Harvey Elliott needed only forty-seven seconds on the pitch to turn the tide in a Champions League match Liverpool had no right to win. With Paris Saint-Germain dominant, Alisson defiant, and Arne Slot’s side clinging on, the substitute’s first touch stunned the Parc des Princes, snatching a priceless 1-0 win for the Premier League leaders.
It was a night defined by resilience. PSG, on a 10-game winning streak, had Liverpool on the ropes from the outset. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia saw an early goal ruled out for a marginal offside, while Ibrahima Konaté escaped a VAR review after clashing with Bradley Barcola. Luis Enrique’s men dictated the tempo, weaving intricate attacks, forcing Liverpool deeper, and testing Alisson time and again.
The Brazilian goalkeeper delivered one of his finest performances in a Liverpool shirt. He thwarted Kvaratskhelia in a one-on-one, stretched to deny Desire Doue’s curling effort, and stood firm under relentless pressure. PSG created enough chances to win comfortably, but Alisson refused to be beaten. Liverpool, against all odds, reached the final moments still level.
Then came the twist. Darwin Núñez, a player under scrutiny after recent criticism from Slot, made an instant impact from the bench. Winning a long ball in the PSG half, he spotted Elliott’s late surge and played an inch-perfect pass. The 20-year-old took it in stride, unleashed a precise strike, and sent the traveling Liverpool fans into delirium.
Liverpool had been second-best in every department. Their midfield was outmaneuvered, their forwards starved of service, and their defence stretched to its limit. Yet, somehow, they escaped with an advantage heading into the second leg at Anfield.
Luis Enrique’s PSG will feel aggrieved. They had controlled the game, pressed with intensity, and created enough openings to put the tie to bed. But in football, dominance without ruthlessness can be punished—and Liverpool delivered the perfect sucker punch.
Slot acknowledged the scale of the challenge post-match. “They’d won 10 in a row, scoring at will. We had to defend like we did tonight. Now we need our fans at Anfield to help us finish the job.”
Elliott’s moment of magic and Alisson’s heroics alongside a slim lead are the huge positives Liverpool take back to Anfield. But PSG will arrive with fire in their eyes, knowing they have unfinished business.
