Liverpool 0 PSG 2 (0-4)
PSG just too good over two legs for Liverpool. This was a much better performance from Liverpool than last weeks disaster class with the back 5 but they still were nowhere near the level that PSG managed over both games, Liverpool probably had the best chance of the first half with Salah crossing the ball to the back-post where Kerkez was waiting but Safanov made a huge save but only parried out to Van Dijk who was thwarted by some heroic defending for Marquinhos who saved PSG going down a goal. The first big incident of the second half came in the 63rd minute as Mac Allister was deemed to be brought down by Pacho following a collision in the box, upon review by VAR the referee overturned his initial decision keeping the game at 0-0, then ten minutes later PSG managed to grab the first goal of the game as Kvarastkhelia played the ball across to Dembele on the edge of the box who feinted to shoot on his right then fired a shot to the bottom corner which all but finished the tie. PSG grabbed another one just before full-time as Barcola played the ball across the box to Dembele who slotted home his second making it 0-2 on the night and sending PSG to the semi-finals.
Are PSG the best team in Europe yet again? You can’t help but admire the way PSG play football at the highest level dismantling teams with sheer brilliance and elegance not many keep up with if any at the minute, despite that I don’t think they were at their brilliant best tonight but it was still enough to overcome quite a poor Liverpool side who did give it a go this time at Anfield. Ousmane Dembele made up for the misses last week with the first goal coming at quite an important time as Liverpool were mounting a push to try and get that first goal, his position change to down the middle has been a masterstroke from Luis Enrique who has made the Frenchman one of the best players in the world in his time at PSG. Defensively PSG were excellent over both legs as the goalkeeper Safanov is proving to be a worthy successor to Donnarumma which was supposed to be Chevalier but the Russian has proved himself yet again to worthy of that number 1 spot for PSG this season and kept yet another away clean sheet on top of the one he got at Stamford Bridge in the last round. Is there any stopping this PSG side this season yet again?
A much better performance from Liverpool than last week. I discussed the Liverpool performance last week in detail in my review but I thought they played much better today despite still looking a few levels below this PSG team, the team sheet surprised me as I thought Salah would start after his performance on the weekend against Fulham but Slot opted against it instead giving Isak his first start since the leg break a few months ago which didn’t pay off as he only managed 5 touches in the first half before getting taken off. We’ve seen enough of Frimpong at right-back this season to know he can’t play that position as Kvarastkhelia was running rings around him in that first half and I’m surprised Slot didn’t take him off in that first half, in the end Liverpool just aren’t even close to this PSG side and it showed over these two games where PSG pretty easily dismantled Slot’s team without really any rebuttal from Liverpool. Much to ponder upon for Liverpool over the summer as to whether or not Slot will remain manager for next season, I think Liverpool will make a change in the summer following a pretty poor season overall.
Gutted for Hugo Ekitike who now looks to be out for a long time. As soon as you see a player go down with a non-contact injury you fear the worse with it looking like an achilles injury for Ekitike who is now set for a spell on the side-lines with an injury which permanently changes players careers. As a United fan my mind instantly went back to the Europa League quarter-final in 2023 where Lisandro Martinez went off with what looked like an achilles injury but luckily for him it wasn’t but still kept him out of play for four months which shows how severe these injuries are. Obviously I’m writing this just after the game so we don’t know yet if it is an achilles tear yet and I’m hoping it isn’t with the World Cup just around the corner in a few months, after such a good debut season it’s such a shame to see it most likely end this way for Ekitike and I wish him the best in his recovery over the next few months.
Who will PSG be facing in the next round? It will be either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the semi-finals for PSG with both ties looking mouth-watering for the neutral in particular the tie with Bayern Munich, in my opinion PSG and Bayern Munich are the best teams in the world at the minute and a two-legged tie would be box-office between the two with the winner most definitely going into the final as favourites for the competition. I’d be surprised to see Real Madrid comeback tomorrow against Bayern at the Allianz but we’ve seen stranger things happen when Real Madrid are the underdogs going into a Champions League game so don’t count them out just yet, Mbappe facing his old team in the semi-finals would be interesting but I just can’t see how Madrid beat Bayern at the Allianz given just how strong Kompany’s men are at home. It should be a good game given last weeks match at the Bernabeu was a great spectacle for the neutral, can Madrid pull off a shock tomorrow?