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Liverpool secured a late 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, March 5. The return leg will take place at Anfield next week on Tuesday, March 11.
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Liverpool overcame their rivals PSG after a hard-fought 90 minutes of entertaining and end-to-end football. The Reds, known for their imposing and dominant style of play, were subject to a taste of their own medicine for most of today's contest. The Parisians, buoyed by their home support, dominated possession and created several chances to score from.
However, as is the case in big games, Liverpool custodian Alisson stood tall and made his presence felt. He made some lovely saves throughout the contest to keep the Reds in it to give them a late chance to grab the win. PSG, on the other hand, will be left to rue their missed chances and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's disallowed goal in the first half.
Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola looked decent on the ball but seemed to lack accuracy in front of goal in this match. Despite most of their players playing at a respectable level, the fact that PSG could not even score will weigh heavy on their mind. But such is football, where teams can win without showing any signs over most part of the 90 minutes.
However, the Reds will now carry a slender but crucial one-goal cushion into the second leg at home. PSG are very much in the tie still but will need to be at their sharpest to overturn their deficit away from home.
With that said, here are the five major talking points from the first leg.
#5. Mohamed Salah has a rare off-night for Liverpool
Known as the spearhead of the team, the Egyptian forward had a rather quiet night under the lights in Paris. Salah had 41 touches of the ball but mostly received the ball closer to the halfway line than the opponent's box. This was a testament to the way PSG were dominating and pressing the Reds in their own half.
Apart from that, Salah also struggled to find a way past opponents, which is something he usually does with relative ease. His lack of sharpness will not be a cause of concern for Arne Slot, though, as even the best can have one or two bad games over the course of an entire season.
#4. Dembele & co. out of options for PSG in the final third
As shown from the statistics collated at the end of the match, PSG attempted a jaw-dropping 27 shots, with 10 of those on target. On any given night, a team of their caliber would score at least one goal, if not more, from that kind of shots tally. However, they failed to do so against Liverpool.
Ousmane Dembele attempted eight shots alone - the most by any PSG player. Only two of his eight attempts were on target, with two off-target and four shots being blocked by a solid Reds defence. Kvaratskhelia had five attempts with four on target, while Barcola attempted three shots to no avail as well.
#3. Luck continues to favour Arne Slot and his men
Liverpool have had some of the best luck teams chasing silverware usually need to bail them out of tough spots. However, the sheer numbers of times that has happened with Slot's men this season is unfathomable. Right from things going their way in the Premier League, to now in the Champions League, it seems the Reds can do no wrong in the 2024-25 campaign.
Despite coming up against one of the most in-form attack-minded sides in Europe, the Reds did not even concede away from home. They faced 27 shots and came away with a clean sheet, which is remarkable. With the way things are going, they could very well end the season with major silverware, with one hand already on the league title.
#2. Luis Enrique's men still very much in the tie despite first leg deficit
Despite falling to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, PSG will take heart from their determined performance throughout the 90 minutes. They barely gave Liverpool chances to assert themselves on the proceedings and used home advantage well. However, as most teams do, the Parisians had an off-night and will look to bounce back in their next match.
#1. Alisson puts in Man of the Match performance
Liverpool's Brazilian custodian Alisson has earned a name for himself for being one of the most clutch goalkeepers in world football. The Brazilian showed everyone why he is credited with that reputation with another stunning performance for his team between the sticks.
He made five good saves in the first half to deny PSG an early advantage, although the disallowed goal helped his cause too. He made four more saves in the second half to earn a very well-deserved clean sheet.
