Liverpool lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in the quarterfinals, losing 4-0 on aggregate and were eliminated from the Champions League.
Arne Slott’s side were at odds after losing by two goals against Paris, but with the home crowd hoping for a turnaround, Liverpool put in a spirited performance that left the European champions unsettled until Ousmane Dembele took two late penalties.
The Reds had their chances, too. In the first half, Marquinhos denied Virgil van Dijk with a clearance from the line and Alexis Mac Allister had a controversial penalty award canceled by the referee following a VAR review. Liverpool were also close.
Slott certainly went for it, betting on starting Alexander Isak and introducing Mohamed Salah for the injured Hugo Ekitike before the break. When the Liverpool manager swapped Rio Ngmoja for Joe Gomez, the Kop was dreaming of a traditional comeback at Anfield.
But PSG’s improved accuracy made a difference on what was an awkward night. The holders will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the last four. Coach Luis Enrique’s team is on a six-game winning streak for the first time this season. A high-quality costume that measures the timing of your form.
For Liverpool, there is encouragement to give it a go, but the reality is that their trophy-less campaign is now confirmed. The focus must now shift to finishing in the top five of the Premier League this season and securing a return to the Champions League.
Liverpool’s Ekitike injury blow
PSG players also looked worried when Ekitike went down in the first half. He tried to stand up, but he grabbed what appeared to be his Achilles tendon and fell back down. The concern is that this is an injury that could end not only his season but also his World Cup hopes.
“It looks really bad, but it’s hard to say how bad,” Slott said of Ekitike’s injury in a press conference. “Tomorrow we’re going to investigate further how bad this is for him. Let’s see. But it’s clear that it doesn’t look good.”
Hugo Ekitike was injured in the first half against PSG and was carried away on a stretcher.
Should Liverpool’s penalty have stood?
There is no denying that the first penalty given to Willian Pacho for a foul on Mac Allister was lenient. But was it justified for it to be overturned by VAR when there was contact? Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate certainly didn’t think so.
“For me, this was a clear penalty,” Konate told Amazon Prime. “I was behind the referee. If I had gotten a penalty and scored, it would have been completely different.” He has a point about that. It was gaining momentum. The total should have been 2-1.
Liverpool were initially awarded a penalty for Willian Pacho’s challenge on Alexis Mac Allister
“I still think it was a penalty. There was contact on the back of his foot. He had every right to go down with that contact,” said Tim Sherwood, who was watching the game on Sky Sports.
“Liverpool were the better team tonight. If they play like that, they will qualify 100 per cent for the Champions League. This draw they lost in the first leg. Why didn’t they go over there and try?”
Luis Enrique: ‘Liverpool deserved to score’
PSG coach Luis Enrique said this at a press conference.
“Liverpool played a great game, it was really intense. Things got better in the second half and things got even tougher for us. We showed what kind of team we are and Liverpool showed what kind of team they are. It was a great quarter-final.”
“Luck is important. If we had conceded a goal early in this game it would have been tough, so we need to let things go our way.
“They had to take a lot of risks, so it meant we could start a counter-attack and end the game. It took us longer than I would have liked to do that. I wish we had done it sooner.”
“We knew they were going to cause us problems and we knew we had to suffer at times. I think Liverpool definitely deserved to score throughout the game.”
Slots that irritate you with familiar problems
Liverpool head coach Arne Slott said in a press conference:
“I have to give a lot of credit to the players for how hard they worked, and I have to give a lot of credit to the fans and how they helped us execute our game plan tonight.
“I mean, if we’re pressing high, it helps a lot when you have fans behind you to keep pushing and pushing, and they did that.”
“Unfortunately, this is one of the many examples this season where we didn’t score from the chances we had a lot. Again, we’ve underperformed so far in terms of xG and that’s something that has continued with us all season.”
“On top of that, it appears that (Ekitike) has suffered a serious injury, but we don’t know for sure yet. On top of that, there was also the intervention of VAR, which is against us and it’s not the first time this season.”
“Obviously we’re very disappointed because I think there were parts in the second half where we felt like we could have scored now and this is going to be a special night.”
Liverpool once again lack the finishing touch
Liverpool went into this season’s Champions League having scored 24 goals out of an expected total of 27.8, making them the team with the worst performance in front of goal among the eight quarter-finalists. There was a similar story that night.
Against PSG, he had 21 shots, but only five were saved. Liverpool threw their bodies forward but lacked precision. Sloppy passes, wild finishes. There was a poor decision, a hesitation when someone needed to step up and seize the moment in front of goal.
For Salah, the mind is willing but the body is currently lacking. For Florian Wirths, this was a missed opportunity to show that he has the mentality to contribute for Liverpool in big matches. Even though the season has passed, Isaac still doesn’t have enough physical strength.
The Anfield fans were simply grateful for the huge improvement in tempo their team showed. The final score did not reflect the fact that PSG faltered in the second half. But once the dust settled, a familiar failure brought them back together.
