PARIS, France — Paris Saint-Germain delivered a commanding performance to beat Liverpool FC 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, leaving the Premier League side with a steep task ahead of the return leg at Anfield.
Goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia secured a deserved victory for the French champions, who dominated proceedings with 70 per cent possession and 18 shots compared to Liverpool’s three.
Liverpool coach Arne Slot conceded his side were second best on the night but praised their resilience in limiting the damage.
“Paris Saint-Germain was by far the better team today and could have scored more than two goals, but the good thing was the Liverpool players showed fighting spirit and kept going,” Slot said.
The Dutchman admitted his team spent large parts of the match under pressure. “We were in survival mode for large parts of the game, and maybe also we are in survival mode at this period of the season,” he added, with Liverpool having won just one of their last six matches.
Slot’s tactical decision to deploy three central defenders—Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, and Virgil van Dijk—was aimed at containing PSG’s attacking full-backs, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
“Milos (Kerkez) had to play almost as a left-winger facing Hakimi… Just think about what would have happened if we had played with real wingers against Hakimi and Nuno Mendes,” Slot explained.
Notably, Mohamed Salah remained an unused substitute, with Slot insisting the decision was strategic.
“Mo has so much quality but for him to be 20 to 25 minutes defending in his own box, I think it is better for him to save his energy for a lot of games we have coming up,” he said.
Liverpool’s struggles come at a critical stage of the season, with the club currently sitting fifth in the Premier League and facing mounting pressure to revive both domestic and European campaigns.
Despite the defeat, Slot insisted the tie remains alive as attention turns to the second leg at Anfield next week.
“We didn’t give up and that is why we still have a chance in this tie… now we can bring the tie back to Anfield,” he said.
PSG coach Luis Enrique, meanwhile, praised his team’s performance but lamented missed opportunities to extend their advantage.
“It is just a shame because we created a lot of chances in the second half and could have scored more goals,” Enrique said, expressing confidence ahead of the return leg.
With PSG holding a two-goal cushion and Liverpool needing a strong response at home, the stage is set for a decisive second leg, with both sides eyeing a place in the semi-finals.
