Liverpool faced off against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes earlier tonight hoping to seal a passage through to the knockout phases with a win. However, it was the home side who began the match on the front foot and scored in the 13th minute through Juan Bernat’s strike from close range. Neymar doubled PSG’s lead in the 37th minute with a smart finish to put the French team in a commanding position. But Liverpool refused to give up and got a goal back just before half-time through James Milner’s well-executed penalty.
The Reds fought back well in the second half but failed to test the PSG keeper as the match ended 2-1 in favour of the Parisian outfit.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against PSG.
GK: Alisson Ramses Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper pulled off some brilliant saves during the game, but it wasn’t enough for Liverpool to get anything from the match.
RB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
The pace of Neymar caused a lot of problems for him early on, but the English prospect came back strong and put on a dominant display in the second half.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 6/10
He kept Edinson Cavani relatively quiet during the game but got caught out in the lead up to PSG’s second goal.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 6.5/10
His poor clearance let Bernat in which led to the home team’s opening goal. However, he was a Goliath at the back in the second half and dealt with the PSG counter attacks with ease and grace.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back worked his socks off down the left flank and managed to neutralise the threat of Kylian Mbappe. However, his crosses failed to hit its mark due to some terrific PSG defending on the night.
CM: James Milner – 6.5/10
The veteran midfielder stepped up to convert the penaly from the spot. He worked his socks off at the heart of the Reds midfield but lacked the quality required to open up the PSG defence.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 5/10
The Liverpool captain struggled to cope with the pace of the game and was guilty of playing the safe passes without being inventive going forward.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch midfielder made a number of good runs in the opposition half, but he couldn’t do much with the ball when in possession.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 5/10
The Egyptian was always looking to run behind the PSG backline but was unusually quiet when he got possession of the ball. His flicks and link-up play didn’t really come off, but most importantly, he failed to test Gianluigi Buffon in the PSG goal.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 5.5/10
The Brazilian tried to drop deep to get the ball and also went close with a couple of efforts in the attacking third. However, he was unable to get a shot on target which ultimately contributed to Liverpool’s loss.
LM: Sadio Mané – 6.5/10
The Senegalese winger was full of running down the left wing and left Angel Di Maria for dead when his quickness totally deceived the Argentine who gave away the penalty. However, Mane looked like a frustrated figure in the second half, and the PSG defenders dealt with him quite well.
Substitutes:
CM: Naby Keita – 5.5/10
He made a few good runs from midfield but lacked the sharpness to cause problems in the attacking third.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 4/10
The English forward was a spectator on the pitch and was often caught ball-watching.
CAM: Xherdan Shaqiri – 5/10
The Swiss international tried to be inventive, but there was not enough time for him to make a difference in this game.
