Liverpool 0-1 PSG (AGG: 1-1) (1-4 pens): Arne Slot’s side CRASH OUT of Champions League on penalties as Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones miss spot kicks

So many of the great European nights at Anfield seem to be drawn inexorably towards Liverpool’s glory, as if Bill Shankly’s old claim about the Kop being able to suck the ball into the net always comes true when the European Cup and the Champions League comes to the banks of the Mersey.

The Luis Garcia ghost goal against Chelsea in 2005, Steven Gerrard against Olympiakos earlier that season, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick corner and Divock Origi’s goal against Barcelona in 2019 and back to David Fairclough against St Etienne in 1977, they are all woven into the club’s legend.

This time, it was different. It was another fantastic night of football, a game so intense and unforgiving played in a raucous, desperate atmosphere that it felt like a classic. Nights like this usually end with Liverpool winning. Liverpool fought valiantly but this time, PSG were simply too good.

Alisson had saved Liverpool in the Parc des Princes last Wednesday when a string of brilliant stops kept his team in the game and allowed them to snatch a late winner. But he could not save them on Wednesday night. It was another goalkeeper who was the hero.

When the game went to penalties, Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two of Liverpool’s and Alisson could not get close to PSG’s. 

The shoot-out went like this: Vitinha scored, Mo Salah scored, Goncalo Ramos, who had come on a minute from the end of extra time, scored, Darwin Nunez’s kick was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ousmane Dembele scored, Curtis Jones’ kick was saved by Donnarumma, Desire Doue scored. And it was over.

It was the first time Liverpool had been knocked out at Anfield after winning the first leg of a European tie and the first time a French club had ever won a knock-out game here.

It was also the first time Liverpool had lost a penalty shoot-out in this competition. They beat Roma in the 1984 European Cup Final, they beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final and they beat Chelsea on pens in the 2007 semi-finals. They could not repeat it here.

Liverpool were outplayed in the first half but dominated the game in the second and then both sides ran themselves to a standstill. They will have to try to pick themselves up for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday but Newcastle United, their opponents at Wembley, will have watched as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate limped off injured and hope will have risen in their hearts.

Both sides fielded unchanged starting line-ups from the teams that ran out at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday but it seemed initially that this was going to be a different game. In the opening exchanges, PSG did not have it all their own way. Liverpool tore into every challenge and closed their opponents down as if everything depended on it right from the first kick.

They should have taken the lead in the fourth minute. Dominik Szoboszlai made a brilliant run down the inside left channel and found Alexis Mac Allister. Mac Allister squared into the path of Mo Salah and it seemed Salah must score but his goalbound shot was deflected over the bar by a superb intervention from Nuno Mendes.

All the pressure came from Liverpool in the first ten minutes. PSG could barely breathe. Liverpool pressed them so hard that PSG misplaced passes or were forced to clear the ball into touch. Salah had another chance but curled his shot just wide.

Then PSG scored and everything changed. Dembele picked up a ball from Nuno Mendes in an ocean of space in midfield and ran at the Liverpool defence. He passed inside the full-back to Bradley Barcola who crossed into the six-yard box.

It sowed confusion. Ibrahima Konate stretched to reach it but in doing so, he only succeeded in wrong-footing Alisson and the ball bounced slowly towards goal. Dembele hurdled both of them and tapped the ball into the empty net.

PSG’s staff leapt off their bench as one and their fans in the Anfield Road end, where the goal had been scored, roared their delight. A few minutes later, they nearly went two goals up.

Alexander-Arnold was dispossessed near half-way, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played a sweet ball through the Liverpool defence to put Barcola through on goal but Barcola’s shot was weak and Alisson smothered it.

Liverpool dominated possession but PSG wasted another golden opportunity after half an hour. Mac Allister was caught on the ball and Dembele raced through on goal.

But his second touch was heavy and it allowed Alisson to get to the ball first and gather it safely. Liverpool knew they had had a lucky escape.

And then there was another one. Dembele sprinted free down the right and cut the ball back for Kvaratskhelia, who had time to pick his spot. 

His shot was heading goalwards when it clipped the knee of Virgil van Dijk and flew just over the bar.

Liverpool looked bewildered, powerless to stop PSG slicing through their midfield. Just like last week, PSG were making them look distinctly second-best. 

As the PSG fans bounced in unison behind the goal, Dembele cut in from the right and his left foot shot deflected off Mac Allister and spun in an arc over Alisson but just wide of the post.

Liverpool thought they had equalised nine minutes into the second half when a frantic passage of play saw Gianluigi Donnarumma beat out a piledriver from Alexander-Arnold, Alexander-Arnold hit the post with the follow-up and then square for Szoboszlai to score. But Luis Diaz had strayed offside right at the start of the move.

Liverpool rallied. The crowd sensed new encouragement. Diaz rose at the near post to glance a fine header down and bouncing towards goal. 

As Liverpool fans rose to acclaim the goal, Donnarumma hurled his giant frame across goal and clawed the ball away with his right hand in the nick of time.

Diaz should have scored when Salah, who had finally burst into life, set him up with a golden chance but he lacked the confidence to shoot first time and the chance disappeared. 

PSG were defending for their lives. Salah volleyed goalwards when a corner was glanced on to him but Kvaratskhelia, of all people, kicked it off the line.

There was a pause in the frenzy when Alexander-Arnold dived into a tackle with Vitinha and appeared to catch his studs in the turf.

 His knee bent backwards and behind him under his body. It was clear straight away that he was in trouble and he was substituted for Jarell Quansah.

Darwin Nunez replaced Diogo Jota at the same time and Liverpool continued their assault on the PSG goal. 

Quansah headed against the inside of the post from a Robertson free kick before another offside flag went up. PSG offered little but Anfield knew the tie was still finely poised.

On cue, PSG got a late chance. The ball was worked to Kvaratskhelia on the left of the penalty area. He steadied himself and hit a curling shot over the arcing dive of Alisson but just too high. Extra time beckoned.

PSG began it more strongly. Nuno Mendes headed just wide, substitute Desire Doue curled an improvised shot inches the wrong side of Alisson’s right-hand post. 

After the break, Alisson conjured more memories of last week, diving low to his right to turn a shot from Dembele round the post. Dembele looked away in disbelief.

Neither side could find a way through after that. The scene was set for the shoot-out.