Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last night. The Reds were one of the favourites to win the competition after being one of the most consistent teams in Europe. However, it wasn’t meant to be for the English club as they bowed out of the competition after losing on penalties.
Arne Slot’s men started the game leading 1-0 on aggregate, thanks to the heroics of Alisson Becker and Harvey Elliot last week. The Reds had the chance to take an early lead but Mohamed Salah’s shot was blocked brilliantly by PSG defender Nuno Mendes on the line.
Liverpool dominated the game in the first 10 minutes but it was all PSG after that until half-time. The French club took the lead after a defensive error by Ibrahima Konate and the in-form Ousmane Dembele pounced upon the loose ball and tapped it in to give PSG the lead on the night and level the tie on aggregate. PSG’s Barcola also came close to scoring but Alisson came to the rescue and saved a certain goal.
However, it was Liverpool who took charge in the second half. The Reds hit the post via Jarell Quansah’s effort in the 79th minute and were inches away from leading on aggregate. The Reds also came close to scoring when Luiz Diaz’s header was palmed away by Donnarumma in the nick of time.
The reigning French champions took the game to penalties, and it was Donnarumma who came up clutch to take Luis Enrique’s men into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Arne Slot’s dream of winning the Champions League in his first full season at the club was blown away after a dramatic penalty shootout defeat. The Reds played much better at home as compared to last week, but it wasn’t meant to be for Slot and his team had to face a heart-breaking defeat.
The Liverpool manager was asked about the game and how hard it was for his players to play against PSG. Surprisingly, the Dutch manager gave a very sensible and humble response and was seemingly very level-headed while talking about the English club’s exit from the competition.
As transcribed by [Liverpool.com](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/arne-slot-psg-champions-league-31179355), Slot said,
> > “It was the best game of football where I was involved in. Incredible performance, especially compared to last week. First 20-25 minutes we were all over them, created chances and all of a sudden we were 1-0 down. Maybe we ran out of luck because the margins were so small tonight”
The Liverpool manager went on to add,
> > “If you have to go out then go out in the way we did against one of the best teams in Europe, making such a fight out of it. I hope and think every fan around the world was hoping the game would keep going, it wouldn’t stop, because it was incredible.”
It is fair to say that while PSG were the better side over the two games, Liverpool had chances to put the game to bed. The lack of a clinical edge upfront is what cost us the game and while luck is a factor, the Reds can only blame themselves for their exit.
Liverpool fans will be hoping that their team will go on to secure the Carabao Cup at the end of this week, when the Reds face Newcastle United at Wembley. Slot’s men will be looking to turn their fortunes around and return back to winning ways.