Liverpool’s Champions League dreams came to a crushing end on Tuesday night after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield.
Manager Arne Slot described the last-16 clash as the “best game” he had ever been part of, but admitted his side ultimately “ran out of luck” in the decisive moments.
PSG, who had dominated the first leg but arrived trailing 1-0 after Harvey Elliott’s late winner in Paris, turned the tables early as Ousmane Dembélé fired them ahead in the 12th minute.
Despite Liverpool’s relentless attacking display, they failed to convert key chances, forcing the game to penalties. Gianluigi Donnarumma emerged as the hero, saving spot-kicks from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones as PSG triumphed 4-1 in the shootout.
“It was an incredible performance, especially compared to last week,” Slot reflected. “We were creating chances, but we just ran out of luck.”
Liverpool had topped the new-look Champions League group stage with an unbeaten run, but Slot questioned the format’s fairness after drawing an in-form PSG so early in the knockout rounds.
“If you have to go out, go out like we did—fighting against one of the best teams in Europe,” he added.
Liverpool now shift their focus back to the Premier League title race, while PSG march on in their quest for European glory.
