Unfortunately, [Liverpool](https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/)’s [Champions League](https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league) journey is over for this season. Paris Saint-Germain arrived to Anfield with a chip on their shoulder after losing the first leg, and were sure to make the Reds feel it. Liverpool were playing on the knife’s edge already, with five players on yellow cards and the one goal separating the home and away matches. Liverpool were the better team during this second leg, but PSG made the most of their time and scored early to tie up the aggregate and it was the Reds that found it hard to hit the back of the net. The tied aggregate score meant we went to extra time and then penalties, and it all came undone with Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones had their attempts saved, and PSG go through.
Giving Credit to the Opponent
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You do have to give credit to PSG - once they’ve lost their attention sucking superstars, they’ve come together as a real squad to make things hell for Liverpool. They’re truly one of the best teams left in the Champions League and we were just unable to fully crack them enough to move forward. They shook the squad up enough last week in the first leg to make us look probably the worst we’ve looked all season, and while Anfield was there to provide what they could, it all ultimately fell short. The rigors of the season are definitely taking their toll, and Luis Enrique’s side took advantage.
The front three of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz weren’t at their best for whatever reason, and while the defensive prowess of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate did their best, PSG scored early and took the wind out of our sails and it was all uphill from there.
How The Managers Reacted
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**Arne Slot:** “I am feeling disappointed about being knocked out. I do feel in the end of the season, it does matter how we presented ourselves in Europe. I just said, we were not in the Champions League last season and this season we really showed ourselves. We can be proud of what we did. We won seven games in a row and then we played with our substitutes and lost against PSV. I think we played last week not our best game but today we saw a completely different Liverpool. We go out in a way that I think has impressed Europe.
“It is something now to take into consideration about how much worth it is to end up first in the league table if you can face Paris Saint-Germain in the next round. It is what it is.”
**Luis Enrique:** “Both of the teams deserved to go to the next phase, they play better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium, showed great personality and character.
“We tried to play our best, but it was difficult as they’re so intense. Both teams deserved to qualify. The character and personality, even when we shoot at the penalty shootout they showed great character. I think it shows clearly the team we are.”
How the Players Reacted
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**Virgil Van Dijk:** “It’s part of football. I said to the guys, ‘Obviously you can be disappointed because we are out of the competition but it’s chin up and get ready for the next challenge.’ It’s a beautiful one on the weekend so we go again.”
**Andy Robertson:** “That’s the competition. Obviously we got the win last week without playing our best. I think we played so much better today. That’s football, you end up being on the wrong end of the result. But you can’t question the effort, the endeavour, everything that we put into the game. It was just two really good teams going at it and when it goes to penalties, it’s always a lottery and unfortunately for us we’re on the wrong side of it. I can’t be prouder of the players, how much effort we put in, and it’s just unfortunate that the efforts weren’t rewarded.”
What Happens Next
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Well. We’re out of the Champions League, which to be honest is gutting but knowing that we’ve got the Premier League all but secured is slightly less bad than it could’ve been. Our schedule is freed up and with another trophy out of sight, we can focus on winning the remaining league matches and the League Cup final. We can still do the domestic double which you know what, sounds pretty good to me.