PSG vs Liverpool LIVE: Champions League result and reaction as Harvey Elliott snatches late winner
PSG 0-1 Liverpool: Elliott scores late on to give Liverpool a vital first-leg victory
Liverpool beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, with Alisson producing a man-of-the-match performance in Paris.
The visitors were under pressure early on as PSG started the brighter of the two, and the hosts thought they were ahead on 21 minutes as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia curled in, only for VAR to disallow it for offside.
But PSG came again in a frantic first half, with Joao Neves and Kvaratskhelia going close while Ibrahima Konate was arguably fortunate to avoid a red card for bringing down Bradley Barcola when the youngster was 1-v-1.
The second half started in much the same way as the hosts piled on the pressure, but Liverpool – and particularly Alisson – were equal to it as they defied wave after wave of PSG attacks.
And their resilience paid off in the end as Harvey Elliott – brought on just 47 seconds earlier – curled in from Darwin Nunez’s pass to give the Reds a huge advantage to take to Anfield.
Follow all the Champions League action with our live blog below:
Match facts
This will be just the third UEFA Champions League meeting between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, with the two sides previously squaring off in the 2018-19 group stage, with the Reds winning 3-2 at home and losing 1-2 away.
The rise of Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s No 10 reviving Hungary’s famous football legacy
Hungary is hardly short of football royalty, but you have to go back generations to a time when the Mighty Magyars boasted some of the most regal talent in global football.
Little wonder then, that Dominik Szoboszlai’s performances in the Liverpool midfield have been a source of enormous national pride in Budapest and beyond this season.
Hungary’s football-crazy public suddenly have a modern role model that young footballers are falling over themselves to emulate, a fact that MTK Budapest's academy chief, Zsolt Szekely, witnesses first hand every time he goes onto the training pitch at one of the country's most famous football institutions.
The rise of Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s No 10 reviving a famous football legacy
Match facts
These two sides will face each other in the knockout stages of a major European competition for the first time since meeting in the semi-final of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996-97, with the Parisians progressing to the final following a 3-2 aggregate victory.
The Champions League returns and its flaws leave an unintended benefit
There are a lot of elite footballers who still have the Champions League theme as their ringtone, and some will be actively playing it on the way to stadiums. Familiarity hasn’t dulled excitement. It’s fair to say that isn’t really from the relative laboriousness of the group stage, but rather the exquisite energy of the knockouts.
This week is where football history starts to be made, partly because of how visions of glory can be instantly consigned to the past. It is tension and tantalising opportunity all at once. Through that, there’s a distinctive thought, one even more striking than the sense many players will feel this week of stepping out into great stadiums. A good chunk of this season’s stars were children when watching Barcelona’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, the kind of game that made them first realise the unique magic of these nights.
That was obviously the case for Camp Nou’s current talents like Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Gavi but also stars like Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Ryan Gravenberch and arguably even William Saliba and Bukayo Saka. Such grandeur and mystique is what Uefa and all of football’s major stakeholders at least think they are striving for.
The Champions League returns and its flaws leave an unintended benefit
Is PSG vs Liverpool on TV?
When is PSG vs Liverpool?
The match is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 4 March at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France.
How can I watch the match?
In the UK, the match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm. Subscribers can also watch online and via the discovery+ app.
Prediction
PSG are in a good run of form and will bring some confidence into the match after their 10-0 aggregate win over Brest. Liverpool are a different opponent though and although Arne Slot’s side may not be hitting the same levels they did at the beginning of the year they are still formidable and know how to win.
PSG 1-2 Liverpool.
Predicted line-ups
PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Vitinha, Ruiz, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota.
Team news
PSG have a fully fit squad with no reported injury concerns. Warren Zaire-Emery has recently returned from an ankle injury and could replace Desire Doue in midfied, but Vitinha is more likely to start.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia may return to the side with the in-form Ousmane Dembele returning to the central striker position and the dangerous Bradley Barcola taking up the other flank.
Team news
Cody Gakpo is a major doubt for Liverpool after picking up a knock on Tuesday, although the forward has travelled to Paris as part of the squad.
Arne Slot may use Diogo Jota or Darwin Nunez, or prefer to use Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai as ‘false-nines’ as he did against Manchester City. Liverpool can pick their strongest defence and midfield, but Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are out.
PSG vs Liverpool LIVE
Liverpool’s quest for Champions League glory continues this evening as they travel to the French capital to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 clash.
Arne Slot’s men, who finished top of the table in the new league phase, went straight through to this stage of the competition and were rewarded with a fixture against a resurgent and fine-tund PSG. Liverpool won seven of their eight league phase games and with a firm grip on the Premier League trophy (they are 13 points clear at the top) they can focus their efforts on progessing in Europe.
PSG, meanwhile, came through the play-off round. A 3-0 win in their first leg against Brest did the damage in the tie but the compounded that with a 7-0 spanking at the Parc de Princes in the second leg.
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