Liverpool and PSG went the gap on Tuesday evening, and Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two Reds spot-kicks within the shootout to ship Luis Enrique’s facet into the Champions League quarter-finals.
The guests had been pressured to dig deep after taking an early lead by Ousmane Dembele, with Arne Slot’s facet having fun with their first durations of sustained stress within the tie all through the second half.
There have been refined switches in momentum, and PSG remained a risk all through earlier than approaching the strongest in direction of the tip of the prolonged interval. From the spot, the Ligue 1 leaders had been excellent whereas Donnarumma denied Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to ship Enrique’s males by.
Their show on Merseyside wasn’t fairly as dazzling in comparison with what they produced in Paris, however PSG’s efficiency throughout the 2 legs confirmed they’ve what it takes to go all the best way.
Listed below are 4 issues we discovered from the second leg at Anfield.
What number of instances have we seen PSG groups fold in these types of environments through the years? Behind within the tie with Anfield facilitating a ferocious Liverpool begin, outfits of yesteryear absolutely would’ve succumbed.
However, as soon as once more, this Luis Enrique-led outfit proved they’re product of sterner stuff. After dominating final week’s first leg earlier than dropping late, PSG needed to supply grit and dogged field defending in a bid to protect their early lead.
We have loved PSG with larger names boasting larger attract, however by no means have they boasted such supreme cohesion. All of the tropes used to beat earlier iterations are beginning to fade because of Enrique’s glorious teaching and PSG’s philosophical shift in a post-Kylian Mbappe world. This can be a good workforce to observe, with their telepathy in possession matched by unrelenting working out of it.
This is not nearly Dembele’s outstanding type or the acquainted identify of Marquinhos who has perpetually endured heartbreak on this competitors, however the rising brilliance of Willian Pacho, their fiying wing-backs who contribute at each ends, in addition to the small frames in the course of the park who pack a punch laden with guile.
Oh, and the way concerning the teenager, Want Doue, who received it from 12 yards? They’re one of the best on the continent proper now.
Seeing Gianluigi Donnarumma fly about in a penalty shootout is a sight no English soccer fan wants reminding of.
Whereas Liverpool boast one of many world’s finest goalkeepers in Alisson, he does not fairly possess the aura of the 6’4 Italian if you’re strolling up and making an attempt to beat him from 12 yards. The Brazilian acquired a glove on Vitinha’s far-too-cool opening spot kick however was emphatically crushed by the remaining. Quite the opposite, Donnarumma flung himself to his left then proper to disclaim Nunez and Jones respectively. His save from the latter was notably good.
The Italian’s heroics helped PSG to their first ever penalty shootout victory in any UEFA competitors, they usually arrived after he overcame a poor begin to produce a sound, mistake-free efficiency plagued by environment friendly punches to nullify the specter of Liverpool’s deliveries into the field.
Arne Slot’s proactivity has been lauded in 12 months one among his Liverpool tenure, and it was a shock it took the Dutchman so long as he did to show to his bench.
On an evening when Nuno Mendes outscored Mohamed Salah on factors after his TKO victory final week, Liverpool might’ve performed with one of many Egyptian’s supporting acts to step up. Slot opted for Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota right here with Dominik Szoboszlai offering relentless working energy from midfield.
The Hungarian was spectacular, however Diaz and Jota struggled to fill the void left by a subdued Salah. Jota has endured a stop-start marketing campaign, and he was no match for a PSG backline that commanded their field fantastically. Whereas he drew a few second-half fouls to get Liverpool up the pitch, he barely had a sight of aim and sometimes struggled to knit issues collectively on the counter.
Diaz was keen, little doubt, and sometimes spritely, however the decisiveness Reds supporters so usually take pleasure in from the appropriate seldom arrived down the alternative flank. At essential moments, the Colombian hesitated.
Salah’s inevitability this season has masked potential shortcomings inside Liverpool’s attacking arsenal, and Tuesday’s second leg confirmed that a few Slot’s forwards could be upgraded upon.
You affiliate the previous Napoli winger who’s rapidly hit the bottom working in Paris with dazzling footwork and a throwback aesthetic. Nonetheless, Kvaratskhelia’s willingness to work out of possession is a criminally underrated facet of his stellar talent set.
There is a purpose Antonio Conte was so eager to construct his Napoli workforce across the 2022/23 Serie A MVP. Not solely is he immensely gifted in possession, however he is keen to run himself into the bottom in a bid to contribute to the collective.
His selflessness has seen him slot in with ease into Enrique’s framework. He was majestic within the first leg with out reward, and there have been a number of sequences on Tuesday which typified Kvaratskhelia’s workhorse nature. The winger snapped again at Alexis Mac Allister pretty within the first half, supplying a problem on the Argentine which produced a response from the Kop. Then, when PSG’s backs had been towards the wall within the second half, Kvaratskehlia was alert from a set-piece to disclaim Salah’s goalbound effort from restoring parity on the evening.
A supervisor’s dream.
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