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It was one of the most exciting and entertaining fixtures of 2018 as PSG absolutely dismantled Liverpool, never giving them a look in, and the scoreline is flatteringly deceiving for the Anfield giants, who only mustered 1 shot on target the entire night (the penalty).
This result means that Paris go through to the round of 16, and Liverpool and Napoli have to fight it out on matchday 6 to decide who goes ahead and who goes to Europa.
The Parisians flew out the barracks and took the game to Liverpool from the first whistle, and would soon find their breakthrough in the 13th minute from the unlikeliest of sources in Juan Bernat, who scored after Allison made a good save to keep a dangerous Mbappe cross out.
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The home side, buoyed by the raucous capacity crowd in the Parc des Princes, kept the grip on Liverpool tight, exposing Lovren and Joe Gomez almost at will. They soon found another breakthrough at the 37th minute as Mbappe skinned Gomez and Lovren before passing it to Cavani, whose tap-in was saved but the rebound fell kindly for Neymar, who didn't hesitate before scoring into an empty net.
Liverpool valiantly tried to fight back and started to get a hold of the game after conceding a second as PSG looked to conserve energy for the second half, letting the visitors have the lion's share of the ball. Thiago Silva and his defence partners were in the form of their life tonight as they stood between their goal and Liverpool's attack like a brick wall throughout the night.
Sadio Mane was carelessly tripped by Angel Di Maria at the edge of the penalty area, and after the referee awarded the corner, in the most surprising turn of events, the referee behind the goal did what they're there to do and corrected the decision. James Milner calmly dispatched the spot-kick past the helpless Gianluigi Buffon, giving the visitors some hope for the second half.
The second half remained tight, as both sides looked to cause further damage, and PSG came close to adding more than the visitors did, and despite a few nervy moments, the French Champs were able to see out a cracking victory over the outclassed Liverpool side. Here are the 3 Reasons Why Paris demolished Liverpool
#1 Tuchel's brilliant gameplan
Thomas Tuchel finally got one over his German counterpart, as his side tore apart Jurgen Klopp's much-improved defence, whilst also nullifying the great danger they pose on the attack by playing a 3-4-3 formation for the majority of the game.
This formation meant that Thiago Silva had Marquinhos and Kimpembe playing either side of him, with Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat played as wingbacks to keep Mane and Salah quiet on the flanks. This defensive manoeuvre worked like a charm, as these 5 men put in herculean shifts on the night, keeping the extremely lethal Liverpool attack quiet, whilst also getting forward and helping in the attack at moments.
This gameplan was also aided by Klopp and his selections on the night, as he started with Joe Gomez as his right back, dropping Trent Alexander Arnold for Dejan Lovren, who was nervous and looked super uncomfortable against the likes of Neymar and Mbappe. The additional freedom granted by this decision from Klopp to Bernat is exactly what enabled him to get into position to score the opener.
#2 Neymar playing the game of his life
In the first half, Neymar was all over the pitch. He was up in the opponent's box trying to feed his teammates or score himself one minute, then scrapping with James Milner near Gigi Buffon's box (and winning BTW). For those who might have forgotten or written him off as one of the World's best player were made to sit up and take notice by the mercurial Brazilian, who was the key reason alongside Thiago Silva, that Liverpool achieved the result they did.
In scoring tonight, Neymar also became the highest scoring Brazilian in the Champions League, and his performance was the best I've seen of him ever, as he was everywhere on the night, not just focusing on his needs, but the teams' needs as well. If the Brazilian were still playing in a league that was competitive, he'd be taken more seriously than he is now, but if he ever wins the CL with PSG, his name will be etched in club folklore forever.
#3 Thiago Silva rolling back the years
An absolute behemoth at the back for the majority of his career, last season the big Brazilian started showing signs of decline in the last couple of years, but tonight, when his team needed the most, the man with the armband got up and did the business, Keeping one of the most vibrant attacks in the World at bay for the 90 minutes.
He might be 34, he might have lost a yard of pace, but class is permanent and tonight it showed, as Thiago Silva put in the kind of performance that he used to for Milan that prompted his move to France in the first place.
Thiago Silva absolutely pocketed the opposition forwards, and he kept carrying on to the final whistle, despite being on the receiving end of a lot of bad challenges on him.
He didn't let anyone run past him with his exceptional positioning meant he was never caught out by long balls or passes over his head. This performance could set the tone for the rest of the campaign, and this Champions League is gonna be one of the most hotly contested one it has been in years.
