Liverpool escaped with a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday at Parc des Princes in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. Moreover, the Reds secured the win without having Cody Gakpo, who made the trip to Paris but didn’t feature in the contest.
PSG created plenty of chances but couldn’t capitalize. The home side dominated much of the first half, outshooting Liverpool 12-1, but struggled to find a breakthrough.
The Ligue 1 side thought they had taken the lead when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia curled a shot into the top-left corner, only for VAR to rule him offside by the slimmest of margins.
Alisson Becker played a key role for Liverpool in keeping PSG off the scoreboard, making four first-half saves and adding five more after the break. Despite PSG’s relentless pressure, it was Liverpool who found the winner.
In the 87th minute, Alisson launched a long ball to Darwin Nunez, who won a duel and set up substitute Harvey Elliott. The young midfielder stayed calm and slotted his shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma, giving Liverpool the advantage heading into the second leg.
What’s the latest injury update on Gakpo?
Cody Gakpo
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At his pre-match press conference Friday morning, manager Arne Slot said Gakpo’s availability is still uncertain ahead of the Reds’ Saturday match against Southampton.
“He didn’t train yesterday yet, so let’s see if he can train with us today,” Slot told the media (h/tLiverpoolfc.com). “Again, [a] close call it will probably be. It’s not a long-term injury but he still had a bit of pain yesterday so he was not able to train. Let’s see where he is today, so I can’t give you the answer yet.”