A late goal from Harvey Elliott sucker-punched PSG after a dominant performance to secure Liverpool a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
The first big chance of the game came from the hosts and it was all thanks to Ousmane Dembele who looked on fire early on. The slick Frenchman knocked the ball past Andrew Robertson and put a quality ball into the box, but the cross was met with a scuffed shot from Joao Neves, who hit the ball into the ground and fired it over the top. There were warning signs for Liverpool early on that Robertson may be in for a long night against Dembele.
Just minutes after the warning signs began, PSG thought they had made it 1-0 through a perfectly placed left-footed shot from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but the goal was chalked off due to a razor-close offside decision. The controversial VAR decisions didn't stop there as, just minutes after, Kvaratskhelia had his goal disallowed. Ibrahima Konate, to many, was fortunate to not be red carded as he seemed to push Bradley Barcola in the back as he was in on goal, but VAR decided there was not enough to it.
Liverpool continued to be second best and on the half-hour mark, the hosts missed around three excellent chances inside the box which they probably should've taken which resulted in a big goalmouth scramble where Bradley Barcola skied a shot over from close distance. Despite coming out of the early stages of the match unscathed, the Reds at this point still didn't seem switched on and were getting played off the park by the French giants.
Despite an opening 45 minutes of sheer dominance from PSG, somehow, Liverpool managed to get to half-time with the match still level at 0-0.
The story of the second half was pretty much the same as the first half, constant PSG pressure, but they just could not find a way past Alisson, who was having a generational performance for the Reds.
Despite PSG's dominance and the French giants looking like the only team who could win the match, Liverpool took the lead in the 87th minute thanks to Harvey Elliott, who scored just 40 seconds after being brought on for Mohamed Salah. Credit has to go to Darwin Nunez for excellently bringing the ball down and laying it off for Elliott, who slotted it into the back of the net. Gianluigi Donnarumma got a good hand to it but couldn't stop it.
Elliott's goal was the last action of the match and Liverpool won the first leg 1-0.
Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Liverpool - Match Statistics
Paris Saint-Germain
70
27
10
14
0
1
Match Highlights
To follow shortly.
Paris Saint-Germain Player Ratings
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6/10
Hardly had a thing to do in terms of both saves and in possession of the ball, but arguably could've done better to keep out Elliott's goal.
RB: Achraf Hakimi - 8/10
The Moroccan was PSG's best attacking threat outside their front three. Hakimi was up and down the right flank for 90 minutes.
CB: Marquinhos - 7.5/10
Excellent at playing the ball out from the back and won most of his duels as well as defending well when he needed to.
CB: Willian Pacho - 7.5/10
Made some superb tackles and even though Liverpool didn't offer much going forward, he kept his head in the game and remained focused.
LB: Nuno Mendes - 8/10
Despite coming up against arguably the best player in the world right now, Mendes hardly gave Salah a kick. The 22-year-old was dominant in his tackling and was energetic up and down the left flank.
CM: Vitinha - 8/10
Hardly misplaced a pass and completely bossed the midfield.
CM: Joao Neves - 7.5/10
A great box-to-box performance. Neves was up and down the pitch constantly and was as valuable going forward as he was defensively and when pressing.
CM: Fabian Ruiz - 7.5/10
Created several really good chances for the forward line and was an energetic presence in several areas of the pitch.
RW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 8.5/10
Unlucky to see his excellent goal disallowed in the first half, but that didn't stop his performance. Kvaratskhelia, just like his fellow forwards looked to go forward every time he picked up the ball and he tormented the Liverpool defence whether he was right, left or central.
ST: Ousmane Dembele - 8/10
Tormented the entire Liverpool back line with his pace and skill for the whole match. As well as his relentlessness in taking players on, the Frenchman also created his fair share and put a lot of brilliant balls into the box.
LW: Bradley Barcola - 7.5/10
Physically strong when going forward, which made him difficult to defend against. Despite constantly being a threat, Barcola did miss a few really good chances.
SUB: Desire Doue - 6.5/10
Looked threatening on the ball but couldn't create anything of any note.
SUB: Warren Zaire-Emery - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Goncalo Ramos - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool against PSG
GK: Alisson Becker - 9.5/10
Singlehandedly kept his side in the match. The Brazilian made several fantastic saves throughout the match and also dealt with a lot of dangerous crosses into the box very well.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6.5/10
Recovered well after a really poor start to the match. In the second half in particular, Alexander-Arnold held his own defensively but still looked quite shaky at times.
CB: Ibrahima Konate - 6/10
Looked shaky defending at times and was arguably lucky to remain on the pitch after a VAR review in the first half.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - 7/10
Put his body on the line and made lots of great clearances and blocks to keep his side in the match.
LB: Andrew Robertson - 5/10
Tormented by PSG's front three. Whether he was coming up against Dembele, Kvaratskhelia or Barcola, Robertson more often than not came off second best and simply couldn't deal with their pace and trickery.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch - 6.5/10
Didn't have as much involvement on the ball as he typically does, but he held his own physically and battled hard in midfield.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister - 6.5/10
Just like his midfield partner, Gravenberch, Mac Allister didn't do much on the ball, but he stayed disciplined and protected his defenders well.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai - 5.5/10
Energetic and pressed well in midfield but didn't really have any creative influence on the match for his side.
RW: Mohamed Salah - 5/10
Despite his stellar form this season, Salah was very ineffective. The Egyptian hardly touched the ball, but even when he did, he was hunted down by Mendes and dispossessed.
ST: Diogo Jota - 5.5/10
Hardly touched the ball in attacking positions and never got close to scoring.
LW: Luis Diaz - 5.5/10
Struggled up against Hakimi and didn't have as much attacking input on the match as he normally does.
SUB: Darwin Nunez - 7.5/10
Did brilliantly well to bring the ball down and provide the assist for Elliott's goal.
SUB: Curtis Jones - 7/10
Changed the game for Liverpool with his energy and pressing after coming onto the pitch.
SUB: Wataru Endo - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Harvey Elliott - 8/10
Match winner. Elliott scored just 47 seconds after coming on and won the match for Liverpool.
Man of the Match
Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker in action for Liverpool against PSG
A generational performance by Alisson Becker. The Brazilian made a total of nine saves during the match and is the sole reason for Liverpool being in any position to win the first leg of this UEFA Champions League tie.
As well as making the saves, Alisson commanded his box very well and was a calming presence for his defenders while under pressure. The shot-stopper's performance could go down in history for Liverpool.