Liverpool’s players will be hurting after their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. French outlet L’Equipe though has made sure to rub some salt into the wounds of Mohamed Salah and co.
The Reds’ hopes of lifting a seventh European title, and completing a treble this season, are over after a heartbreaking penalty shootout at Anfield. Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones both saw their efforts saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma as Liverpool missed out on a place in the quarter-finals, and will now have to wait until next season to target another Champions League final.
It was clear to see how painful the defeat was for Arne Slot’s players. Nunez’s forlorn look after missing his spot-kick summed up his current situation, while Salah was left in tears after what could prove to be his last European game for the club.
The Egyptian would do well not to take a look at L’Equipe’s ratings after yesterday’s game. The French outlet is renowned for its brutal player ratings, and it didn’t hold back in its latest assessment of Liverpool’s players.
Having labeled PSG’s stars as ‘Super-Heros’ on its front page, the publication proceeded to offer its verdict on the Reds, with Salah in particular coming in for some harsh criticism.
The 32-year-old was handed a 4/10 rating for his performance, summing it up by saying: “Overall Salah was annihilated, as in the first leg, by Nuno Mendes, losing a considerable number of duels against him.
“In addition, the ex-Roma player, who lost possession 31 times (his team's record), also stood out for his inability to properly exploit counter-attacks initiated by his team-mates.
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“Even if he converted his shot on goal, the Pharaoh's record is therefore largely insufficient in his confrontations against PSG, the team he has faced the most in his Champions League career without ever finding the goal.”
Salah’s teammates didn’t fare much better, with Diogo Jota and Ryan Gravenberch also handed 4/10 ratings. Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold were both handed 5s, putting them on par with Bradley Barcola, Fabian Ruiz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the opposite side.
Alisson Becker, Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz were all rated at 6/10, with Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai gaining the highest ratings for Liverpool at 7/10. Unsurprisingly, Donnarumma earned the highest score, getting a 9/10 after his heroics.
Liverpool boss Slot was given a 5/10 rating, seeing him rank lower than his counterpart as Luis Enrique was awarded a 7/10 rating.