Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Manchester United is surely up. 

Following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which the superstar forward said he feels "betrayed" by senior figures at Old Trafford and does not respect manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo's departure seems certain.

Having tried and failed to join a new club in the past transfer window, Ronaldo may be granted his wish in January once the World Cup is done and dusted.

If that is the case, there are only a few likely destinations for the Portugal international, who is reportedly eager to continue his career at the highest level despite turning 38 in February.

Napoli

A return to Serie A has been touted for Ronaldo, with Napoli being named as potential suitors earlier this year after losing attacking spearheads Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens. Whether the that remains the case, with Luciano Spalletti's side eight points clear at the Serie A summit, remains to be seen.

But in Ronaldo's three years in Italy with Juventus, no player scored more Serie A goals than his tally of 81 and, despite spending the past year and a half with United, only Ciro Immobile (117) has scored more Serie A goals since 2018.

Napoli would certainly match Ronaldo's aspirations, with Champions League football post-Christmas to look forward to and a first Scudetto since the glory days of Diego Maradona a realistic target. However, the club's finances and the forward's wage demands may prove to be restrictive.

Chelsea

Finances will certainly not be a problem for Chelsea, who are at somewhat of a crossroads following Todd Boehly's takeover earlier this year. The American billionaire is said to have previously met with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes, but no transfer went through in August.

Thomas Tuchel has since been replaced by Graham Potter in the Stamford Bridge dugout, though, and while the Englishman may not be on board with the idea of signing another ageing attacker, Boehly will very much have the final say.

Whether Ronaldo would accept a move to a Premier League rival, even if his reputation at Old Trafford has plummeted in recent months, is the biggest question regarding any hopes the Blues may have in signing the Portuguese. There is also then the small matter of United agreeing to offload to a domestic rival midway through the campaign, with both sides battling for a top-four finish.

Sporting CP

With a United homecoming already under his belt, could Sporting secure a sensational return of their own and bring Ronaldo back to where it all began? It's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility – especially as he enters the final six months of his United contract.

Ronaldo had just a single season in the senior squad with Sporting before he moved to United, so he may feel he has unfinished business – and it is a side that can definitely compete, having ended a 20-year barren spell without a league title in the 2020-21 season.

That said, Sporting have endured a difficult campaign this time around as they sit fourth in the Primeira Liga and have exited the Champions League. As head coach Ruben Amorim recently stated, however, there is no harm in dreaming of seeing CR7 in the famous green and white strip once again.

Real Madrid

Another possible return destination... could Ronaldo wind back up in the Spanish capital?

The Champions League winners are hardly in need of another superstar forward, given they already have the world's best player in Karim Benzema, but bringing Ronaldo back to the club where he scored 450 goals would surely appeal to president Florentino Perez, who is never shy in his attempts to make statement signings.

Madrid missed out on Kylian Mbappe earlier this year, much to their frustration, and having Ronaldo in their side would undoubtedly provide some depth up top until the PSG forward is further into the new, three-year contract he signed with the French club in May.

MLS

Champions League football has been documented as the reason for Ronaldo's strong desire to leave United but, if such offers are not forthcoming, could a move to MLS be on the cards? 

Financial rules and designated player spots would make a switch complicated, with there only being a handful of teams likely to be able to make a move possible – likely to be those in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

With the 2026 World Cup taking place in North America, bringing Ronaldo to MLS would raise the profile of the league further – and would undoubtedly be the biggest acquisition for the league since David Beckham's move to LA Galaxy in 2007.

That move marked the start of a new era of soccer in the US and has evolved considerably since, though Ronaldo's arrival would send things to a completely new level.

Napoli saw off a late comeback from Udinese to seal an 11th consecutive Serie A victory, the first time they have done so in a single season.

Goals from Victor Oshimhen, Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas had the hosts in full control but two goals in the final 11 minutes, from Ilija Nestorovski and Lazar Samardzic, led to a nervy finish for Luciano Spalletti's side.

Standing firm to hold on for a 3-2 victory, Napoli moved 11 points clear of Lazio at the summit of Serie A.

Lazio face Juventus on Sunday after Spalletti's side became only the second team to win at least 13 of their first 15 matches (Juventus having done so on four previous occasions, most recently in 2018-19).

