Arne Slot's tactical changes fail as PSG outclass Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot applauds the fans. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

PSG 2 Liverpool 0

THE French have a phrase for Liverpool's backs-to-the-wall attempts to halt Paris St Germain at the Parc des Princes - betonner.

That's roughly translated to 'parking the bus' as the unfamiliar sight of Arne Slot employing a back-five in an effort to blunt the free-scoring European Champions proved to be a qualified success.

A two-goal deficit into Tuesday's second leg is far from a disaster, and although the holders will be strong favourites to progress to the last four, stranger things have happened under the lights at Anfield.

PSG's goals came early from Desire Doue, before a 27-pass move for the second from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after the break as the red wall buckled but refused to collapse on a testing night in the French capital.

A concentration on defence of course brings consequences further forward, as Liverpool failed to have a shot on target in registering a fourth consecutive away defeat.

It could have been worse had Ousmane Dembele's fierce late drive found the net rather than thudding back off the post, but four days on from their humiliation at the hands of Manchester City, a modicum of pride was restored.

PSG's wonderfully interchangeable style can make it akin to attempting to herd cats in trying to stop Luis Enrique's side. Such was their positional fluidity, you half expected goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to pop up on the right flank at some point.

On more than one occasion right-back Achraf Hakimi found himself marauding down the left but despite a shaky start, Liverpool are still in the tie.

Slot had employed this formation just once before in a 3-0 League Cup defeat at Crystal Palace six months ago and it took a little over 10 minutes for his side to ship the first goal at a venue where it probably wasn't advisable to be trying out an unfamiliar tactical approach.

Liverpool had barely been out of their own half when they fell behind in unfortunate circumstances after a move was started and finished by Doue at the outset of a half where the hosts enjoyed almost three-quarters of the possession but found the net just once to reward their dominance.

After a mistake from Ibrahima Konate, the young Frenchman picked up the ball on the left-hand side of the penalty box and despite being surrounded by four red shirts, he managed to curl a shot towards goal which took a hefty deflection off Ryan Gravenberch to loop beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Liverpool's keeper proved more effective in beating out another deflected shot, this time from his compatriot Kvaratskhelia as the hosts probed for a second goal.

It almost arrived 10 minutes before the interval when another wonderfully inventive move again left Konate trailing to fashion space in the box for Doue, who with just Mamardashvili to beat saw his tame effort from 12 yards blocked by the imposing Georgian.

Another show-boating session from the hosts which included Joao Neves deftly and deliberately using his shoulder to find a team-mate with the ball resulted in an effortless six-pass move releasing Dembele in the area - who spurned a goal of the season contender with a weak finish which rolled apologetically straight to the increasingly over-worked Mamardashvili.

Dembele was equally wasteful after the break when after Alexis Mac Allister surrendered possession in a dangerous area, the unmarked Paris forward fired over from a dozen yards in another major let-off for Slot's side.

Kvaratskhelia showed his team-mate how it should be done to finally double the advantage just after the hour.

After patient build-up where the passess just kept on coming, the culmination had uncomfortable parallels with the two soft second-half goals conceded against City at the weekend.

A ball-watching Gravenberch failed to track the Georgian's run into the area before a combination of sublime control and a cool head in front of goal allowed the Paris forward to virtually walk the ball into the net from close range to give the scoreline a more realistic look given the direction of play.

VAR intervened shortly afterwards to help Liverpool prevent the floodgates from opening when Konate's challenge on Doue, initially given as a penalty, was overturned on review.

The visitors almost made the most of their escape when a swift counter attack saw a shot from Florian Witrz which looked pretty adjacent to goal blocked by a defender in a rare forward foray as Liverpool hung on to retain hope of pulling off another Anfield Houdini act next week.

PSG (4-3-3): Safonov 6; Hakimi 7, Marquinhos 7, Pacho 7, Mendes 7; Zaire-Emery 7, Vitinha 6, Joao Neves 7; Doue 7 (Kang In 78, 6), Dembele 5 (Hernandez 88, 6), Kvaratskhelia 8.

Liverpool (5-3-2): Mamardashvili 6; Frimpong 6 (Nyoni 90, 5), Konate 5, van Dijk 6, Gomez 5, Kerkez 6 (Robertson 78, 6); Szoboszlai 6 (Jones 78, 6), Gravenberch 5, MacAllister 5; Ekitike 5, Wirtz 6 (Isak 78, 6).

Referee: Jose Sanchez.