Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick inspires Liverpool to victory in Hoffenheim

Well that brings an end to coverage of this Champions League play-off first leg. We'll be back with coverage of the second leg of this tie in eight days time when Liverpool will hope to convert their position of dominance.

Before then we turn our attention back to the Spanish Super Cup, with Real Madrid and Barcelona meeting for a second time after their eventful clash over the weekend, which saw Zinedine Zidane's side claim a 3-1 win.

But until then, let me wish you a very good evening.

Full time: Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool

Liverpool put one foot in the Champions League group stage but they were pushed all the way but Hoffenheim. After Andrej Kramaric's missed penalty, Trent Alexander-Arnold scored spectacularly from a free-kick.

James Milner's deflected cross doubled the lead before Mark Uth's fine strike cut the deficit and gives Hoffenheim hope heading into the second leg. Jurgen Klopp's defensive problems have not been solved but he will be delighted with the club's first win of the campaign.

Free-kick for Hoffenheim, 25 yards from goal and they load the box looking for an equaliser. Benjamin Hübner finds himself completely unmarked six yards out but he blazes his header over. Liverpool survive, but I'm not sure how.

GOAL! Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool (Mark Uth)

Hoffenheim set up a grand stand finale with a fine late goal which could prove vital in eight days time. Pavel Kadeřábek plays a fine cross-field pass and while Liverpool defender stop and appeal for offside, substitute Mark Uth brings the ball down on his chest and hammers the ball into the corner with aplomb.

Liverpool celebrate going 2-0 up in Germany.

Salah and Mane link-up in a sign of things to come but the Senegal forward thrashes wide. Dominic Solanke on for his Liverpool debut, replacing Roberto Firmino.

Simon Mignolet is making a fine claim for the man-of-the-match award. A penalty save and now he keeps Hoffenheim from getting a consolation as Wagner heads back to Nadiem Amiri, whose strike into the ground is pushed away by the Belgian.

If Liverpool want a third goal and a stroll around Anfield next week then it is very much there for the taking. Firmino and Mane combine down the left but his cross can't find Salah.

GOAL! Hoffenheim 0-2 Liverpool (James Milner)

Liverpool should be out of sight as they double their lead. James Milner is released down the left and though he goes to cross it takes wicket deflection off Nordtveit and it loops into the top corner. It will go down as an own goal, but the guile from the ex-England man was magnificent.

Now Dejan Lovren's point blank header is kept out. Liverpool can put this tie to bed tonight if they put their mind to it.

Mohamed Salah should double his Liverpool tally but Baumann saves again from a tight angle. Will Liverpool rue missing these chances?

The man of the moment has Liverpool in his blood. If you didn't already know, check out this picture of him alongside Jamie Carragher as a club mascot.

Hoffenheim scored more goals from set-pieces than any other in the Bundesliga last season and they are peppering Mignolet and the Liverpool back-four with a succession of corner - but the Reds come out of the spell unscathed.

It is captain Jordan Henderson who makes way for Milner, who will move to midfield.

Liverpool are being awfully wasteful as Hoffenheim continue to throw players forard. The Bundesliga side are here for the taking you feel.

James Milner coming on for Liverpool.

Here is another look at that Trent Alexander-Arnold goal for Liverpool which sees them on course for a first leg lead

Booking for Trent AA, much to the delight of the home faithful whose side are huffing and puffing but are yet to find a way through this Liverpool rearguard.

Mane is everywhere at the start of this second half and he almost puts Liverpool two-up, shooting from a tight angle and forcing a save from Baumann, which somehow doesn't fall to an onrushing player.

Ball in the net for Hoffenheim but it isn't going to count. Wagner releases Gnabry and he makes no mistake, beating Mignolet at his near post with a fabulous strike- but the goal is ruled out for offside. And the replay clearly shows the German youngster is a good three yards off.

Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates scoring his first Liverpool to put them ahead.

What a chance to double the lead. Mane gets away from Bičakčić down the left and his cross finds Firmino, but his shot towards goal is saved low by Baumann.

Both sets of players back out and we're underway in the second half. No changes at the break.

Half time: Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool

What a thorougherly entertaining half of football. A missed penalty, a sensational free-kick and loads of missed chances ends with Liverpool ahead with a critical away goals courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold's blistering free-kick. Hoffenheim look a threat every time they get the ball in the final third but while it might not be pretty for Liverpool they lead in this must-win tie.

Liverpool's lead hangs by a threat as Hoffenheim twice go close. First, Lovren is all over the place in the air as Kramaric nods on to Gnabry, who gets gaoled and produces a fine save from Mignolet. From the rebound the ball falls to Wagner, who glances the post with Mignolet stranded.

Spot on. Klopp empowering of young players continues to pay dividends.

GOAL! Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool (Trent Alexander-Arnold)

A crucial, crucial away goal for Liverpool who open the scoring against the run of play. Emre Can and Alberto Moreno are over the free-kick but it is Alexander-Arnold who hits it and if flies low into the corner past Oliver Baumann. That is his first ever Liverpool goal and what a way for the full-back to open his account.

Yellow card for Ermin Bičakčić as he drags down Sadio Mane, who was in full flight and baring down on the penalty area. There was cover but it was nonetheless a cynical foul. Free kick for Liverpool.....

Liverpool chief-executive Peter Moore in the house tonight. He's not directly involved in football operations but I would think he's had a busy summer. And it's not over yet.

High line adopted by Liverpool from set-pieces - remember they've conceded more from dead ball situations since Klopp took over than any other Premier League side - and it is paying dividends tonight. They look relatively comfortable during this opening half an hour.