Stretching back to last season, Napoli stand undefeated in their last 19 Serie A matches and have won 17 of those games, scoring 50 goals in the process.

Napoli now face an extended break due to the World Cup in Qatar, not taking to the field again until January 4 for what could be a stern challenge against Inter.

The Neapolitan side have won Serie A just twice before in their history, with their last such triumph coming in the 1989-90 season.

Memphis Depay in unsettled at Barcelona, having only managed two league appearances this campaign.

The 28-year-old Dutchman has fallen out of favour under Xavi this term, despite scoring 13 goals last season.

Depay joined the Blaugrana in June 2021 on a two-year contract, with that deal expiring at the end of this season.

TOP STORY – SEVILLA PLOT JANUARY MOVE FOR DEPAY

Sevilla are weighing up a January swoop for Barcelona's wantaway forward Memphis Depay, claims Fichajes.

The Netherlands international has reportedly sought a way out of Camp Nou, with claims he has requested a release letter, enabling him to be signed for free in January.

New Sevilla head coach Jorge Sampaoli is not satisfied with his side's attacking options after their dismal start to the LaLiga campaign.

ROUND-UP

– Napoli forward Victor Osimhen is on Manchester United's radar as they weigh up striker options for next season, according to the Manchester Evening News. Real Madrid are also interested in the Nigerian, claims Sport.

– Benfica's Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez is also garnering interest from Manchester United, reports Record.

– Bayern Munich's hierarchy are split on the prospect of signing Tottenham forward Harry Kane, with concerns raised that he would not suit their style, claims Bild.

– Mundo Deportivo reports Newcastle United are interested in Real Betis' forward Nabil Fekir, but the Spanish club want €50million for him.

– The Evening Standard claims Arsenal are pondering allowing Marquinhos to exit on loan in January. The Brazilian forward has played once in the league this season.

Massimiliano Allegri says "nobody will have the opportunity" to catch up to Serie A leaders Napoli if they keep up their impressive form.

Luciano Spalletti's side beat Empoli 2-0 on Tuesday to secure their 10th straight league victory and move eight points clear of reigning champions Milan at the summit.

Allegri's Juve have won four consecutive Serie A games themselves, but their head coach says that may pale into insignificance if Napoli continue their stunning streak.

"Napoli are having an extraordinary championship," Allegri told reporters ahead of Juve's match with Hellas Verona on Thursday.

"If they continue like this, nobody will have the opportunity to get closer.

"We have to take one step at a time. Verona, Lazio and then to recover energy."

Despite picking up maximum points over their last four league matches, Juve still lag 13 points behind Napoli as they sit fifth, having won nine titles in a row between 2011-12 and 2019-20.

Allegri's men have also been knocked out of the Champions League group stage, losing five of their six games.

But a 2-0 win over rivals Inter on Sunday has fostered some positive feeling heading into their penultimate fixture before Serie A pauses for the World Cup.

Allegri demanded his players do not take Verona lightly, despite them sitting bottom after picking up just five points from 13 matches this season.

"It [the Inter victory] let us spend an evening of satisfaction and joy, but the next day we closed the chapter," Allegri added.

"Tomorrow in Verona we will play against a team that has beaten Juventus three times in the last five games.

"In the last few matches they have been defeated in an undeserved way. They have a physical and attacking team. It will not be an easy match.

"It is a team that does not deserve the ranking it has. We will have to play an equal match to them from a physical point of view."

Real Madrid are looking to Serie A for their next striker, with Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Milan's Rafael Leao interesting the Spanish giants.

Osimhen, 23, arrived at Napoli after a club-record €70million transfer from Lille in 2020 and quickly adapted to life in Italy.

Leao, who is the same age, was Osimhen's team-mate at Lille back in 2019 before being pried away to Milan. He was spectacular last campaign in helping Milan to their first Serie A title since the 2010-11 season, scoring a career-high 11 league goals, and has hit form this term, too.

TOP STORY – REAL MADRID IDENTIFY OSIMHEN AND LEAO AS KEY FORWARD TARGETS

According to Calciomercato, the only thing standing between Madrid and "another nine-figure investment" in one of Serie A's leading lights is the contract of 31-year-old winger Eden Hazard.

