Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs PSG as Alexis Mac Allister and 3 more impress

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool knocked PSG out on penalties after an intense and closely fought second leg against the Ligue 1 giant at Anfield, with Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones missing the decisive kicks in the shootout.

With a one-goal lead from the first leg thanks to Alisson Becker’s heroics and Harvey Elliott’s late strike, Liverpool was in a position to hold what it had to some degree. It was all the more ironic, therefore, given the first leg, that PSG scored early on through Ousmane Dembele when the Reds were thoroughly on top.

PSG came more into the game after going ahead and by the break, it was an even encounter. Either side could have won it, but neither did; instead, there was the lottery of penalties.

Winners

Alexis Mac Allister was excellent in the center of the pitch, snapping into tackles and driving the team forward, though he didn’t get much from the referee Istvan Kovacs. The Argentine rose to the occasion with a battling performance and others like Dominik Szoboszlai and Andy Robertson brought a lot of energy to the table as well. It was a battle and they fought.

Losers

There was no one in a Liverpool shirt who was uncharacteristically poor and everyone stood up to the occasion. Robertson and Virgil van Dijk could probably have done better for the opening goal but there was a lot of space in behind because of how high the Reds were pressing and PSG did well to take advantage. Trent Alexander-Arnold was excellent but came off injured.

Player ratings

Alisson Becker (8). The only reason the tie was still alive in the second game was the Brazilian’s perfect performance in the Parc des Princes. It took just 12 minutes for PSG to score here, but there was nothing he could do about it. Soon after, he made an important stop from Bradley Barcola. He made a couple of top saves, including low from Dembele in extra time.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (8). He knocked a few dangerous balls down the line and into the PSG box and stood up well against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the exceptional Georgian winger. Hit the post early in the second half and was really demanding the ball and making decisive actions with it at his feet as he drove the team forward. Came off injured on 72 minutes.

Ibrahima Konate (7). PSG would argue (probably correctly, to a large extent) that the French defender should have been sent off in the first leg. He could perhaps have done better with the Dembele opener on the night, though he had to do something to stop the low cross.

Virgil van Dijk (7). Front-footed and aggressive, this was a man determined to leave a mark on the game, especially early on. He was left exposed whenever PSG played through the intense Liverpool press but he usually managed to deal with the significant threat (just about; there was a fine line being trodden at times). There was just too much space for him to fill for the Dembele goal.

Andy Robertson (7). On his 31st birthday, the Scotland captain was full of energy down the left flank early on, though he faded a little. He took a few chances with pressing very high and leaving gaps (the opening goal, for instance), but this was one of his better performances this season.

Ryan Gravenberch (7). Once or twice, he was caught out of position because of the high nature of the Liverpool press. That was a tactical risk but one worth taking. On the ball, he was his usual self. He also saved a certain goal with an unbelievable block before half-time when Kvaratskhelia’s shot was heading in.

Alexis Mac Allister (8). He pressed like Dominik Szoboszlai and he flew into tackles like a man possessed at times. There was one dribble, in particular, with a deft drop of the shoulder, that Luis Diaz would have been proud of. He was everywhere, and he almost always made the right pass. Booked for bringing down Dembele.

Dominik Szoboszlai (7). There was never any doubt that he would start, even though he was brought off at half-time during the Premier League game with Southampton at the weekend. From the off, his only mode was ‘sprint’. Needed a bit more in the final third.

Mohamed Salah (6). Kept quiet in the first half of the tie by the Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes, Salah played like a man with a point to prove at the start of this game. Within five minutes, he had done more than in the entire first leg, twisting Mendes inside and out. After that, though, he slowed down a little and then a lot. He was involved, but he wasn’t making the right decisions or finding the right pass.

Diogo Jota (6). Selected ahead of Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, the Portugal forward never stopped running. He pressed and ran and harried like he had unlimited energy first half and then it caught up with his body in the second. He brought his teammates into play well and was the right choice at number nine until he tired and was replaced by Nunez.

Luis Diaz (7). Given the nod in his favored role, this was a big chance to impress and he took it. The Colombian was beating his man for fun at times, though there wasn’t always end product from him. Some of his crosses into the box should have been made more dangerous by players getting on the end of them.

Substitutes

Darwin Nunez (6). Many would have started the Uruguayan because of his physical abilities and speed to get in behind. Jota was the right pick to begin with but it was absolutely the right time to bring Nunez on. A couple of times, he made bizarre decisions, like leaving the ball for Diaz at the very last second, allowing it to run out for a goal kick. Poor penalty in the shootout.

Jarell Quansah (7). On for the injured Alexander-Arnold, he was never going to replicate the driving ability that the Liverpool number 66 offers, but needs must. He did really well to get up to speed straight away in what was a remarkably fast game.

Curtis Jones (6). It was not a surprise that he came on, but it was that he replaced Mac Allister. The Argentine was impressive, and can take a good penalty too. On a booking, though, Jones was tasked with doing the same role. Like Quansah, he did well to adjust to the pace of the game but did give possession away dangerously a couple of times. Not a good penalty.

Cody Gakpo, Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo all came on during extra time. They entered the field too late to earn a rating.