MOHAMED SALAH’S stunning strike from a tight angle sealed Liverpool’s 2-0 win in Salzburg as they went through to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) last 16.

Liverpool safely negotiated Tuesday’s trip to Salzburg to take its place in the last 16 of this season’s UEFA Champions League while Chelsea is also through, but Ajax suffered a shock group-stage exit.

Six clubs secured spots in the draw for the first knockout round in their final group games, with Ajax and Inter Milan the big names to miss out.

Jurgen Klopp’s side just needed to draw in Austria to keep alive their bid to retain the European Cup, and they duly beat Salzburg 2-0 thanks to two goals in two second-half minutes, by Naby Keita and Salah.

Keita headed in Sadio Mane’s cross against his former club to put Liverpool ahead in the 57th minute, and Salah then rounded goalkeeper Cican Stankovic to score from an improbably tight angle.

The result allowed Liverpool to progress as Group E winner, with Napoli going through in second place, while Salzburg was out and dropped into the Europa League instead.

“What a team,” Klopp told BT Sport. “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.”

Ajax dropped into the Europa League along with Inter, as Antonio Conte’s team contrived to lose 2-1 at home to Barcelona.

A win would have taken Inter through, and they were fancied to get the result they required as Barcelona left out a host of senior players, including Lionel Messi, with the top spot in Group F already secured.

Carles Perez gave Barcelona the lead midway through the first half, but Romelu Lukaku fired in the equalizer.

Inter then missed chances to score a second and Ansu Fati showed them the way, the substitute netting an 86th-minute winner to stun the home side and become the youngest ever goalscorer in the Champions League at 17 years and 40 days.

That record had been held since 1997 by Ghana’s Peter Ofori-Quaye.

Borussia Dortmund needed to better Inter’s result and they did so, beating Slavia Prague 2-1 to progress in second.

Julian Brandt got their winner after Jadon Sancho’s opener was canceled out by Tomas Soucek, with Dortmund holding on after Julian Weigl was sent off.

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

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

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard wants his young side to be more ruthless after a 2-1 win over a much-changed Lille at Stamford Bridge secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Progress to the knockout stages at the expense of last season’s semifinalists Ajax is an impressive achievement for the Blues boss after a summer in which the club lost Eden Hazard to Real Madrid and were unable to add to their squad due to a transfer ban.

First half goals from Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta seemed to have Chelsea cruising into the knockout stages.

However, Lampard was left frustrated at having to endure a nervy final 12 minutes when Loic Remy pulled a goal back against his old club.

“It’s going to be a work in progress. With the young players we have in this side there will be bumps in the road,” said Lampard.

(SD-Agencies)