Sandro Wagner has been central to Hoffenheim as an attacking force during this opening 25 minutes and he is involved in this latest attack, coming off the front and running at the Liverpool back-four though his shot is disappointingly wide.

The half-and-half scarves are doing a roaring trade before kick-off.

And now Liverpool should be ahead. Vogt loses the ball and Mohamed Salah goes through but as the Hoffenheim skipper gets back he unsettles the Egyptian and he can only shoot tamely wide.

Drama inside the first 12 minutes. Hoffenheim are awarded a debatable penalty when Lovren appears to trip Gnabry, who flung himself to the ground. The referee looked to his assistant before awarding that.

Kramaric has the chance to give the Bundesliga side an early lead but with little conviction sees his spot kick saved by Mignolet, who barely had to dive to his left to keep it out. Jurgen Klopp is delighted on the touchline.

PENALTY TO HOFFENHEIM

More messy defending from Liverpool and Dejan Lovren is awfully lucky not to concede a penalty. A free-kick from the left is whipped into a decent area and the Croatian attempts to hook the ball away he miss-times it and rebounds onto his arm and back to Mignolet. Hoffenheim want a penalty but the referee ignores the appeals.

Liverpool exposed straight away in wide areas. A cross from the right after Moreno is caught out sees Matip having to stretch to keep Gnabry from giving Hoffenheim the lead.

Can Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann enhance his reputation further tonight?

We know from the weekend Liverpool are not going to struggle to create chances and the visitors are right on the attack from the off, but Mohamed Salah's cross is cut out.

Underway in Germany.

The first airing for the infamous Champions League anthem. For many of these Hoffenheim player it will be the first time they've heard it before a competitive game. Liverpool's player won't be that accustomed to this stage either even if their manager knows this competition very well.

Teams in the tunnel at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena and they're on their way. Huge game for Liverpool this. Missing out on the group stage is unthinkable for the Reds. Hoffenheim are here for a good time, rather than a long time.

Björn Kuipers is the referee tonight. He certainly won't be a stranger to many of you having refereed the Champions League final from 2014 when Real Madrid beat Atletico on penalties to win what at the time was their 10th title.

Jurgen Klopp on BT Sport: "I spoke to my players. We deserve the chance tonight but nothing more. We can do everything better [from Watford] It is a different game and think we can do it with this line-up. Hoffenheim are a proper football team. They deserve to be here tonight. They have a young and very skilled manager. It was never easy to play here."

Hoffenheim aren't going to go quietly tonight.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are among the 22 teams to have already booked their place in the group stage of the Champions League, but none have enjoyed the same European success as Liverpool.

The five-time winners of this competition might not be the force of old domestically, but on the continent their reputation goes before them. Jurgen Klopp will be well aware of this history and the pressure on him to take the competition seriously. He is of course a former runner-up with Borussia Dortmund.

One Hoffenheim player Liverpool will be aware of tonight is Serge Gnabry, who is formerly of Arsenal. With just one goal in 16 appearances spread across five years at the club he hardly set the world alight and has since been applying his trade in his homeland.

He joined Bayern Munich this summer from Werder Bremen, and has since been sent on loan to Hoffenheim, making his full debut tonight.

Hoffenheim are tonight led by a remarkable individual in the form of manager Julian Nagelsmann. The 30-year-old kept the club up in his first season as manager before guiding them to fourth last term. Tonight they play in the Champions League for the first time in their history.

The youngster is tactically flexible, adopting a high press - remind you of anyone? - to force errors from their opponents. They were unbeaten at home last season, beating Bayern Munich along the way. Slightly worryingly from a Liverpool point of view, no team in Germany's top flight scored more goals from set-pieces.

Tonight must be one of the biggest games in their history. Jurgen Klopp's men have been warned.

Six changes from Hoffenheim, but my reckoning. Among them sees Serge Gnabry - a familiar face to Arsenal and maybe West Brom fans - start. Andrej Kramaric, formerly of Leicester City, leads the attack.

And now the Hoffenheim eleven is through the door....

Liverpool have named an unchanged 18 for the first leg in Hoffenheim. That includes the same starting eleven which started the 3-3 draw at Watford. Roberto Firmino starts in attack against his former club, while Mohamed Salah makes his first European outing for the Reds. Dominic Solanke is on the bench as he awaits his competitive debut.

And right on cue, the Liverpool team has dropped...

Hoffenheim kicked off their campaign in the German Cup at the weekend, but are yet to start their Bundesliga season, unlike tonight's opponents. This is how they lined up for the 1-0 win over Erfurt.

Kobel, Northwest, Vogt, Bicakcic, Toljan, Polanski, N. Schulz, Demirbay, Nad Amiri, Wagner, Kramaric

The teams from southern Germany should be on the way any minute, but how do we expect both sides to line-up?

Liverpool are without Philippe Coutinho due to a back injury, but that comes amid increasingly speculation regarding his future at Anfield - with Barcelona having hd two recent bids rejected. Elsewhere, Daniel Sturridge is likely to miss out though injury.

Danny Ings, Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana have all stayed at home as they continue to recovery from injuries.

What with defensive mishaps and rumours regarding their best player, it has been far from the perfect start to the season for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. The manner of their failure to beat Watford in their Premier League opener coupled with the uncertainty over Philippe Coutinho's future means the Reds kick-off their European campaign under something of a cloud.

1899 Hoffenheim will however give them little sympathy as the pair duel for one place in the Champions League group phase. The Bundesliga side were unbeaten at their Rhein-Neckar-Arena ground last season, where they also beat eventual champions Bayern Munich. They are not to be underestimated by Liverpool, nor is manager Julian Nagelsmann- but more on him later.

All the team news and updates ahead of the 7:45pm kick-off on the way.