SOME SHONE, SOME SANK
The Champions League got off to a fiery start with Liverpool snatching a late winner against the star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side in the marquee match of the opening night. With the two teams boasting of some of the world’s finest attacking talent, H
THE HEROES ROBERTO FIRMINO
Despite suffering from an eye abrasion in Liverpool’s last Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, Roberto Firmino came off the bench to score the winning goal for the Reds in stoppage time.
Brought on to replace Daniel Sturridge in the 72nd minute with the Reds leading 2-1 at the time, Firmino won Liverpool the match with a powerful low shot after PSG had equalised in the 83rd minute.
JAMES MILNER
Despite adding depth to the squad by signing Naby Keita and Fabinho in midfield, Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp preferred to start with veteran James Milner against a quick PSG unit. And the 32-year-old former Manchester City player proved his worth by working tirelessly for 90 minutes.
He converted a penalty to put Liverpool 2-1 up, made driving runs from the flanks to deliver dangerous crosses and brought out a roar from the home fans when he left Neymar crumpled on the floor after a crunching, but a fair tackle.
ANDY ROBERTSON
Liverpool left-back
Robertson was vital to his team taking full points against their Parisian visitors. He stood firm against one of the fastest players on the planet — Kylian Mbappe — suffocating him from finding any space to run into the box.
Robertson, who has already provided two assists in the Premier League, added another with a pin-point cross to Sturridge between two defenders for the opening goal.
THE FLOPS MOHAMED SALAH
Liverpool’s driving force last season, with 11 goals in the Champions League, Salah was nowhere to be seen against PSG. He had the ball in the net but his tap-in was disallowed after the referee ruled that Sturridge had fouled goalkeeper Areola.
Failing to make a strong impact, Salah only made it worse by giving the ball away cheaply in the second half, which allowed Neymar to run at the defence and Mbappe to score PSG’s equaliser. He was substituted just two minutes later.
NEYMAR
The world’s most
expensive player failed once again to step up and really justify his €222 million price tag. Scoring and showcasing his skills against teams in the domestic circuit in France is one thing, but the Brazilian ace has failed to deliver against more adept opponents of late.
Aside from providing Mbappe with a scrappy assist, Neymar failed to threaten. His refusal to fall back and help out in defence also allowed Liverpool to bring out the ball from the right with ease.
EDINSON CAVANI
The Uruguayan’s
failure to press Liverpool’s backline or link up with Neymar or Mbappe allowed the Reds keep possession in their half without much trouble.
Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was allowed to carry the ball through the middle while Cavani himself did not look his dominant self moving forward.