Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League glory suffered a fatal blow as they were defeated on penalties by PSG.
Alisson saved Liverpool in the first leg, but last night it was Gianluigi Donnarumma’s turn to be the hero – saving two penalties in the shootout.
Losing 1-0 on the night, Arne Slot’s side weren’t at their all firing best, with the Liverpool forward line failing to provide the killer blow needed.
Diogo Jota in particular endured a ‘frustrating’ night – something which has been highlighted by his worrying statistics.
Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images
Diogo Jota criticised for his ‘poor’ PSG display
Jota has disappointed for Liverpool at points this season and that trend continued against PSG.
Despite being largely absent during the first leg, the 28-year-old was once again tasked with leading the Reds frontline.
Jota, though would fail to provide the goods on the night, being rightfully substituted for Darwin Nunez after 73 minutes.
Liverpool journalist David Lynch has since reflected on the Portuguese’s disappointing performance, highlighting a very worrying stat in the process.
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“I thought he was poor again. He acknowledged his poor form this season in the press conference yesterday and I think today showed he had even more struggles. He completed 12 out of 17 of his passes, winning only one out of nine ground duels.
“If you look at PSG’s physicality, the fact they go man for man and he just came up really short over two legs in terms of that. He’s not going to be able to be someone that gets you up the pitch and bully defenders.
“Firmino wasn’t the biggest but he was very capable in that regard. He’s not able to do that so I think he looked a little bit short of that in this game and maybe that gives some consideration to the summer.”
🗣️ "He completes 12 out of 17 of his passes, wins only one out of 9 ground duels… In terms of that, he's not going to be someone who's going to get you up the pitch and bully defenders"
🟥 @davidlynchlfc discusses Jota's weaknesses in his poor performance against PSG. #LFC… pic.twitter.com/O1evplBrdR
— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) March 12, 2025
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Jota’s Liverpool future looking bleak after PSG performance
Signed for £45m back in 2020 (BBC Sport), Jota has been largely viewed as a smart signing from the Reds. That positive feeling, however, has changed slightly in recent months, with Jota linked with a Liverpool exit.
The recent performances of the likes of Nunez and Jota have seen Liverpool be urged to sign a striker, with fans growing frustrated with the pair’s form this season.
Diogo Jota 24/25 stats Apps Goals Assists
Premier League 18 5 3
UEFA Champions League 4 – –
EFL Cup 4 2 –
FA Cup 2 1 –
Total 28 8 3
Stats correct as of 12/03/2025
With that being said, it seems like the club recognises the need for attacking reinforcement this summer – which has been shown by Liverpool’s recent links with Joao Pedro.
If Jota’s performances don’t improve, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Liverpool dip into the market this summer, it just begs the question as to whether Slot wants to keep the Portuguese around next season.