Liverpool pulled off one of the great Champions League heists with an 87th minute goal from substitute Harvey Elliott handing the Reds a 1-0 advantage after the first leg of their Round of 16 clash with PSG in Paris.
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The hosts were dominant, taking a whopping 27 shots, ten of which were on target as well as having 72% possession but they could not find a way past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The Brazilian was comfortably the best player on the pitch, making nine saves as he seemingly built a brick wall in front of goal.
Arne Slot’s side meanwhile, needing only two shots, and just one on target, to secure a lead before next week’s second leg at Anfield.
“That’s one of the biggest robberies you will ever see in football,” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said on CBS Sports post-match.
“I can’t believe what I’ve just seen. PSG were absolutely outstanding. Brilliant, battered Liverpool and the last time Liverpool won this competition, Alisson Becker, the goalkeeper, made a save against Napoli in the last group game. Liverpool could have gone out if Napoli had have scored, and that’s always looked back on as a defining moment.
“That wasn’t a save tonight. That was arguably the greatest performance of his career or certainly in a Liverpool shirt.
“If Liverpool go on to win this competition, which they have a great chance of, that performance will be remembered for years to come.”
Elliott ended up being a hero with the 21-year-old driving a low shot off the hand of PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the far corner of the goal, only one minute after coming off the bench to replace superstar Mohamed Salah.
Alisson blasted a long ball forward, Darwin Nunez knocked it down and regathered before playing it out to Elliott, who was charging forward and buried the chance with his first touch.
The substitution clearly turned out to be a stroke of genius from Slot as Salah had a very quiet night by his lofty standards, but the Egyptian was not helped by the fact the Premier League leaders struggled to get their counter attack going.
The home fans at the Parc des Princes were simply baffled that their team was unable to find a goal, as despite Alisson’s brilliance, they were made to pay for several wasted opportunities.
Ousmane Dembele was simply electric early as he could have set up PSG’s first with an exquisite piece of dribbling down the right wing before finding Joao Neves in the box but the Portuguese midfielder bounced at a fairly open goal over the crossbar.
The chances kept coming in the opening 20 minutes as PSG dominated.
A deflected Dembele shot went wide much to Liverpool’s relief, but the hosts thought they had the lead when Khvicka Kvaratskhelia curled a stunner into the far corner of the net.
The Parisian celebrations were short-lived however as VAR stepped in, ruling that the Georgian has been offside by barely the length of hit boot in the build up.
It was then unbelievable how PSG did not score on the half-hour mark as Alisson charged off his line to stop another Dembele shot one-on-one but the ball could only spill towards Fabian Ruiz.
But the Reds got back in time to set up a barricade in front of goal, attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai retreated to blocking Ruiz’s shot before Bradley Barcola sprayed another shot over the bar.
After half time the near misses continued with Alisson completing yet another superb save off another Dembele shot in the 84th minute after also stopping a Desire Doue shot after he came off the bench, and even making a miraculous save despite the offside flag being raised among his highlight reel.
– 10-men Barca get the job done –
In Portugal, Barcelona were down to ten men after 22 minutes but still managed to secure a 1-0 victory against Benfica.
Centre back Pau Cubarsi was shown a straight red card for bringing down striker Vangelis Pavlidis just outside the penalty area.
But it was a Benfica defensive blunder to proved most costly.
Antonio Silva coughed up the ball to Raphinha in his own half and the Brazilian pounced, bursting past his opponents and finishing calmly in the bottom right corner once he made it to the edge of the box.
The hosts had the better of much of the game, having 26 shots to ten, eight on target compared to five.
It is the most amount of shots Benfica have recorded in a Champions League match without scoring, but Barcelona managed to stay firm to ensure they take a lead into the second leg at home.
They also extended their unbeaten run in the competition to eight matches, seven wins and a draw.
– Bayern clinical as consistent Kane reaches impressive mark again –
Bayern Munich had no such troubles, claiming a 3-0 win in an all-German clash with Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena.
Harry Kane unleashed a powerful header to open the scoring in the ninth minute for Bayern, finding the back of the net for the 30th time this season in all competitions.
It is the third straight season that Kane has reached that feat, two in Munich and one at Tottenham, and he also boasts ten assists this campaign.
Jamal Musiala scored Bayern’s second in the 54th minute after a cross created a scramble in the box before the midfielder could tap it home.
Hopes of a Leverkusen comeback were later dashed as they were reduced to ten men in the 62nd minute with defender Nordi Mukiele shown a second yellow card for a late challenge and given his marching orders.
Kane then sunk another blow, converting a penalty with 15 minutes remaining to secure a brace.
Bayern did not come out of the clash without any concerns however, as almost on the hour mark, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who made his 150th Champions League appearance, was subbed off with an injury concern.
– Inter’s strike force seize control –
Inter Milan’s powerful strike duo of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez combined to give the Italians a handy 2-0 advantage over Dutch side Feyenoord after an absorbing Champions League last-16 first leg Wednesday.
Quality finishes either side of half-time from the French and Argentinian strikers proved the difference between the two teams, who meet again in Milan for Tuesday’s second leg, with the winner of the Bayern Munich-Bayer Leverkusen German derby lying in wait.
A lively opening quarter in Rotterdam’s ever-atmospheric De Kuip saw three-time European champions Inter enjoy most possession but Feyenoord carve out the clearest opportunities.
Ibrahim Osman, the pacy 20-year-old Ghana international winger on loan from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, was the main threat for the hosts, twice forcing Josep Martinez into sharp saves.
For the visitors, Thuram found himself with a clear run at goal but decided to pass square rather than shoot and the danger was snuffed out.
It was a moment of quality from the French striker that broke the deadlock with just eight minutes until the half-time whistle, latching onto a curling cross from Nicolo Barella to hook it in with the outside of his boot at the far post.
The goal, slightly against the run of play, galvanised the Serie A side, who suddenly looked much more dangerous going forward.
Feyenoord legend and recently installed manager Robin van Persie would have been glad to get his side into the dressing room just 1-0 down after an entertaining first half.
But his side’s arrears doubled just five minutes into the second period, as Martinez drilled an unstoppable shot into the top corner, giving the hosts a mountain to climb.
Jakub Moder came close to getting Feyenoord back into the game when his lunging deflection skimmed the bar.
Inter had their own chance to put the game — and probably the tie — beyond reach when Jeyland Mitchell brought down Thuram in the box, the referee awarding a penalty after a long VAR check.
But Timon Wellenreuther in the Feyenoord goal produced an excellent save from Piotr Zielinski’s penalty, moving smartly to his right.
Feyenoord pressed to the end looking for something to take to the San Siro but the Inter defence held firm in a pleasing night for Simone Inzaghi’s men.
