Liverpool entertained Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on Tuesday night hoping to start off their UEFA Champions League campaign with a victory. The Reds dominantly began the match and put on a lot of pressure early on. Jurgen Klopp’s men got a flurry of corners and came close with a number of attempts inside the first half hour of the game. Daniel Sturridge broke the deadlock in the 30th minute courtesy of a header from close range after Andrew Robertson put in a terrific cross into the PSG box. The Merseysiders doubled their lead just six minutes later through James Milner’s successful spot-kick. However, the Parisian outfit scored just before half-time much to the delight of their travelling supporters.
The Reds retained possession for significant periods in the second half but couldn’t capitalise on the chances they created which gave PSG enough impetus to go and score an equaliser through Kylian Mbappe’s finish from close range. However, Liverpool kept the pressure on and found the winner courtesy of Roberto Firmino’s excellent finish in injury-time. Klopp’s men ran out 3-2 winners on the night in what proved to be a thrilling contest at Anfield.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the contest against PSG.
GK: Alisson Ramses Becker – 6/10
The Brazilian goalkeeper pulled off a few solid saves but was left helpless for both PSG goals.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8/10
The young right-back was Liverpool’s busiest man on the pitch after he put on a tireless shift down the right flank. He delivered a number of telling balls into the box and was a constant menace for the Parisian defence.
CB: Joe Gomez – 8/10
He looked calm on the ball and kept his cool while defending in his half.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutch centre-back was aerially dominant but was guilty of committing himself too early in the lead-up to PSG’s second goal.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 9/10
The Scottish left-back was outstanding on the night and put in some great balls from the left. His excellent cross in the first half found Sturridge who scored with his header. He was always willing to work hard for his team and deserved to be the man of the match.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 8/10
The former Newcastle United midfielder made some brilliant runs from midfield and was a headache for the PSG defenders during the match.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Liverpool skipper distributed the ball well and worked hard alongside Milner at the heart of the Reds midfield.
CM: James Milner – 8.5/10
The English veteran stepped up to convert the spot-kick in the first half and put in some dangerous crosses during the game.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 5/10
An unusually poor game from the Egyptian international! He was guilty of giving away the ball which let PSG in to equalise during the latter stages of the match. Salah was lucky to be bailed out by Firmino’s late winner.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 8/10
He scored with a clinical header in the first half. The English forward should have scored again after the break, but his headed attempt was miscued.
LM: Sadio Mané – 7.5/10
The Senegalese made a few lung-bursting runs with the ball but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
Substitutes:
ST: Roberto Firmino – 8.5/10
The Brazilian forward came off the bench to score the winner in injury-time, much to the delight of the Anfield faithful.
RM: Xherdan Shaqiri – 6/10
The Swiss winger tried his best to create a few chances for his team.
CM: Fabinho – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact in the game.
