Arne Slot has made a habit of creating landmarks during his first year in the Anfield hotseat. This, though, was one piece of Liverpool history he would have rather avoided.
The disappointing penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening not only ended hopes of Champions League progress at the round of 16 stage. It was also the first time the Reds, after 39 previous successful occasions, had failed to progress in Europe having won the first leg away from home.
Over the two games, the margin between the two teams was wafer-thin. If Liverpool had enjoyed good fortune in earning a 1-0 win in France last week, this time luck was on the side of PSG, not least during a second half in which the Reds produced arguably one of their best 45 minutes of the season but were denied either by the woodwork or some unorthodox goalkeeping from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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Come the extra period, however, the relentless schedule Liverpool have had to negotiate since the turn of the year finally caught up with Slot’s side. With Trent Alexander-Arnold already off injured, Ibrahima Konate pulled up lame while Cody Gakpo was clearly miles off full fitness when thrust into action for the final 20 minutes. PSG dominated and the home team were hanging on.
The penalties never looked like favouring Liverpool from the moment the toss was lost, PSG going first and kicking towards their fans. That they didn’t even need to take their fifth penalty after Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones saw efforts saved by unlikely hero Donnarumma spoke volumes.
PSG also became the first away team to win a game after opting to kick towards the Kop since Real Madrid in the Champions League more than a decade ago.
Yes, this defeat will hurt Liverpool but it cannot be allowed to linger. Not with a Wembley date in the League Cup final against Newcastle United upcoming on Sunday. Picking up his exhausted and disappointed players will be the next challenge for Slot.
But the reality is nobody expected Liverpool to be anywhere near this level during the Dutchman's first season in charge. Indeed, that they are able to go toe-to-toe over 210-plus minutes with Europe’s most in-form team is huge progress on the poor Europa League exit to Atalanta almost 12 months previous.
And the season’s priority remains unchanged. After all, there’s a Premier League title still to be won.
