Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique admitted he felt both sides deserved to go through to the Champions League quarter-finals after seeing his team knock Liverpool out of the competition.
The Reds’ hopes of ending the season with a treble and a seventh European crown are over after they suffered heartbreak in a penalty shootout at Anfield. Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones both saw their efforts saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma as the French champion won the shootout 4-1.
Ousmane Dembele leveled the tie earlier during the first half of normal time, following Harvey Elliott’s winner in Paris last week. Despite numerous chances for Liverpool, with Mohamed Salah going close on a couple of occasions while Jarell Quansah saw a late header come back off the post, Arne Slot’s side saw their European dream come to an end for another season.
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The defeat may prove even more difficult for some Liverpool fans to swallow after seeing their side top the league phase with seven wins out of eight, including victories over the likes of Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. The Champions League’s new format, which came into effect this season, has been questioned by some supporters after the Reds were rewarded for their efforts in the opening stage by being handed a tougher tie than some of the other sides in the competition.
Nevertheless, they will now have to look toward Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, when Slot will have a first opportunity to claim some silverware as Liverpool boss, while the Premier League title looks to be a matter of time, with Arsenal now 15 points behind in the race.
Reacting to his side’s victory at Anfield, Enrique was magnanimous as he admitted he felt both sides had done enough to earn a spot in the quarter-finals.
"Both of the teams deserve to go to the next phase,” Enrique told Amazon Prime Video.
"They play better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium, showed great personality and character. We tried to play our best, but it was difficult as they're so intense. Both teams deserve to qualify.
"The character and personality, even when we shoot at the penalty shootout they showed great character. I think it shows clearly the team we are.”
Enrique added: "When the draw told us about the match against Liverpool and PSG. Both managers thought the same - one of the best matches you can watch in Europe. I think both teams were great.
"It is not about consistency, you have to be great in specific moments. We suffered a lot in Paris, but football is in that way. Unfair at times. Today we were lucky, they hit the post a few times.
"Gigi [Donnarumma] was like Alisson in the first match. We are happy and confident to go to the next phase."
