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Andy Hunter was at the Parc des Princes, and his verdict is in. “Arne Slot’s team did not simply secure a precious first-leg lead against Paris Saint-Germain, they committed grand larceny on a night that belonged to Alisson.” Enjoy Andy’s report, and thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Luis Enrique speaks to TNT. “My feelings now are difficult … we deserved to win, clearly … it’s one of the best matches in the Champions League we have done this season and last year … when you think Alisson was their best player … football is unfair … but we are ready for Liverpool [i.e. Anfield] … we have nothing to lose … Liverpool is the best team in Europe … today they created one or two chances maximum and we created a lot … I feel proud of my players, my team and the supporters … we have a last chance and are going to think about that in a positive way … we are going to do it!”
Arne Slot speaks to TNT. “There was a lot of similarities with our game against Manchester City … we faced a team so good in ball possession … they have great wingers as well … I already knew we would not dominate possession over here … the only thing I can blame my players for is the three, four, five, six times we played through them … the last touch should be better … but that is difficult when you have to defend so much … if you look at the underlying stats they were number one in the Champions League … so much pace up front … quality on the ball … the only way over here was to defend … we will need our fans at Anfield … but we will also need them on Saturday [against Southampton in the Premier League] because the boys had to dig really deep to get this over the line … we will need them at Anfield two times … Alisson is the best in the world … he showed that today … to go away with a win over here is probably a bit more than we deserved … Darwin was in a difficult place against Villa and Wolves but showed again how important he can be … the players want to be there if needed and they showed up today.”
Post-match postbag. “That sort of goal is the sort of thrilling heroics that make a team great. Elliott is a brilliantly used sub at times like this: comes on, and gets a stomp on the game. A proper job as the Cornish would say on St Piran’s Day” – Bill Preston
“Reminds me of Jimmy Greaves’ post-match commentary for the 1986 FA Cup Final when Liverpool beat Everton 3-1 after a very wobbly start. He said he was going take Liverpool and break in to steal the crown jewels, because he was sure he’d get away with it!” – Malcolm McAdam
“This is a perfect European away performance. Don’t know what everyone is so worked up about” – Luke Smith
“Told you Nunez was the answer!” – Nick Smith (of half-time postbag fame)
“What did I say?” Ingo Herzke (of 68 min fame)
More from Alisson. “The manager was telling us how hard it would be … how good they are with the ball … we had to be ready to suffer … there is so much quality on their side … we worked hard … we gave away chances … we always had someone who made the player with the chance think a bit more … it makes my job easier … all this effort the team puts in … then Harvey comes in to score … a great story, a great night … a tough night with a happy end.”
Harvey Elliott adds: “I’ve got no words … this guy is unbelievable … the best in the world … keeps us in so many games … tonight was my opportunity to repay this man … without him I don’t know where we’d be … it’s a great team performance.”
Player of the match Alisson is asked by TNT Sports whether that was his best performance of the season. “Probably of my life.”
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé were so good tonight. Désiré Doué wasn’t half bad when he came on as well. But Alisson was in super-human cheat mode tonight, making a series of glorious saves to deny Paris Saint-Germain, who had all the possession and a plethora of chances, but couldn’t convert any of them. Actually, scrub that: they weren’t allowed to convert any of them. Alisson was that good. The rest of Liverpool’s team, not so much, and they were also fortunate that Ibrahima Konaté didn’t walk for an obvious push on Bradley Barcola. Ten men would have surely crumbled under the Parisian onslaught. But the eleven didn’t, defending staunchly, holding firm, and getting their reward for all their tenacious hard work when Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott combined for the late winner. The substitutes making a serious difference, and Curtis Jones did well coming off the bench too. Chalk up another success for Arne Slot. An evening for Liverpool to enjoy, though on this evidence PSG won’t be in the mood to succumb at Anfield next week. Should be a great showdown.
Smash and grab complete. That’s some result.
Wow. Liverpool snatch it and PSG are stunned. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA
90 min +5: Doué dribbles elegantly down the left and wins a corner off Endo. But nothing comes of it. Alisson claims the ball, and Liverpool are so close now to one of the great European away smash-and-grabs.
90 min +4: Mendes barges his way into the Liverpool box from the left and has a dig. Alisson claims at his near post, earning an appreciative pat on the head from his captain Van Dijk.
90 min +3: You’ll Never Walk Alone ringing off the concrete walls of the Parc des Princes. “That PSG are down one nil is a blasphemy against all sporting logic,” suggests Kári Tulinius. “But sometimes the goddess Fortuna bestows its blessings on a team, and this season Liverpool have clearly made the correct ritual offerings.”
90 min +2: Now it’s Liverpool’s turn to keep hold of the ball. The Parc des Princes has fallen very quiet, apart from the away fans in party mode.
90 min: Elliott was in fact on the pitch for 47 seconds before scoring. Not 40. The slowcoach. There will be five additional minutes.
