ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool has crashed out of Europe at the hands of PSG with Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones seeing their spot kicks saved after an intense two legs against the French giant.
It had already faced Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal this season, but PSG was by far the best team that Liverpool has taken on. In the end, it took penalties before the two sides could be separated in terms of goals.
Ousmane Dembele put PSG in front — and level on aggregate — in the first half but Liverpool had started brilliantly, showing a lot of aggression and pressing intensity. The visitor got better as the half went on and with the tie level at half-time, it was in the balance.
That remained the case in the second half and throughout extra time too before the tie headed to penalties. Here are the four things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
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PSG gets a proper game
It was suggested in the French media last week that PSG was "surprised" by what it believed was a lack of quality from Liverpool. Having already played both Arsenal and Bayern Munich this season, the Reds were "inferior". That was only further stoked when today's L'Equipe front page had a headline reading: "Mission: Possible".
Various PSG players were bold in their statements about the second leg too. "We're going to show what kind of team we are," midfielder Vitinha said. "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, I'm sure of it."
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi and Willian Pacho said similar after the first leg, while head coach Luis Enrique sent mixed messages about being confident one minute and then trying to play that down the next. This is an inexperienced PSG side and those kinds of comments always felt naive.
PSG did well, though, and kept Liverpool out for more than 90 minutes. On the ball, the French champion was sensational at times, though Liverpool might have done slightly more in the final third. This was much closer to the proper version of the Reds, however. As the minutes ticked down, whatever the outcome was going to be, PSG knew it had been in a real game.
It will be a big boost for the Parisians to have come out on top on such an occasion. It was always going to be a tougher ask than it thought, but it got away with it.
Arne Slot makes the right call to start with
Considering how the first leg went for Liverpool in the eyes of most people — not well, though Arne Slot was insistent that his side was not poor; it was simply that PSG was so good — it was a bold move to go with the exact same starting XI. Cody Gakpo, perhaps, was not fit enough to start; Darwin Nunez's good showing at the weekend wasn't enough to see him force his way in.
Diogo Jota was picked through the center and he did well enough for most of the game. He started like a house on fire and while he faded in terms of his pressing, he was still connecting the attack quite well. While Liverpool was the same on paper as it was at the Parc des Princes, it showed itself a lot better on this occasion.
There were times when each of its attacking stars should have made a different decision or could have been decisive in the final third. It took less than 10 minutes, though, for its total of just two shots against PSG in Paris to be beaten. It is hard to ague against Slot having made the right call. Nothing from those who came off the bench truly suggested they should have started.
Alexis Mac Allister excellent, but then missed
Harvey Elliott, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk were all at risk of missing the first leg of the quarter-finals with a booking. With a referee who was far from giving much to the host, and a game that was incredibly intense, they were always walking a tightrope.
When PSG broke late in the game, Mac Allister had no other option than to bring down Dembele. Getting a caution, he took one for the team, knowing that he would miss the first leg of any upcoming semi-final.
It was almost certainly for that reason that he was taken off and replaced by Curtis Jones for extra time. When the margins are so fine, you don't take a chance, though Mac Allister might have been a better bet in the shootout. There is an argument not having the 26-year-old for the final kicks was a big miss.
Champions League pathway set up
Luis Enrique said whoever won this tie would win the whole thing. Was he serious? Was he right? He might have been exaggerating a little, but the intensity and quality in the game was clear. Aside from Real Madrid, either of these two teams could consider themselves a leading contender, and for good reason. Instead, Liverpool is out without the chance to further its ambitions.
It is almost a shame that this tie came so early in the competition. Such was the level of intensity (and often quality) from both teams, it would have been a worthy final — though the only reason it came this early was PSG's poor group phase showing. Neither side is perfect but it doesn't feel like this will be the last clash between them in the next few years.
For now, Aston Villa — currently 3-1 ahead in its tie with Club Brugge and playing at home tomorrow — almost certainly awaits in the quarter-finals for PSG. That will be a big occasion in its own right but it is unlikely to match the two legs in the last-16 for speed of play.