Forbes reports Hazard is making approximately €500,000 per week, and if Madrid can find a taker for him in January, or at the end of the season, their financial flexibility will vastly improve.

Come January, Leao will have 18 months remaining on his contract, and with numerous reports that negotiations for an extension have made little progress, Milan will eventually have to entertain the likelihood of a sale.

Osimhen has an extra year on top of that, tying him to Napoli until 2025 and giving the club plenty of leverage in any potential sale.

ROUND-UP

– The Evening Standard is reporting Chelsea have held multiple meetings with 16-year-old Palmeiras prospect Endrick, who is also a target for Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. He will not be allowed to leave for Europe until he turns 18 in 2024.

– According to TeamTalk, Tottenham are looking to replace goalkeeper and club captain Hugo Lloris.

– West Ham and Leicester City are interested in 28-year-old Inter left-back Robin Gosens, per Gazzetta dello Sport. 

– Sport is reporting Juventus are willing to meet the contract demands of Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, with the Italy international demanding €13.6m per year.

– Barcelona are considering a move for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, who they view as a potential replacement for Memphis Depay, according to Sport.

Stefano Pioli was left frustrated as his Milan side were held to a 0-0 draw by winless Cremonese in Serie A on Tuesday.

An impressive performance from Cremonese goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi saw him deny the likes of Divock Origi and Junior Messias as Milan dominated the first half.

Origi thought he had broken the deadlock soon after the break, but a VAR check ruled him offside before Cremonese saw out the remaining minutes to pick up a valuable point and prevent Milan from keeping pace with leaders Napoli, who beat Empoli 2-0 earlier on Tuesday.

Attempting to win their second straight league title, Pioli's men now sit eight points Napoli, and the Milan head coach was disappointed in their display as they failed to pick up all three points on the road for the fourth game in seven to start this season, having only dropped points away from San Siro five times last campaign.

"We could have done more tonight," Pioli told DAZN. "We played a decent first half, but the second was not up to par.

"We did not create enough to be really dangerous. With our quality we could do more, despite the few spaces granted by Cremonese.

"In the second half there was little fluidity and clarity. We won a few offensive duels and so it is difficult to score."

Pioli acknowledged the lead that Napoli now hold over his side, and spoke of his desire to see an improved display at the weekend as they look to bounce back against Fiorentina.

"Eight points are a lot," Pioli added. "We don't like this result, but on Sunday we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves.

"We didn't want this gap. Congratulations to Napoli but we could have done more."

Milan drew a blank despite Pioli introducing Rafael Leao with half an hour to play, but the head coach refused to criticise the substitute for the little impact he had.

Pioli explained: "I think it's wrong to point the finger only at a single player [Leao]. If you don't work well as a team, the results won't come. The overall performance was not up to par.

"We expected this attitude from Cremonese. We had some opportunities to score goals, but if you don't unlock them immediately then everything becomes more complicated."

Real Madrid and Liverpool will contest a repeat of last season's Champions League final during the round of 16 following Monday's draw.

Madrid reached the knockout stages as Group F winners, an outcome they will have been hoping would secure them a favourable tie.

But by being paired with Liverpool, Carlo Ancelotti's men were given arguably the hardest draw possible in what will be a repeat of the 2021-22 and 2017-18 finals.

There will also be a replay of the 2019-20 showpiece between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Die Roten prevented PSG from winning their first continental crown that year, with revenge on the cards for the Parisians early next year.

Chelsea, winners most recently in 2021, will go up against the youthful Borussia Dortmund, while Manchester City – beaten finalists last year – are also due to tussle with Bundesliga opposition in RB Leipzig.

Antonio Conte faces a return to his homeland and San Siro as Tottenham prepare to duel with Italian champions Milan, while Serie A leaders Napoli – who won their group ahead of Liverpool – will fancy their chances against Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt.

Last-16 draw in full:

RB Leipzig v Manchester City
Club Brugge v Benfica
Liverpool v Real Madrid
Milan v Tottenham
Eintracht Frankfurt v Napoli
Borussia Dortmund v Chelsea
Inter v Porto
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich

Real Madrid and Liverpool will contest a repeat of last season's Champions League final during the round of 16 following Monday's draw.

