Europa League round-up: Toulouse, Brighton and Slavia Praha secure famous wins

Toulouse stunned Liverpool, Brighton won away against Ajax and Slavia Praha upset the odds versus Roma on an evening full of thrills and spills on Matchday 4 in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League group stage.

UEFA.com rounds up the Thursday night action.

Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool

Toulouse stunned Group E leaders Liverpool to end the Reds' winning start to this season's tournament. Stand-in Liverpool skipper Joe Gomez headed against the bar in the fourth minute, but the hosts soon grew in stature. Aron Dønnum's deflected strike and Thijs Dallinga's smart turn and finish either side of half-time put the French side in control.

Liverpool made a number of attacking changes as the second half wore on. Cristian Cásseres turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Mohamed Salah, before home substitute Frank Magri side-footed in. Diogo Jota's weaving run and neat finish set up a frantic finale, but Toulouse held on.

Key stat: Liverpool's winless run in UEFA competition matches away to French sides has extended to five games (D2 L3).

Ajax 0-2 Brighton

Brighton secured their first away win in UEFA competition at the home of four-time European champions Ajax on a famous night for the Seagulls. Ansu Fati gave the visitors an early lead after coolly slotting the ball past Ajax goalkeeper Diant Ramaj when played in by Simon Adingra. The same two players combined for the second goal, Fati this time the provider as Adingra collected his pass and fired into the top corner.

Brian Brobbey came closest to a reply for the hosts as his volley hit both posts before being cleared, but Brighton saw out the game relatively comfortably as they claimed a second successive win against the Dutch giants.

Key stat: Brighton have now scored exactly two goals in each of their four Europa League group stage games.

Slavia Praha 2-0 Roma

Slavia Praha moved above Roma to top Group G as two second-half strikes earned a deserved win. Václav Jurečka tapped in the opener to spark wild celebrations and Lukáš Masopust drilled home a second on a night when Roma – now second in the group – took 52 minutes to register an attempt on goal through Andrea Belotti.

Key stat: Including qualifiers, Slavia have won their four Europa League home matches this season by an aggregate score of 13-0.

West Ham 1-0 Olympiacos

West Ham climbed to the Group A summit with two games to play after James Ward-Prowse's inventive dinked pass over the back line was finished sweetly by Lucas Paquetá on 73 minutes to give David Moyes’ side a hard-earned victory against Olympiacos.

The Hammers had limited chances before going ahead, with Nayef Aguerd getting up well on three occasions but failing to convert his headers. Mady Camara's far-post header struck the post late on for the visitors, but the Irons held firm for an important victory.

Key stat: Summer signing Ward-Prowse now has four assists in as many games in this season's Europa League.

Rangers 2-1 Sparta Praha

Rangers are in a strong position in Group C after hanging on to beat Sparta Praha at Ibrox. Early goals from Danilo Pereira and Todd Cantwell put them in control, but the visitors rallied after the break, pulling one back through Lukáš Haraslín.

They couldn't find muster an equaliser, however, meaning they trail the Scottish side by three points in the group.

Key stat: Rangers have now won seven and drawn one of their last eight Europa League matches at home, while Sparta are without a victory in their last six away games in the competition.

Sporting CP 2-1 Raków Czestochowa

Pedro Gonçalves struck from the penalty spot in each half as Sporting CP saw off a brave effort from ten-man Raków. The visitors had Bogdan Racoviţan dismissed after just 12 minutes when he brought down Jeremiah St. Juste in the box, allowing Pedro Gonçalves to convert from the spot for the opener.

The Sporting No8 repeated the feat shortly after the restart, and although Milan Rundić set up a nervy finish, the home side clinched the three points.

Key stat: Ten of Sporting CP's last 15 goals in the Europa League have been scored via set pieces (two free-kicks, four corners and four penalties), including each of their last five.

Best of the rest

• Real Betis remain top of Group C after a commanding win against Aris Limassol. Goals from Borja Iglesias, Aitor Ruibal, Marc Roca and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli secured back-to-back home Europa League wins for Betis for the first time.

• Marseille took charge of Group B with victory against battling AEK in Athens. Chancel Mbemba headed the visitors ahead from Jonathan Clauss' superb corner before Ismaïla Sarr tucked into an empty net in stoppage time.

• Swiss team Servette picked up the first UEFA group stage win in their history as they edged Sheriff 2-1. Late strikes from Steve Rouiller and Chris Bedia helped them come from behind to claim a memorable result.

All the Matchday 4 results

Group A: Freiburg 5-0 TSC, West Ham 1-0 Olympiacos
Group B: Ajax 0-2 Brighton, AEK Athens 0-2 Marseille
Group C: Real Betis 4-1 Aris Limassol, Rangers 2-1 Sparta Praha
Group D: Atalanta 1-0 Sturm Graz, Sporting CP 2-1 Raków Czestochowa
Group E: LASK 3-0 Union SG, Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool
Group F: Rennes 3-1 Panathinaikos, Maccabi Haifa 1-2 Villarreal
Group G: Servette 2-1 Sheriff Tiraspol, Slavia Praha 2-0 Roma
Group H: Qarabağ 0-1 Leverkusen, Häcken 1-3 Molde

All the Matchday 5 fixtures (30 November)

Group A: Freiburg vs Olympiacos (18:45), TSC vs West Ham (18:45)
Group B: AEK Athens vs Brighton (18:45), Marseille vs Ajax (21:00)
Group C: Sparta Praha vs Real Betis (18:45), Rangers vs Aris Limassol (21:00)
Group D: Atalanta vs Sporting CP (18:45), Sturm Graz vs Raków Czestochowa (18:45)
Group E: Liverpool vs LASK (21:00), Toulouse vs Union SG (21:00)
Group F: Maccabi Haifa vs Rennes (18:45), Villarreal vs Panathinaikos (21:00)
Group G: Servette vs Roma (21:00), Sheriff Tiraspol vs Slavia Praha (21:00)
Group H: Molde vs Qarabağ (21:00), Häcken vs Leverkusen (21:00)