Liverpool pay penalty as PSG progress via shootout

Last 16 2nd Leg

Liverpool 0-1 Paris Saint Germain (Agg. 1-1 PSG win 4-1 on penalties)

Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League last 16 at Anfield last night thanks to penalty shoot-out misses by Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones.

More accurately, the pair were denied by saves by PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma – Italy’s hero in their shootout win over England at the 2020 Euros – although neither kick was impressive.

Instead, PSG made all four of their attempts, Desire Doue wrapping up the 4-1 win with the final kick of a win that means Liverpool’s dream of winning the biggest prize in Europe is over for another year.

The drama came after the teams were all square over the two legs, and a half-hour of extra-time last night, with PSG winning the game on the evening thanks to an early goal.

It had been apparent quickly and early that the night would be decided on PSG’s ability to break Liverpool’s aggressive high press and play the ball out of their own half.

And on 12 minutes, Anfield received its answer as to whether they could do precisely that, when Ousmane Dembele shot PSG into a lead on the evening and levelled up the scores on aggregate.

PSG broke upfield, Dembele sweeping the ball wide to Bradley Barcola on the right wing and his cross into the area was intercepted by Ibrahima Konate, sliding in with his goalkeeper Alisson and succeeding only in tapping the ball towards goal where Dembele completed the job.

The move had been started by left-back Nuno Mendes, deep in his own half, as PSG broke that press and quickly realised Liverpool had left too many spaces in too many crucial areas.

It was an error very untypical of most things done by the Reds this season and that one momentary lapse instantly threatened to undo the heroics in the French capital last week.

The night-time robbery nature of the first leg win in Paris last week had left the return in a state of uncertainty from a Liverpool perspective, home supporters fully aware of the lesson they were handed by the French in their first meeting.

Only the mastery of goalkeeper Alisson, and Harvey Elliott’s late winner with his first touch off the bench, allowed the Reds to pull off the least deserved win of Slot’s stunning first season to date.

It was a result that also added the weight of history to the pressure on Liverpool to reach the last eight and a possible all-English meeting with Aston Villa if, as expected, Unai Emery’s team holds on to its 3-1 first leg advantage against Club Brugge.

In their illustrious European history, Liverpool have held a first leg lead after an away win 39 times, and 39 times they have gone on to win the tie.

If any team looked capable of ending that impressive streak it was PSG who outplayed Liverpool last week, and completely outclassed Manchester City in an earlier group game.

So it was no surprise that Liverpool, spurred on by their crowd, felt compelled to start the game with such energy and, equally, no surprise that there were chances at both ends.

Mo Salah, a virtual spectator in the first meeting, had at least two glorious chances to beat PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the first period, the first after only four minutes.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister combined brilliantly to set up the Egyptian number nine who looked certain to beat the visiting keeper, only for Mendes to get an important touch that helped steer the effort behind.

And just two minutes later, Salah skipped away from Mendes for once and looked to have an excellent scoring opportunity but blasted wide. There were other openings for the hosts but, happy to operate with their lighting-fast break, PSG should have had the tie wrapped up by the interval.

On 17 minutes, a mistake by Trent Alexander-Arnold gifted the ball to Paris and Barcola broke through, on a four-on-three overload, only to be denied by Alisson’s brilliantly-timed dive at his feet.

Mac Allister was next to give the ball away, the Liverpool midfielder’s blushes only spared when a terrible first touch by Dembele saw the ball run away from him and allowed Alisson to recover.

A brilliant shot by the equally brilliant Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took a wild deflection off Ryan Gravenberch, who might have saved a goal in the process, and the irrepressible Dembele ended the half with a shot that bounced just wide of the far post, via a deflection.

The tie was finely poised with Liverpool, as they had in the first half, on the front foot early in the second, with Alexander-Arnold striking a terrific shot at Donnarumma, then hitting the post with a follow-up before Szoboszlai had the ball in the net but his effort ruled out for offside.

Liverpool, for the first time over the two games, looked well in control; with Alexander-Arnold shooting over from range, Willian Pancho blocking a goalbound Szoboszlai hit and Donnarumma make a reflex save to keep out a Luis Diaz header.

With an eye on Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle, there was a concern for Slot as Alexander-Arnold was forced off after twisting his ankle badly, although his replacement Jarell Quansah headed just wide from a half-chance.

Quansah also headed an Andy Robertson free-kick against the post as Liverpool looked to capitalise on a much-improved second half showing.

Over and back it went but the scoring action had finished. That was until we moved to spot kicks. Donnarumma channelled his Wembley heroics and saved from Nunez, who took the second Liverpool attempt, and Jones, who followed. That second stop gave substitute Desire Doue the opportunity to finally decide matters. He made no mistake.

Tonight’s other Champions League results:

• FC Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (Agg. 4-1)
• Bayer Leverkusen 0-2 Bayern Munich (Agg. 0-5)
• Internazionale 2-1 Feyenoord (Agg. 4-1)