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.
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Slot reacts
Slot says that he doesn’t “think I've worked with a goalkeeper that has played at this level” before, adding that Alisson is “the best in the world”.
“He showed that today,” adds the Dutchman.
“To go away with a win over here, that’s a bit more than we deserved,” he says.
When asked about his subs constantly impacting games, he says: “Darwin was in a difficult place but he showed again how important he can be.
“Harvey I said to him after the game, ‘I assume you’re quite frustrated with me because you hardly play and you only get five minutes tonight’.
“They want to be there for the team if needed, and they showed up today,” he adds.
Arne Slot’s tactical masterstroke proved decisive against PSG – but not how you think
Écraser et attraper, as those at the Parc des Princes might say. What else can you say, after a victory that defied a lot of logic - but not all logic? Liverpool got away with one, and they have to now think this stunning 1-0 away to Paris Saint-Germain gets them halfway into the quarter-final. A young Paris Saint-Germain will now only feel regret, after what must have been one of the great unfulfilled Champions League performances. It should have been one of the great performances, full-stop. That might instead be said of Alisson Becker, who did so much more than set the stage for impact substitute Harvey Elliott’s 87th-minute winner, or keep Liverpool in the game.
He kept them from getting hammered. If Liverpool were hugely unfortunate to have to face Paris Saint-Germain having finished first in the group stage, there was instant karma. They were just as fortunate not to be out of the tie by the half-hour mark.
Arne Slot’s tactical masterstroke proved decisive against PSG – but not how you think
Elliott reacts
Speaking alongside Alisson, Harvey Elliott says “ull credit to the team to be honest”.
“They [PSG] became a little tired towards the end, and that was due to the team’s work-rate.
“Thanks to this man [Alisson] and the defence [we won]. It was down to me to put the opportunity away, and thankfully it went in.”
On Alisson, he adds: “I’ve got no words to be honest. The best in the world. Each and every game he shows it.
“Without him, I don’t know where we’d be. But it was a great team performance.”
Alisson reacts
Liverpool ‘keeper Alisson says the game “was probably the performance of my life”.
“The manager was telling us how hard it would be to play against PSG, how good they are with the ball and that we would have to be ready to suffer. We knew what was coming.
"We worked hard. We gave away so many chances, sometimes one v one but the biggest part of the chase is having someone make the player with the chance think a bit more.
"All the efforts the team put in makes my job easier. Then at the end Harvey [Elliott] coming in and scoring the goal, it is a great story for us. A great night,” he adds.
FULL-TIME! PSG 0-1 Liverpool
Steve McManaman summing up how Liverpool fans feel right now...
Alisson as man of the match
A word on Alisson’s performance, with the Brazilian making nine saves tonight.
It was his long ball that began the chance that led to the goal, too.
Champions League results
Here’s a brief look at the other results from tonight in the competition:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Feyenoord 0-2 Inter Milan
Benfica 0-1 Barcelona
FULL-TIME! PSG 0-1 Liverpool
Well, what a result for Liverpool.
In the first half the performance was poor in truth, but they rode it out and the second-half display was far better.
The stats show that PSG had the chances but in truth Liverpool limited them to efforts from distance and plenty of crosses in the second half, and they pounced when it matters.
It looks like PSG will have at least another year of questions surrounding their pedigree in Europe.
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