Madrid reached the knockout stages as Group F winners, an outcome they will have been hoping would secure them a favourable tie.

But by being paired with Liverpool, Carlo Ancelotti's men were given arguably the hardest draw possible in what will be a repeat of the 2021-22 and 2017-18 finals.

Milan forward Rafael Leao continues to be linked with a host of top European clubs who are plotting January moves.

Leao won last season's Serie A Footballer of the Year and has maintained his fine form this term.

The 23-year-old forward is contracted with Milan until mid-2024, prompting interest to prise him away from the Rossoneri.

TOP STORY – MILAN PREPARING FOR BUMPER JANUARY BIDS FOR RAFAEL LEAO

Milan are preparing for January bids from Chelsea and Manchester City of approximately £105 million for Rafael Leao, reports Tuttomercato.

Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have also shown an interest in the Portuguese attacker.

Milan are still working on a new deal with Leao before he departs for the World Cup, hoping to tie him down on a long-term contract.

ROUND-UP

– Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is considering trying to lure Dusan Vlahovic to Old Trafford as he prepares for life without Cristiano Ronaldo, reports The Sun on Sunday. Juventus forward Vlahovic moved to the Bianconeri from Fiorentina in January for £62million.

– Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told the club to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans in the January transfer window, claims The Sun. Tielemans is valued at £40m and is out of contract at the end of this season.

– The Mirror reports Arsenal are also interested in a January move for Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Ibrahima Bamba, having sent scouts to watch him.

– Calciomercato claims Tottenham are looking into a swap deal involving Emerson Royal in order to bring Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries to the club from Inter.

– Serie A leaders Napoli are preparing an offer for Barcelona's Jordi Alba, who is looking for first-team football, according to El Nacional.

Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will miss the Serie A leaders' trip to second-placed Atalanta on Saturday because of a back problem that marks a painful end to a miserable week for the Georgian.

The 21-year-old talent has made a thrilling impact since joining Napoli from Dinamo Batumi in July, playing a key role in his team leading the Italian top flight and topping their Champions League group.

With eight goals and eight assists in 17 games across all competitions, Kvaratskhelia has barely put a foot wrong for Luciano Spalletti's team.

This has been a difficult week though, with Napoli's 13-game winning run coming to an end when they lost 2-0 at Liverpool on Tuesday, albeit with the hosts' late goals coming after Kvaratskhelia was substituted.

It was reported by Gazzetta dello Sport that Kvaratskhelia then suffered a break-in at his home on Wednesday night, with his Mini car stolen and later retrieved by police.

Now the youngster will miss at least one game, with Napoli stating on their website: "Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is ruled out of the trip to Bergamo after suffering from acute lower back pain."

It remains to be seen whether he returns for Tuesday's game against Empoli, or the following Saturday's clash with Udinese, both of which will be played at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Such has been Kvaratskhelia's impact at Napoli, he has been compared to club legend Maradona, earning the nickname 'Kvaradona'. Argentine forward Maradona was the driving force of Napoli when the Naples club won the 1986-87 and 1989-90 Serie A titles, their only Scudetto triumphs to date.

Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is expected to cost €100million if the undefeated Serie A leaders choose to sell at the end of the season.

Kvaratskhelia, 21, was with Rubin Kazan for three seasons before the Russian invasion of Ukraine halted their 2021-22 campaign, allowing the Georgia-born player to sign with Georgian club Dinamo Batumi.

Napoli scooped him up from Batumi for around €10m, and he has been in fine form since arriving in Italy. In 12 Serie A games, Kvaratskhelia has six goals and seven assists, while adding two goals and three assists in five Champions League matches.

A January sale has been ruled out, but if the club decide to cash-in on their shrewd piece of business, they could reportedly multiply their investment 10-fold.

TOP STORY – BREAKOUT NAPOLI YOUNGSTER SET TO COMMAND NINE-FIGURE FEE

According to Kvaratskhelia's agent Christian Emile in an interview with Fabrizio Romano, the Georgian sensation affectionately referred to as 'Kvaradona' by Napoli fans is one of the hottest names on the transfer market.

In the interview, reported by the London Evening Standard, Emile said there is "a zero per cent chance" he is sold in January as Napoli push for their first title since the 1989-90 season. 

