By Adam Eakin and Ross Parry
Liverpool bowed out of the UEFA Champions League at the hands of PSG at Anfield for the second year running after losing 2-0 (4-0 agg.).
An Ousmane Dembele double was enough to send the Reds packing and book a semi-final spot for the current European champions.
Alexander Isak came into the starting 11 for the reds, with Mohamed Salah starting on the bench.
First half
The opening ten minutes of the first half was a cagey affair where both teams struggled to gain control of the game.
Dembele had the opportunity to seal the tie for the Parisians after just 17 minutes but blazed his effort over from six yards out.
Liverpool’s first chance of the half came after 22 minutes, when neat football between the midfield found Ryan Gravenberch in space to slide Isak through.
The Swede’s effort was saved and lacked the power to roll over the line.
Liverpool’s best chance of the opening period came after half an hour, when Ibrahima Konate’s flick-on was deflected off Achraf Hakimi and saved.
Virgil Van Dijk thought he could bundle the rebound home from yards out, but Marquinhos blocked brilliantly.
Second half
Liverpool started the second half on the front foot, with half-time substitute Cody Gakpo almost making an instant impact by forcing a strong save from Matvei Safonov just minutes in.
Ten minutes into the second half, a driving run from Gravenberch ended with a powerful effort flying whiskers over the bar.
The reds continued to apply pressure while looking for a way back into the tie, with the Anfield atmosphere growing louder.
The home side thought they were handed a lifeline in the 64th minute when Alexis Mac Allister was brought down by Pacho inside the area.
VAR intervened and said no penalty.
Liverpool persisted in testing the PSG backline when youngster Rio Ngumoha cut inside to force another strong Safonov save after 71 minutes.
The Parisians took the wind out of Liverpool’s sails just two minutes later when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found Dembele unmarked at the edge of the area.
The Ballon d’Or winner chopped it onto his left foot and curled into the bottom left corner, making it 1-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.
The European champions then sealed their semi-final place in injury time when a swift counter-attack saw Bradley Barcola tee up Dembele, who slotted past Giorgi Mamardashvili for his second.
The French side progress to the Champions League semi-final with an aggregate score of 4-0.
(Featured image by Ross Parry)
.){kind=link}