Somehow, Liverpool has the lead in its Champions League last-16 tie against PSG. And while Harvey Elliott scored the goal that made the difference in the Parc des Princes, it is Alisson Becker that Arne Slot has to thank.
The Brazilian goalkeeper made a string of incredible saves against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and the rest of the PSG attack. But while it is only at the halfway stage in the double-header, Alisson's performance has given Liverpool a major advantage ahead of the return at Anfield.
If nothing else, the Reds will not perform as poorly as they did here on home soil. Liverpool's forward players were ineffective in Paris and failed to hold the ball up. Mohamed Salah, though, will be determined to show up next week.
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Cody Gakpo, not fit enough to be involved here, could make a big difference as well. Neither Luis Diaz nor Diogo Jota could keep possession and stem the tide but the more physically imposing wide man might have changed that.
Liverpool was already a marginal favorite to progress to the quarter-finals before a ball was kicked, but with a lead to hold onto, things have only further tipped in its direction. And yet, an emotional Vitinha is insistent about what happens next.
"Tough. Everyone saw it. Football is like that, it's hard to play a game like that, against a team like that," the PSG midfielder said live on Canal+ after Liverpool's smash-and-grab win.
"Their only shot, I don't know... It's tough, but now we're going to show what kind of team we are. It's been a long time since we lost and it's up to us to show our personality and our strength."
"We're going to go there, we're going to play a great game, we're going to score and we're going to go through," he boldly added. "I'm sure of it."
Though his comments make some sense given how the 90 minutes panned out here, Vitinha is not the first player to underestimate the Anfield factor and he won't be the last. Having the second leg of the tie at home was always going to be a big advantage for Liverpool even before Elliott's late away winner.
Liverpool will improve next week, it has only lost once at home all season, and the crowd being behind it will make a big difference. Elliott's goal means that PSG will have to go for it at some point, too, which will leave gaps in behind to exploit. The Reds didn't get a counter-attack right here, but that is unlikely to remain the same for two European matches in a row.
"In the second half they were still the better team, still had a lot of shots on target, but they were mainly from outside the box," Slot said during his post-match press conference. "But I knew before the game, and I saw again today, how much quality this team has and these individual players have.
"We were lucky in the first half that the goal [Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s disallowed effort] was fractionally offside… and in the end, we were already in the game three, four or five times. I felt like we can hurt them in transition, but we didn’t. We waited until the last moment."
If Vitinha or any of his teammates are expecting a similar game next Tuesday, they will be in for shock. Liverpool got away with one here; from this position, though, it will back itself to progress.
Their one-goal advantage may not be deserved, and the Reds still have work to do, but they are very much in pole position. Having snatched a lead, Liverpool is now perfectly placed.
