Ian Wright and Gary Neville are both in agreement that the atmosphere at Anfield wasn’t at its best during the game that saw PSG knock Liverpool out of the Champions League this week.
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones both missed during the penalty shootout after PSG had won 1-0 in normal time to force an extra half an hour. That meant the sides couldn’t be separated over the course of the tie.
While penalties are always a cruel way to lose, Liverpool couldn’t really argue with going out. Over the two legs, PSG was the better side and deserved to progress. It will face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals before potentially playing either Real Madrid or Arsenal in the semi-finals.
“I thought [Liverpool’s atmosphere at PSG] was one of those, usually even when the opposing team at Liverpool do well, they crank it up,” Wright said on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet. “I didn’t think the atmosphere was great there.”
“A lot of people know a lot more about Liverpool than me,” Neville added. “But there is a suggestion from hardcore fans that the atmosphere has softened a bit in the last few years with different types of fans coming in, and the ground getting bigger.”
Harvey Elliott’s goal had won the away leg for Liverpool before the Reds ended up crashing out. Had there been a fifth Liverpool penalty on the night, it would have been the number 19 who stepped up.
(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
“Sometimes I think there’s an acceptable way to go out of Europe, and I was really impressed by PSG,” Neville continued. “I remember with Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp around 10 years ago, they were a young, hungry team who were playing good football. It was an acceptable way to go out.”
Liverpool has Newcastle United next in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. It is also 15 points clear at the summit of the Premier League table.
“I just want to congratulate PSG and wish them all the best,” Virgil van Dijk told reporters post-match. “We have 10 more games now I think and we will give it everything and hopefully we can celebrate something very nice.”
Liverpool.com says: The atmosphere was perhaps not the best ever in Europe but it was a good level of support for the team. There was plenty of noise, particularly from The Kop. There seems to be a conversation happening about the noise levels at Anfield at the moment as part of the wider ticketing and access issues. This game, though, is certainly not the best example of it being quiet.
