Liverpool’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their quarterfinal in Paris.
Arne Slot’s side struggled to make their mark from the start and fell behind early when Désiré Doué’s effort took a heavy deflection off Virgil Van Dijk and looped over stand-in goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Reds never really responded, rarely threatening going forward and finishing the match without a shot on target.
PSG continued to dominate the game and came close to extending their lead before halftime, with Mamardashvili producing several key saves to keep Liverpool within reach.
However, the hosts eventually doubled their advantage midway through the second half when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia produced a moment of quality, rounding the keeper after a perfectly timed pass from João Neves before finishing calmly.
The French champions could have added more goals, with Ousmane Dembélé missing a string of good chances and also hitting the woodwork late on.
Liverpool brought on Alexander Isak for his first appearance since December as they searched for a response, but the visitors never found any rhythm. They now face a huge task at Anfield next week if they are to overturn the deficit and keep their European campaign alive.
