Liverpool claimed a fortunate victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, with Harvey Elliott scoring a late goal to secure a 1-0 win.
The Premier League leaders were incredibly lucky to go into half-time level, having conceded numerous excellent chances to their opponents. Additionally, Ibrahima Konate narrowly avoided a red card after pushing Bradley Barcola from behind while being the last defender.
PSG continued to pressure the Liverpool goal throughout the second half but were left shocked when Elliott found the net in the 87th minute.
There has been much debate about which of the two European powerhouses was favored heading into this match, but it was the hosts who started the game more brightly. Ousmane Dembélé’s remarkable run down the right side set the stage for an early warning, but Joao Neves misplayed the ball, allowing Liverpool to escape unscathed.
As the first half progressed, PSG dominated and created several scoring opportunities. However, VAR intervened to save Liverpool in the 20th minute when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s stunning goal was disallowed for a marginal offside, with the Georgian’s left heel just beyond the Reds’ defense.
Despite PSG’s territorial advantage, Liverpool found some moments of encouragement on the counter-attack. The Reds pushed forward with impressive numbers but lacked the finishing touch, failing to trouble Gianluigi Donnarumma with their inaccurate passes.
Ultimately, Liverpool broke through against the run of play. After Alisson made yet another remarkable save at the other end, the Reds capitalized on one of their counter-attacks. Substitutes Darwin Núñez and Elliott combined effectively, with Núñez setting up Elliott, who then fired the ball into the far corner, securing a dramatic win to take back to Anfield for next week’s second leg.