89 min: Great work by Nunez, too. And Alisson, who has made so many saves, was also involved. This is gloriously absurd!
88 min: Elliott was only on the pitch for 40 seconds. What a substitution!
Who writes these stories? Alisson launches long. Nunez wins a header on the edge of the box, swatting Marquinhos aside. He’s within his rights to shoot from the edge of the D, but instead spots Elliott coming in from the right. Elliott enters the box, opens his body, and steers a shot across Donnarumma and into the bottom right! Smash. And. Grab!
Harvey Elliott scores for Liverpool! Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
86 min: Salah trudges off, replaced by Harvey Elliott. He looks thoroughly frustrated.
84 min: Dembele sashays in from the right and aims for the bottom left. He looks to have beaten Alisson at last, only for the keeper to somehow extend his arm and claw the ball away from danger. Salah has the opportunity to release Nunez on the counter, but his attempt to find his team-mate is appalling. Salah has been on the periphery all evening, and that’s not necessarily his fault, but on the rare occasion he’s had the chance to do something, he’s been woefully below par.
83 min: PSG continue to push Liverpool back. No way through right now.
81 min: Hakimi crosses violently from the right with Ramos lurking, ready to pounce, six yards out. Alisson stoops to gather. This has been a stunning goalkeeping performance.
80 min: Doué zips in from the left and, upon reaching the edge of the box, curls powerfully towards the top right. it’s heading in, but Alisson makes yet another world-class save, sticking out a long arm to turn around the post. Nothing comes of the corner.
Alisson has kept Liverpool in this tie. He’s been superb. Photograph: Aurélien Morissard/AP
79 min: Warren Zaïre-Emery and Gonçalo Ramos replace Fabián Ruiz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Liverpool respond by switching out Ryan Gravenberch for Wataru Endo.
78 min: Doué slips a pass down the inside-right to release Hakimi, who shoots across Alisson. Another strong arm denies the shot. Then the flag pops up for offside anyway.
77 min: Gravenberch spins into space in the middle of the park, as he so often does, and has the opportunity to release Salah into acres down the right. Instead he clanks the pass out for a throw. Liverpool haven’t clicked in attack at all this evening.
75 min: PSG pass and probe. Doué then takes the opportunity to go over Jones’ carelessly hung-out leg, as he makes good down the right. A free kick, from which Doué threads a shot towards the bottom right. Alisson claims with ease.
73 min: A speculative ball looped down the middle of the mark. Nunez extends a leg in the hope of poking past Donnarumma, but only manages to catch the keeper in the face. Accidental, to be clear, and Nunez was entitled to go for the loose ball. Thankfully the keeper’s up and about again soon enough. “Everyone needs to relax a bit,” argues Johnathan Kaszynski. “Did people really think even Liverpool could walk into Paris and have no trouble coping with a team full of excellent players in excellent form?”
71 min: Doué hoicks over the bar from long distance. PSG have now had 25 attempts at goal this evening. Liverpool still hang on by their fingernails.
70 min: Mendes twists down the left and shoots low. Another strong Allison hand. Then Dembele flashes a wild shot high and wide right. Van Dijk prepares to take the resulting goal kick, but takes so long over it that he goes into the book.
68 min: Dembele worms his way down the right, turning Robertson inside and out like a pair of freshly laundered socks. His low cross fizzes through the six-yard box, but there’s nobody there to convert. Meanwhile here’s Ingo Herzke: “This reminds me of PSG’s semi-finals last year against Borussia Dortmund; only they haven’t hit the woodwork quite as much. So it’s going to be one goal for Liverpool sooner or later.”
67 min: Nothing comes of the corner. Then Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones come on for Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz. “We have had quite a bunch of unconvincing wins in the Prem,” admits Paul Quigley. “But nothing like this. No real injuries, just a totally insipid and cowardly performance. Is all the drama behind the scenes with the three contract boys (Salah, VVD, Trent), the three unwanted forwards (Diaz, Nunez, Jota) and the slow fullbacks coming back to haunt us?”
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones come on for Liverpool. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA
66 min: Dembele takes a touch down the right and wins a corner. Before it can be taken, Bradley Barcola makes way for Désiré Doué.
64 min: Liverpool launch a three-on-three counter. Salah curls in from the right to nobody in particular. A waste of a promising break. Liverpool haven’t had many opportunities, and they can’t afford to be so profligate.
63 min: One Dembele corner from the right leads to another, and the second nearly curls into the bottom left corner. Alisson wasn’t getting there; Szoboszlai sticks out a leg to divert wide left and over the bar. That could easily have ended up as an own goal. It’s Szoboszlai’s second crucial block of the evening. The third corner of the sequence is lashed over the bar by Hakimi.
62 min: Kvaratskhelia glides down the left at speed and makes it into the box. Alexander-Arnold toes out for a corner, some fine last-ditch defending. PSG claim a penalty but it was a perfectly good intervention.
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