Liverpool suffered their first real setback of the Arne Slot era after being beaten by PSG in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions were simply too good for the Reds over two legs as PSG eliminated Liverpool from Europe’s premier club competition on penalties to book their place in the quarter-finals.
With Liverpool losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury and Slot criticised for his substitutes on the night, it was a game to forget for the Merseyside giants, who heading into Sunday’s League Cup final will now be feeling the pressure to deliver.
Yet for PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Qatari official made a bold claim about last night’s win against Liverpool that speaks volume about the job Slot has done this season.
Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images
Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images
PSG win vs Liverpool hailed as ‘the best’ in the club’s Champions League history
Speaking to CBS Sports, Al-Khelaifi shared his delight at beating Liverpool at Anfield, with the PSG president saying that the result was the best in the club’s Champions League history, given how good the Reds have been this season.
WIth Luis Enrique hailing Liverpool as the best team in Europe, it’s perhaps no surprise that Al-Khelaifi is over the moon with PSG’s result against the Reds, especially in the manner that the French side went about progressing to the last eight.
Yet the PSG president went one further and hailed this win against Liverpool as PSG’s best in the Champions League, even having made the final of the competition five years ago before losing to Bayern Munich.
Al-Khelaifi said: “It’s one of the best, if not the best if I’m being honest. It’s Anfield, and to win against Liverpool, who today are the best club in Europe and who finished first in the group stage and are top of the Premier League, it’s something that’s very special.”
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What else has been said about PSG’s win against Liverpool?
PSG’s win against Liverpool could be viewed by many as a defining moment for the French side, who under Enrique are starting to finally look like a super team that can go on to challenge for the Champions League.
And it’s no surprise that praise has been high for the reigning Ligue 1 champions for last night’s win, Jamie Carragher saying PSG were the better team across the two legs despite needing penalties to progress against Liverpool.
Indeed, the Reds were well and truly beaten by PSG in this Champions League round of 16 series, and Liverpool will want to respond in a big way this weekend in the League Cup final against Newcastle United.