However, he said "people are talking about €100m" when discussing Kvaratskhelia's value now, and if his form continues in this fashion the rest of the season, Emile added "he will reach €100m for sure".

The report names Liverpool and Chelsea as two of the key clubs known to have interest at this point.

ROUND-UP

– Mundo Deportivo is reporting Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan – who is out of contract at the end of the season – is a target for Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. 

– According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United have made Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham their top target.

– Eden Hazard could leave Real Madrid in January, per Mundo Deportivo, with Juventus named as a club interested in the 31-year-old.

– Media Foot is reporting United are "seriously considering" a move for 33-year-old Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, but they will not be making any significant purchases in January.

– According to L'Equipe, Lionel Messi does not want to leave Paris Saint-Germain without winning "a major trophy", and is considering extending his contract beyond this season.

Darwin Nunez can be a "scary" presence for Liverpool but still needs to grow his overall game, says Reds great Jamie Carragher.

The Uruguay international got on the scoresheet in the Premier League side's 2-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday, for his sixth goal of the season across all competitions.

Nunez had a tough start to life at Anfield with a red card against Crystal Palace seeing him serve an early season ban, but is starting to show his potential on Merseyside.

With more attempts on a per-90-minute basis (6.7) in the English top-flight this term than anyone else, Carragher suggests the stats back the influence the 23-year-old can have on matches.

"It's really interesting watching Nunez," he told CBS. "He comes on and he makes a huge impact. He hasn't set the world alight, he hasn't done what [Erling] Haaland's done and people would've expected more for the price-tag. 

"But when you look at his minutes on the pitch and how many goals he's scored per minute, his numbers are scary. He's actually made a huge impact."

Carragher feels that Nunez is yet to fully master his all-around game though, adding: "But there's still something not quite there, where Jurgen Klopp is going to play him every single game.

"I think he's got [similarities to] Fernando Torres. He's got that power, physically, to knock defenders off, that blistering pace. But at times, maybe technically, [he is] not the best in terms of general play."

Nunez has posted a 0.6 goal yield every 90 minutes in the Premier League this term, a ratio bettered by just seven players, while only Manchester City's Erling Haaland has a superior non-penalty xG than his 0.76.

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's win over Napoli offered a reminder they are still "a top team", though he acknowledges they cannot rest on the achievements of last season.

The Reds got back to winning ways with a 2-0 win over the Serie A leaders in their final Champions League group-stage game, with both sides heading through to the knockout rounds.

Late goals for Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez helped rebound from the latest disappointment of a difficult season, with Liverpool having lost late on to Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Klopp says his team know they have quality, but they need to sometimes take stock of themselves in order to achieve the right results amid a tough campaign.

"We don't doubt the quality, I don't think anybody doubts the quality," he said. "But that's part of the problem as well – we don't show consistency.

"That's why we have to [take] a proper step back, and tonight we did that."

"We are Liverpool, a top team. Nobody forgot what we did last year, the boys didn't forget that, but it's now not important really. I know people might get sick of it when I say it, but we really have to fight through.

"We showed everything. We showed pieces of good football, and the defensive stuff was on a high level.

"Napoli [are] a real force, really, and it could have been extremely difficult for us tonight, but the boys played a good game and that's why it was not.

"Tonight we will take the right conclusions of this game, even when the next one will be a completely different game for different reasons. We will take the good stuff out of this game and then start the next fight against Tottenham."

Mohamed Salah challenged Liverpool to carry their Champions League form into the Premier League and make the most of their remaining games before the World Cup.

The Egypt international poached the first goal in a 2-0 home win over Napoli on Tuesday as Liverpool ended their group-stage campaign in Europe on a high with a fifth successive victory in the competition.

The Anfield outcome was not enough for Liverpool to topple their Italian opponents from the top of Group A, but both march through to the last-16 stage with ambitions to go deep.

Yet Liverpool's domestic form has been poor this term, with just four wins in 12 Premier League games seeing them stuck in a mid-table rut, exemplified by recent losses to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

Jurgen Klopp's side have Tottenham away on Sunday, followed by Southampton at home the following Saturday, before a large number of their players head to Qatar 2022.

