Xabi Alonso and their lack of financial muscle means they have been unable to compete for stellar signings like Valencia striker David Villa.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could enter the transfer market after Philippe Coutinho and Dejan Lovren suffered hamstring pulls to deepen the club's injury crisis, British media reported.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will get a close-up of the missing piece of his jigsaw puzzle on Saturday when Gareth Barry runs out for Manchester City at Anfield for a match with huge implications for both clubs.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Club president Franz Beckenbauer compared Bayern Munich to Liverpool after his team scored a record 12-1 aggregate win over Sporting to stroll into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Chelsea reclaimed top spot in the Premier League with a crushing 5-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday but Tottenham Hotspur were brought down to earth when Stoke City snatched a late 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane.
Pep Guardiola's insatiable team were already thinking beyond the magnificent 2018-19 campaign and contemplating a third straight English title win next season with the Spaniard having said they will get even better.
Ireland striker Robbie Keane rejoined Tottenham Hotspur from Liverpool on Monday after seven disappointing months at the Anfield club.
Liverpool went into last Sunday's Merseyside derby on the back of five wins from their previous six league games but were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield by Everton and then to a goalless stalemate at home against West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.
Images from the EPL matches played on Sunday
Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso, who knew that his time at Liverpool was up a year ago, has now revealed the full details behind a dramatic 28 million pounds Anfield exit.
Liverpool's long-serving defender Sami Hyypia will join Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in the close season, the Premier League club said. The 35-year-old completed a medical at Leverkusen on Monday and will join the club at the start of pre-season training.
Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday to maintain their pursuit of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table and send Newcastle deeper into relegation trouble at the bottom. Second-placed Liverpool moved to 77 points with three matches to play. Leaders United have 80 points and four matches remaining.
Jose Mourinho's side have been the most impressive of any of the title contenders.
Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin scored four goals in a pulsating 4-4 draw at Anfield on Tuesday to put a huge dent in Liverpool's Premier League title push.
Chelsea reached the Champions League semi-finals for the fifth time in six seasons after a thrilling 4-4 draw with Liverpool put them through 7-5 on aggregate against their Premier League rivals on Tuesday. They will meet Barcelona, who went through after a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich in the second leg quarter-final and 5-1 aggregate.
Defender Branislav Ivanovic headed two goals from corners and Didier Droga added the third to give Chelsea a 3-1 away win over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez never dreamed of beating his former club Real Madrid by such a large margin after watching his team thrash the Spaniards 4-0 in the UEFA Champions League at Anfield, he said on Tuesday. Two goals from Steven Gerrard, plus strikes by Fernando Torres and a late Andrea Dossena goal dealt Real Madrid their biggest defeat in the Champions League and secured a 5-0 aggregate win that humbled the Primera Liga outfit.
Images from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Liverpool had won each of their previous four home leagues games in which they conceded first and 12 minutes later they had turned another match on its head as Roberto Firmino's trickery set up Mane to give the hosts the lead at the second attempt.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said striker Diego Costa will start against Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday despite being left out of the Spain squad for this month's international matches because of persistent injuries.
Robbie Keane could not be happier after swapping a bit-part role in Liverpool's title challenge to become Tottenham Hotspur's captain in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Such is the level of consistency of Manchester City (nine straight wins) and Liverpool (five straight victories), that it can be easy to lose sight of just how good this title race is.
Manchester United enjoyed a hugely satisfying Saturday, beating Everton 1-0 to go five points clear in the Premier League after challengers Arsenal and Aston Villa were held to home draws. Cristiano Ronaldo's 44th-minute penalty at Old Trafford was enough to give the champions 53 points from 23 matches.
Steven Gerrard was again Liverpool's saviour on Sunday as the inspirational captain secured a 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside rivals' fourth-round FA Cup tie at Anfield. Gerrard struck nine minutes after halftime to cancel Joleon Lescott's first-half header as the game finished with the same score as their Premier League meeting on the same ground last Monday.
Liverpool get its first real test of the season on Saturday when they seek to end a dire series of Anfield results against champions Manchester United.
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres said Manchester United were still favourites to retain the Premier League title despite the Anfield club leading the table since the beginning of December.
Striker Costa ends second spell at Atletico Madrid.
Hull City, who visit Anfield on Saturday, have displayed superb away form in their first season in the top flight, and offer no guarantee of three points to Rafael Benitez's side.
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will be out of action for up to three weeks with a hamstring strain, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard scored a hat-trick as Liverpool maintained their stunning recent form by crushing Aston Villa 5-0 at Anfield on Sunday to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester United to just one point.
'Keep Calm And Carry On' could be Claudio Ranieri's motto for the second half of the season after Leicester City earned a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday to put the heat back on Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will join a Major League Soccer team in the United States when he leaves Anfield at the end of the season, the former England captain told the English club's TV channel on Saturday.
Liverpool's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun is a serious doubt for their UEFA Champions League tie with Real Madrid on Tuesday after tearing a hamstring in training at the weekend. Benayoun scored the only goal when Liverpool beat Real 1-0 in Madrid in the first leg of the last 16 tie last month, but faces an anxious wait to see if he can play any part at Anfield after colliding with a team mate in training.
Holders Barcelona suffered a stunning 2-1 home defeat by Russia's Rubin Kazan while Liverpool lost by the same score to Olympique Lyon at Anfield on a night of high drama and late goals in the Champions League on Tuesday.
England striker Daniel Sturridge celebrated his return after a five-month injury layoff when he came off the bench to score as Liverpool beat West Ham United 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
Liverpool named former Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp as manager on Thursday with the club posting photos of him signing his contract on their official Twitter account.
Liverpool's Premier League title aspirations all but vanished with a 1-1 home draw against relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic.
United sacked manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday after the sixth-placed side made their worst start to a season for 28 years.
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