I'm surprised you weren't asked to retake language in sixth form, because language is the important one. Literature doesn't matter at all (unless you're taking it as an A Level).
When universities say you need English and Maths, it's language that they mean. They couldn't give a stuff about GCSE English literature.
Lit is definitely not an equivalent to language. By equivalent they mean something like IGCSE instead of GCSE.
If your uni hasn't specifically asked for it though, I highly doubt they'll bring it up.