The UEFA Champions League quarter-final stage kicked off with a statement performance from defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, who handed Liverpool a 2-0 defeat in Wednesday’s first leg at Parc des Princes. The result leaves the English side facing an uphill battle in next week’s return fixture at Anfield, with Luis Enrique’s squad holding a commanding two-goal cushion to protect on enemy soil.
PSG controlled the contest from the opening whistle, and their early pressure paid off in the 11th minute. Desire Doue picked up a loose ball just outside the 18-yard box after a mazy dribble from Ousmane Dembele, cutting into the area to fire off a shot. The attempt took a lucky deflection off Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch, looping over Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to put the French side ahead.
The first half was lopsided in every sense: PSG held 70% of possession, with Mamardashvili called into action to stop further attempts from both Doue and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Liverpool’s only shot of the half came from an offside Jeremie Frimpong, leaving Arne Slot’s side with little to build on going into the break.
The pattern of domination did not shift after halftime. Midway through the second half, a perfectly threaded through pass from Joao Neves released Kvaratskhelia down the inside-left channel. The Georgian shrugged off a challenge from Gravenberch, rounded compatriot Mamardashvili, and slotted home to double PSG’s lead, putting the holders firmly in control of the tie.
A brief moment of reprieve came for Liverpool when Spanish referee overturned his own initial penalty decision. VAR review confirmed that Ibrahima Konate had successfully won the ball from Warren Zaire-Emery despite the contact, ruling out what would have been a chance for PSG to extend their lead further. Late in the match, Dembele hit the post for PSG, but the 2-0 scoreline held, capping off a one-sided performance from the reigning champions.
The result marks Liverpool’s second heavy defeat in five days, coming off the back of a 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final thrashing at the hands of Manchester City last weekend. Slot has overseen a difficult campaign for the Reds, who have now dropped 16 matches across all competitions this season and claimed just one win from their last six outings.
In a surprising tactical adjustment that ultimately failed to pay off, Slot set Liverpool up in a rare three-centre-back formation, with Joe Gomez joining regular starters Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at the back. Star forward Mohamed Salah was left on the bench, with former PSG striker Hugo Ekitike starting up front; Ekitike spent 18 months at PSG but never managed to cement a first-team place behind the iconic attacking trio of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. Brazilian number one Alisson Becker, who single-handedly kept Liverpool in the tie during their last meeting with PSG in the 2023-2024 knockout stage, was absent for this fixture, forcing Mamardashvili into the starting lineup. Slot made a quadruple substitution in the 78th minute to try to shift momentum, bringing on Alexander Isak — returning from a December leg fracture — but kept Salah on the bench for the full 90 minutes.
Post-match, Kvaratskhelia acknowledged PSG’s dominance while warning against complacency ahead of the return leg. “I think we had chances to score more. There were many moments where we should score but it is OK,” he told Canal Plus. “I think 2-0 is good but we have to stay focused because we have to play at Anfield. We know that the atmosphere will be amazing so we are already starting to prepare that game.”
Liverpool now face the enormous challenge of overturning a two-goal deficit to advance to the semi-finals. The club did pull off a similar comeback in the round of 16 this year, overturning a 1-0 first-leg loss to Galatasaray with a 4-0 home win. However, this task is far steeper: PSG have history on their side at Anfield, having claimed a 1-0 away win in last season’s round of 16 second leg before advancing on penalties, a result that helped launch their run to the 2024 Champions League title. The French side have also now won nine of their last 11 matches against Premier League opposition dating back to the start of 2024, underscoring their current form against top English competition.