Liverpool substitute Harvey Elliott scored a dramatic last-minute goal just 47 seconds after coming on to secure a 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match on Wednesday. Despite being outplayed for much of the game, Liverpool clinched a fortunate win, with Elliott slotting in the 87th-minute goal after a layoff from fellow substitute Darwin Nunez.
The victory was scarcely deserved, as PSG dominated with 28 shots compared to Liverpool’s two, and goalkeeper Alisson made a series of spectacular saves to keep the visitors in the match.
“It’s probably a bit more than we deserved to get away with a win,” acknowledged Liverpool manager Slot. PSG, led by Luis Enrique, were left to rue missed opportunities and will face a tough challenge in the return leg at Anfield next Tuesday.
Midfielder Vitinha expressed confidence in PSG’s ability to bounce back, saying, “We’re going to show the team we are, we’re going to show our character. We’re going to win there.”
The aggregate winner will meet either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarterfinals.
PSG had a dominant start, with the first real chance coming in the 16th minute when Joao Neves blazed over from a cutback by Ousmane Dembele. The hosts were then denied by a VAR decision in the 20th minute, which ruled out a superb curled shot from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for offside.
Alisson was in brilliant form, making multiple saves throughout the match, including stopping a 25-meter strike from Neves and another save to deny Dembele.
In the second half, despite changes from Slot to shift momentum, PSG continued to press, but Alisson’s heroics kept Liverpool in the game. With time running out, Nunez won a long ball from Alisson and laid it off perfectly for Elliott, who calmly slotted it past PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“Without him [Alisson], I don’t know where we’d be,” Elliott remarked after the match.
Alisson, named man of the match, called it the performance of his life, adding, “We had to be ready to suffer… It was a tough night for us with a happy end. A great night for us.”
