Liverpool face high-pressure Napoli clash after slipping to PSG loss
Liverpool’s immediate Champions League future has come down to an all-or-nothing decider at home to Napoli next month following a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Paris St Germain in France.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have to beat the Serie A side 1-0 or by more than two goals to ensure progress to the knockout stage having suffered a fourth successive Champions League away defeat – this being the first time they have lost all three away group games.
Juan Bernat and Neymar put the hosts ahead before James Milner’s penalty on the stroke of half-time offered hope.
But despite an improved second-half performance Liverpool could not find an equaliser,
Marco Verratti was injured for the previous meeting but he set about making his mark – quite literally at one point, with an ugly lunge on Joe Gomez which should have resulted in a red card – from the off.
With Neymar, playing wide on the left of a midfield four, exciting and infuriating in equal measure with his quality and overacting Liverpool were under the cosh and the pressure told as early as the 14th minute.
An error by Virgil van Dijk saw the Holland defender halfclear Mbappe’s shot to Bernat and he cut inside to squeeze a right-footed shot between the closing Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson.
It got worse for Liverpool after 37 minutes. For all his rolling-around antics Neymar can turn it on in a flash and, having collected the ball 25 yards inside his own half, he shook off Roberto Firmino and exchanged passes with Mbappe before releasing his team-mate down the left.edinson Cavani’s close-range shot from the resulting cross was blocked by Alisson but Neymar converted the rebound.
Liverpool were given a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when Sadio Mane robbed Marquinhos and was brought down just inside the penalty area by a lunging Di Maria.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak initially pointed for a corner, but having presumably received some advice from his fellow official behind the goal, changed his mind and awarded a penalty which Milner dispatched.
Liverpool began the second half with much more fight but could not crack their opponents who used every trick in the book to take time out of the game. For all Liverpool’s pressure it was the hosts who went closest to scoring again when a Marquinhos header was saved by Alisson.