Parc des Princes did not witness the rout that even Liverpool might have privately feared but the gulf in quality between Paris Saint-Germain and Arne Slot’s side was laid bare throughout the Champions League quarter-final. Liverpool leave Paris with hope, having arrived with none, but will require a dramatic recovery just to lay a glove on the European champions at Anfield next Tuesday.
A fortunate, deflected strike from Désiré Doué and a superb second from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave the holders a deserved first leg advantage and it could so easily have been more. Ousmane Dembélé missed a hat-trick of openings, his final effort striking the outside of a post, while Nuno Mendes and Doué were also guilty of failing to punish vulnerable opponents.
There was no collapse from Liverpool in the manner of Saturday’s FA Cup exit at Manchester City and a resolve that was painfully absent from recent matches, but they were a distant second best throughout.
Slot had to try something different following the collapse at the Etihad and a damaging sequence of one win in five games. Something different turned out to be deploying a three-man central defence for the first time in his Liverpool reign, what a place to try it, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez operating as wing-backs. Mohamed Salah was dropped to the bench as Slot sought to condense the centre of the pitch and prevent Vitinha from dictating proceedings. That was the theory, at least. The reality proved different, and in line with pre-match expectations.
Liverpool and the ball were strangers for the opening five minutes as PSG dominated possession – 74.5% overall in the first half – and picked holes in the visitors’ midfield. Further ominous signs included Achraf Hakimi, the PSG right-back, popping up unmarked on the opposite side of the pitch, dragging Virgil van Dijk out of position, and Liverpool being carved open by a throw-in taken deep inside the home half.
The warnings were clear before Liverpool conceded the early goal they were so desperate to avoid. PSG prospered repeatedly down their left with Frimpong and Ibrahima Konaté unable to contain the movement and incisive touches of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doué and Nuno Mendes. Doué started and finished the move that produced the opener, turning Konaté easily on the half-way line and regaining possession on the left from Ousmane Dembélé. The forward’s shot from the corner of the penalty area took a wicked deflection off Ryan Gravenberch and looped over Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Liverpool goalkeeper was stationed close to his line but could do nothing to prevent the deflection sailing in.
It was the worst possible start for a Liverpool team that went down without a fight at City on Saturday and had lost 14 of the previous 18 games in which they have conceded first.
Yet they managed to make it to half-time without suffering further damage. For that the visitors had Mamardashvili to thank. Liverpool were indebted to a heroic display from Alisson in their last-16 first leg victory here last season and, while not at the same level of the Brazilian’s display, his deputy made a vital contribution. The Georgia international produced a fine save to tip away a Kvaratskhelia shot that was heading towards the bottom corner via a deflection off Alexis Mac Allister. He also denied Doué from close range inside the area after PSG broke through Liverpool’s right flank once again. A tame effort from Dembélé at the end of another penetrating PSG counterattack, rolled straight at the keeper, was reminiscent of his costly miss for Barcelona against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semi-final.
Liverpool did not have an attempt on goal in the first half – Frimpong was offside when lashing wide from a delightful Florian Wirtz flick – and PSG were too casual for their own good at times, but Slot’s side settled into the contest as well as their new-look defensive formation. Joe Gomez taking an age over his long throw-ins also managed to disrupt the hosts’s dangerous rhythm, much to Luis Enrique’s annoyance.
Dembele should have doubled PSG’s lead early in the second half when Kvaratskhelia and Mendes again combined down the left. The Ballon d’Or holder had a free shot from the full-back’s pull-back and blazed over from 12 yards, his second poor finish of the night.
But there would be no reprieve for Liverpool. The misses and the long wait for a second goal did not disturb PSG’s composure and they extended their advantage in superb style through Kvaratskhelia. Joao Neves threaded a superb return pass into the area between Gravenberch and Konaté for the Georgian winger to hold off the Liverpool midfielder, round his international teammate Mamardashvili and convert into an unguarded net in one flowing movement.
It threatened to get worse for Slot when PSG were awarded a penalty for a Konate challenge on Warren Zaïre-Emery as the midfielder shaped to shoot in front of goal. Spanish referee José-Maria Sánchez was advised to check the pitch-side monitor where replays showed Konaté getting a slight touch on Zaïre-Emery, not enough for a penalty, before winning the ball. Liverpool players punched the air when the referee overturned his decision. It was all they had to celebrate.
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