Liverpool 0-2 PSG (0-4 aggregate): Ousmane Dembele’s second-half goal sucked the life out of Anfield and ensured PSG’s place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Alexander Isak struggled in his return to Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
For the last 20 minutes of the game, Arne Slott just stood there with his hands in his pockets, a sign of rain-soaked disappointment.
And the cloud over his managerial position became very dark. For a while there was a silver lining to this miserable Anfield night, but it wasn’t really that great.
And the slot will once again be a key focus in his team selection and tactics. They could never match the cunning of Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain.
When Mohamed Salah hinted that there would be several stages to his parting ways with Liverpool, he could not have imagined that sitting on the bench for a monumental Champions League challenge would be one of them.
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Let me tell you, if he had started the match, he probably would have had a hard time keeping up with the breakneck pace of the contest. To say it was a frenzy would be an understatement.
This is a PSG team with imagination, technique and speed in every department.
And while it really should have been decided and dusted off within a quarter of this second leg, Ousmane Demeburu wasted so much money in the first leg that he contrived to make what should have been a formality the centerpiece of the cup.
For about half an hour, it was the crowd who put on one of the most capable performances at Anfield. It was only silenced when poor Hugo Ekitike took an awkward fall, with disastrous consequences, and the French striker had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.
I hope his injuries aren’t as bad as they seem.
His cruel misfortune brought Salah into contention and the impact was immediate, with a lovely cross causing serious confusion for the Paris defense, but Virgil van Dijk was only thwarted by a fine tackle from Marquinhos.
Salah’s presence seemed to cause some anxiety in a previously rock-solid PSG side, but Luis Enrique’s side still had a few half-chances to sort things out before half-time.
Their failure to do so was one of the reasons why Liverpool started the second half with so much hope. Another reason is that this was PSG’s least fluent team.
And a halftime change in the slot made a difference. To be fair, there was little choice but to drop Alexander Isaac, who looked a long way from making his first start of the year, and Jeremy Frimpong, who had no foot movement.
Their replacements, Codi Gakpo and Joe Gomez, both produced threatening moments early in the second half when Liverpool enjoyed a reasonable level of dominance.
Ousmane Dembele celebrates his goal at Anfield (Image: Getty Images)
As the spell began to wear off, Liverpool appeared to get a much-needed lifeline when Maurizio Mariani adjudged Willian Paccio to have fouled Alexis Mac Allister inside the penalty area, but VAR intervened and the Italian referee was sent to the monitor, who reversed his original decision.
It was an unusual call, as replays showed Pacho had made some contact with Mac Allister’s ankle, even though the Argentine had exaggerated the impact of the contact.
For a moment, Liverpool looked dejected, but Slott quickly brought on Rio Ngmoha and the teenager re-energized the stadium with some great runs and strikes, which were saved low by Matvei Safonov.
But all hopes disappeared when Dembele finally achieved the world-class finish he was capable of – and that was it. He then added a second goal in stoppage time as Liverpool pushed forward.
Here are Liverpool’s ratings at Anfield:
Ekitike appears to have injured his Achilles tendon (Image: Getty Images)
Giorgi Mamadashvili
There were some unconventional plays at times, but we had to make some decent saves early on to keep the score tied. 6
Jeremy Frimpong
We were lucky to hold on for that long after we got carried away at half-time and had our worst performance of the season. 4
Ibrahima Konate
It’s a little easier than that night in Paris, but it’s still far from perfect. 5
virgil van dijk
He was only thwarted by a great tackle from Marquinhos, who organized the defense with his usual command. 6
Milos Kerkes
They certainly gave it their all and even if they wasted possession at times, you can’t fault their efforts. 8-MOTM
ryan graven birch
Like many Liverpool players, he integrated into the game and had a strong influence in the second half. 7
alexis mac allister
The pace of the game early on was a little too fast for him and the booking in the first half was as expected. 5
Alexis Mac Allister thought he had won a penalty for Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai
He’s not as creative or dangerous as he would like, but he’s going into a seriously combative shift. 6
Florian Wirtz
He had his moments and produced some nice touches as usual, but wasn’t threatening enough. 6
Hugo Ekitike
Nothing happened for the Frenchman until he suffered a serious injury. I hope it’s not that bad. 5
alexander isak
Giving him his first start since December was a strange decision that never seemed to pay off. Sub in at intervals. 4
substitute
Mohamed Salah (Ekitike)
He made an immediate impact and showed he was disappointed not to be a starter. 7
Joe Gomez (Frimpong)
It was quite a shock, but it only lasted about 20 minutes and I had to give way to Rio Ngumoja. 5
Kodi Gakpo (Isak)
We had some very decent shots on goal, so it would have been frustrating if we didn’t get the start. 7
Rio Ngumoja (Gomez)
Already his trademark run-and-shoot put the Kop ahead, but Dembele’s goal followed soon after. 7
Curtis Jones (for Mac Allister)
I struggled to get into the match as I didn’t have enough time to make a real impact and the match ended prematurely. 5
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