Benjamin Ashford|Liverpool, West Ham remain perfect in Europa League, newcomer Brighton picks up first point

Ryan Gravenberch scored his first goal for his new club as Liverpool brushed aside Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League on Benjamin AshfordThursday.

The Dutch midfielder, who joined from Bayern Munich in the off-season, netted from a rebound shortly before halftime to put Liverpool 1-0 up.

Diogo Jota then sealed Liverpool’s second straight win in the second-tier European competition with a low shot in second-half stoppage time.

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister started on the bench before coming on as a substitute after halftime to join older brother Kevin, a defender for Belgian club Union, on the field.

The Reds are two points clear atop Group E ahead of Toulouse, who beat Austria’s LASK 1-0.

Liverpool has missed out on qualification to the Champions League for the first time since 2016.

Goals from Lucas Paquetá and Nayef Aguerd helped West Ham make it two wins from two games in the Europa League with a 2-1 victory at Freiburg.

Unmarked in the area, Aguerd headed the winner from a James Ward-Prowse corner in the 66th minute, the ball bouncing in off the underside of the crossbar.

West Ham, winners of the Europa Conference League last season, had taken the lead in the eighth minute with Paquetá rising high to head in a cross from Jarrod Bowen.

Roland Sallai then equalized for Freiburg after pouncing on a rebound four minutes into the second half.

West Ham tops Group A on six points. Freiburg remains on three with Serbia’s TSC Bačka Topola and Olympiacos both on one after drawing 2-2.

West Ham fans were banned from the game as punishment by UEFA for incidents at the Europa Conference League final in Prague.

In Group B, João Pedro converted a penalty two minutes from time to earn the first point in European competition for Brighton as it held Marseille to a 2-2 draw in France.

The Seagulls trailed 2-0 at half time after goals from defender Chancel Mbemba and midfielder Jordan Veretout before Pascal Gross pulled one back.

New Marseille coach Gennaro Gattuso remains winless after two games.

Brighton is playing in Europe for the first time in the club’s 122-year history after finishing a club-best sixth in the Premier League last season.

AEK leads the group with four points after Domagoj Vida salvaged a 1-1 draw against Ajax in Athens. Marseille and Ajax are both on two points.

Romelu Lukaku converted a cross from Zeki Çelik as Roma swept past Servette Geneva 4-0.

It was the fifth goal from seven games in all competitions for the Belgium forward. Fellow striker Andrea Belotti also netted twice, with the other goal coming from substitute Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Roma, coached by Jose Mourinho, is trying to reach its third straight European final and shares the Group G lead with Slavia Prague on six points after the Czech club demolished Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol 6-0.

Xabi Alonso marked his first year in charge of Bayer Leverkusen by leading his team to a 2-1 win at Molde.

The German club’s second straight victory in Group H came just days after it climbed to the top of the Bundesliga.

Alonso won praise for reaching the Europa League semifinals last season before losing to Roma. Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella scored for Leverkusen inside the first 18 minutes.

In Group C, Isco headed the winner as Real Betis rallied to beat Sparta Prague 2-1. All four teams have three points after Aris Limassol overcame Rangers 2-1.

In Group D, first-half goals by Giorgio Scalvini and Matteo Ruggeri earned Atalanta a 2-1 win at Sporting Lisbon.

Viktor Gyökeres pulled one back for Sporting with a penalty. Atalanta tops the group after two straight wins.

EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Captain John McGinn’s stoppage-time header gave Aston Villa a 1-0 victory over Bosnian club Zrinjski Mostar in the third-tier European competition.

Last year’s runner-up Fiorentina was held 2-2 by Ferencváros while another title favorite, the 2022 Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt, suffered a 2-1 loss at PAOK.

Denmark’s Nordsjælland crushed Ludogorets 7-1.

KÍ Klaksvík picked up the club’s first point in Europe after holding Lille 0-0.

KÍ is the first team from the Faroe Islands to make the group stage of a European competition.

Another newcomer, Breidablik of Iceland, lost 1-0 at home to Zorya Luhansk.

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AP soccer: apnews.com/hub/soccer