Arne Slot blamed his Dutch luck and Liverpool’s inability to score for their Champions League last-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool entered the match with a slender one-goal advantage, but could not grab another at Anfield and eventually went out on penalties.
Ousmane Dembele got the only goal of the second leg by finishing from close range, but after 120 minutes at home, Liverpool could not find a way past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper, who shone in another shoot-out on English soil, saved spot-kicks from Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to send the visitors into raptures, having knocked out another favourite to win the competition.
“Incredible performance,” Liverpool boss Slot reflected. “Especially if you compare it with last week. The first 25 minutes we were all over them, created chance after chance but then we went 1-0 down. It feels a bit unfair to go out in this round already if you were top of the table and face a team like PSG. Last week we had a bit of luck, we didn’t have it today.
“After 90 minutes it felt we deserved more than being 1-0 down. I was waiting for us to score. I don’t think the second half, apart from the last five minutes, when they threatened us once or twice. We played the perfect game except from scoring goals, it was the same for PSG last week when they played the perfect game and didn’t score and it happened to us today.
“It’s always difficult if you put so much effort in, for the first 25 minutes I’ve never seen them so aggressive and so intense as they were today, and then you look at the scoreboard and you’re 1-0 down, an unlucky goal as well. When you put in so much effort that’s sometimes difficult and in the end it comes down to penalties and we, as Dutch know how to lose [on penalties].
“It had everything you’d like to see from a football game. From a Liverpool perspective, you’d at least like to have a draw after 90 minutes but it came down to penalties.”
Slot’s opposite number Luis Enrique agreed with the Dutchman that neither teams deserved to exit the competition at this stage, adding: “Both of the teams deserve to go to the next phase.
“They play better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium showed great personality and character. We tried to play our best, but it was difficult as they’re so intense. Both teams deserve to qualify.
“The character and personality, even when we shoot at the penalty shootout they showed great character. I think it shows clearly the team we are. When the draw told us about the match against Liverpool and PSG. Both managers thought the same – one of the best matches you can watch in Europe. I think both teams were great.
“It is not about consistency you have to be great in specific moments. We suffered a lot in Paris, but football is in that way. Unfair at times. Today we were lucky, they hit the post a few times. Gigi [Donnarumma] was like Alisson in the first match.”