AGAINST ALL ODDS
Liverpool dream is still alive despite travel sickness as Kane vows to go for broke in Barca after Eriksen lifeline
LIVERPOOL again endured horrible travel sickness as they were undone by a poor first half in Paris.
But defeat by PSG – their third away from home in the Champions League this season – surprisingly does little to dent their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.
They were undone by a first-half
PARIS is supposed to be the city of love-fuelled dreams, but for Liverpool it became yet another Champions League nightmare.
The only romance on show in the French capital came from the all-star Paris SaintGermain forward line, who showed what all the money and fuss was about by producing a firsthalf display that will haunt the Reds for years.
On a night full of attacking intent, it was the home side who did most to enhance their reputation, with goals from Juan Bernat and Neymar that were crafted in the individual brilliance of the Parisian all stars in front of Titanic star Leonardo Di Caprio. For Liverpool, it was yet another Champions League awayday horror show, and the defeat – the first time they have lost all three group games on their travels in this competition – means little.
In fact, it merely means they will have to do what they have done spectacularly well under Jurgen Klopp – win well at home in Europe.
A 1-0 victory over Napoli will guarantee they progress to the knock-out stage, and after a third group defeat they will settle for that.
But they left Paris with the feeling they could have done so much more.
They were undone by a pulsating start from PSG, and their own inability to get on the ball enough in midfield, to be bold enough to retain and use possession to feed their hungry forwards. Yet even so, after a James Milner penalty had brought them back in the game, they missed too many second-half chances despite showing far more control and ability to push the French back.
Roberto Firmino fired a header wide from Andy Robertson’s cross, and the leftback wasted two fine positions, when he should have found an unmarked team-mate in front of goal. It was a breathless game, with a frenetic opening... that turned on one moment when Liverpool wasted a good position in the PSG box.
The Reds had started confidently, pressing the elusive Marco Verratti, suggesting they could hurry the French side in dangerous positions – the game-plan home boss Thomas Tuchel feared.
Yet somehow the midfielder kept his calm, and in finding space in the middle he opened up the game for his side and
put pressure on the Reds’ backline. The cracks showed, first when Verratti sent Kylian Mbappe racing forward and only a desperate Dejan Lovren lunge diverted danger. But there was hesitancy, and that led to the opening goal after 13 minutes.
Lovren was too reluctant to close down the marauding Bernat on the left, and when Virgil van Dijk could only get a toe on the cross, it fell back to the flying leftback, who cut inside on his right foot and with the help of a slight deflection, wrong-footed Alisson.
Where Liverpool could initially smell blood, now they had the scent of fear in the nostrils.
Neymar, despite his usual embarrassing and consistent theatrics, suddenly took heart and confidence and suddenly PSG had their famous swagger.
For Liverpool for much of the rest of the first half, it was no longer about creating danger, but smothering it, as they attempted to put fires out all over the pitch. Incredibly, just as it seemed the storm had passed, they conceded again. It was another swift break, a poor ball from Mo Salah outside the French box turning the ball over eventually to Neymar, who exchanged passes with Mbappe and sent the young forward flying down the left.
He crossed intelligently and even though Alisson brilliantly saved Edinson Cavani’s shot, Neymar (below, celebrating) steered home the rebound.
Two down after 37 minutes, Liverpool looked dead and buried.
But their lifeline came despite the best efforts of an hilariously incompetent referee.
Polish official Szymon Marciniak gave a corner as Sadio Mane was brought down in the box by Angel Di Maria. But comically he was forced to change his mind eventually and Milner converted from the spot.