The true feelings of Paris Saint-Germain’s players about Liverpool have emerged after they threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Reds in midweek, only to suffer a late 1-0 defeat in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg. Arne Slot’s side withstood a relentless barrage of 27 shots, including 10 on target, from the French giants.
But in the 87th minute, Harvey Elliott delivered a gut-punch moment. With Liverpool’s first shot on target, the substitute coolly slotted home the only goal of the match after linking up with fellow late arrival Darwin Nunez. French media wasted no time labeling the victory “English Robbery” the following morning.
Now, the reactions from inside PSG’s camp have surfaced. While manager Luis Enrique remains confident of overturning the deficit at Anfield next Tuesday, his players were less than impressed after seeing their quarter-final hopes blocked by Liverpool’s resolute defence.
PSG were so dominant that Luis Enrique’s Parisiens were far from resigned despite the daunting prospect on their hands to win the second leg at Anfield, according to L’Equipe. The same report suggested that PSG’s dominant display against a top-seeded Liverpool side has only strengthened their belief that they can reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Ligue 1 leaders were reportedly “obsessed” with next Tuesday’s showdown at Anfield and were even surprised by the extent of their control over the match. Internally, there is a sense that Liverpool’s level was not as high as expected, with PSG players believing that Arsenal and Bayern Munich – their league-stage opponents – are stronger and more complete teams than the current Premier League leaders. Watch Elliott’s goal below:
PSG were also caught off guard by Liverpool’s game management tactics. Virgil van Dijk received a booking for time-wasting, though Slot dismissed any suggestion that his team deliberately looked to slow the match down. “I didn’t feel we were time-wasting, we just tried to play the game, but it was clear as the game passed by that a draw was the best possible result for us,” the Dutchman said in his post-match press conference in Paris.
The Reds, on the other hand, who remain among the favourites for European glory come the end of the season, will no doubt feel safe in the knowledge that Anfield could present a completely different challenge for their opponents. They have only lost once at home under Jurgen Klopp’s predecessor, and the hallowed turf very often has a way of swallowing up even the most confident players in the world on such big occasions.