Salah will not be among them, after Egypt's penalty shoot-out defeat to Senegal in African qualifying back in March, with his ambitions for the season all centred around bringing trophy success to Liverpool.

He savoured the moment against Luciano Spalletti's Napoli, who are leading the Serie A title race, and told BT Sport: "To win against one of the best teams in the world, one of the best coaches in the world, it's always a good feeling, but we just need to carry on.

"It's a good result for us – hopefully it gives us more confidence, and we just need to focus now in the Premier League and carry on."

Salah did not realise he had been awarded the opening goal, after Darwin Nunez's powerful header almost crept over the line before the ball trickled back out. Salah tucked it in to make sure but said afterwards: "Is it mine? Honestly, I didn't know."

He now has seven in this season's Champions League, making him the competition's top goalscorer for now.

Nunez got Liverpool's second from inches out in the final moments, the second tap-in of the game, and Salah said: "As a striker, I like to score and Darwin also likes to score, so we're glad that we got both goals today.

"I think it's important, that win today. It gives us more confidence, especially because we played a good game, and we played with the ball and without the ball, we tried to recover the ball quickly. As you can see in the league we're not doing great, but hopefully we can give ourselves a push, and we just need to win more games in the league."

After playing with two forwards recently, Klopp reverted to his long-favoured 4-3-3 formation, and it paid off.

Salah said choosing Liverpool's shape was "not my job, it's the gaffer's job", but he firmly indicated his preference for the three-man attacking line, with his role on the right of the trio.

"Any position that makes me comfortable, I'm happy about it, but I've played in the position for five, six years and I have to say that yes, the position is the best for me, but I'm not the manager," Salah said.

"The manager decides the tactics, and as a player you have to follow the leader."

Jurgen Klopp says it is "absolutely insane" his side finished their Champions League group with 15 points after making it five wins on the spin with victory over Napoli.

The Reds were beaten 4-1 by the Serie A leaders in the reverse fixture on matchday one – a loss Klopp described as the worst performance of his seven-year tenure.

Liverpool recovered with wins home and away against Ajax and Rangers to qualify for the last 16 with a game, against Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday, to spare.

A 2-0 win saw Liverpool inflict some revenge on Napoli for their September mauling, but they fell two goals short of overtaking their opponents at the Group A summit.

Klopp's side will therefore be unseeded in Monday's last-16 draw, but the German was pleased with what he saw against Napoli, who entered the game unbeaten in 17 matches.

"We showed tonight a really good reaction," he told BT Sport, referencing Saturday's 2-1 loss to Leeds United that leaves Liverpool ninth in the Premier League.

"I would have enjoyed the game even without the goals. Being compact makes all the difference. All of a sudden we are difficult to play against.

"If you see what Napoli can do in the moment, it was a really good game in our situation. The boys played a good game with a lot of courage.

"I saw the bravery to go in for challenges, making a proper fight of it and two set-pieces give us the three points – 15 points in the Champions League group is absolutely insane."

The win over Napoli was Klopp's 400th game in charge of Liverpool, and his 100th in the Champions League with the Reds and Borussia Dortmund.

He is just the seventh manager to reach that milestone in the competition, while only Pep Guardiola (61) has won more than the German's 58 games in those first 100 outings.

Liverpool survived a scare when Leo Ostigard had a goal ruled out by a VAR check lasting more than three minutes, with the technology coming to the Reds' aid two more times.

Mohamed Salah gave the hosts the lead in the 85th minute and substitute Darwin Nunez, who played a part in that opener, added a second in the 98th minute.

Those two goals were also subjected to VAR checks, but Klopp joked he could have no complaints over the delays due to his side being on the right end of the decisions.

"I heard it was some technical issues [for the delay on the first goal]," he said. "It is tough but in the end it is good for us. 

"Three times in our direction. I did not see the first goal. But after a long time they seem to have made the right call."

Despite their 13-game winning run coming to an end in their first defeat since April, Napoli finished top of their Champions League group for only the second time (also 2016-17).

The Italian side had scored a competition-high 20 goals across their opening five group matches, but they mustered just two attempts on target at Anfield.

"We're very disappointed," said defender Ostigard. "We thought we were in the game, especially in the second half. To lose at the end is tough to take. We came here to win."