TNT Sports
Arne Slot rues Liverpool defeat to Paris Saint-Germain after ‘unfair’ UEFA Champions League draw
By
Updated 12/03/2025 at 00:22 GMT
Liverpool succumbed to a 4-1 defeat on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain in their round-of-16 UEFA Champions League second leg at Anfield on Tuesday evening, and manager Arne Slot praised his players before acknowledging that their maybe their luck ran out against the French champions after a thrilling two ties. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wanted to look ahead to the League Cup final.
Highlights: Liverpool crash out of Europe as Donnarumma heroics send PSG through
Video credit: TNT Sports
Arne Slot said his Liverpool side "maybe ran out of luck" against Paris Saint-Germain after their UEFA Champions League elimination on penalties at Anfield on Tuesday.
The Reds lost 1-0 in regulation time, and with the scores at 1-1 on aggregate, the game moved onto extra time and then to a shootout.
PSG held their nerve and went through 4-1 after their respective spot-kicks, meaning they set up a quarter-final tie against the winner of Aston Villa v Club Brugge, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Wednesday evening.
Both legs produced superb football from potentially the two best teams in Europe at the moment, with both sides topping their domestic league tables.
Speaking after the match, Slot praised his side for their efforts, but after something of a smash-and-grab victory last week, he thought they were unfortunate this time around.
He said: "It was the best game of football I was ever involved in. Incredible performance, especially if you compare it with last week. We were creating chances, and then we were 1-0 down. Maybe we ran out of luck after last week.
- Man Utd unveil plans for new 100,000-seater stadium
- What are the biggest wins in UEFA Champions League history?
- QUIZ: How much do you remember of Madrid derbies in the Champions League?
"For me, it felt like we deserved more than being 1-0 down. We played the perfect game except for scoring a goal. It was similar to PSG last week, where they played the perfect game. And then in extra time they were maybe a little bit better.
"It came down to penalties and we, as Dutch, know how to lose them.
"For now, everyone should be disappointed ... I know these players, they’re resilient. It had everyone you wanted from a game. From a Liverpool perspective, we could have at least wanted a draw after 90 minutes."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/03/11/4108125-83300148-2560-1440.jpg)
Dembele grabs 'critical' early goal for PSG
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Liverpool manager reflected on the fact that Liverpool topping the league format phase had given them such a tough opponent early on in the knockouts.
He added: "It feels unfair that we topped the table and then faced such a strong team as PSG. We now have a League Cup final and nine Premier League games to go."
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was equally downbeat, and he also felt the performance had been generally better than their showing in France.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/03/11/4108178-83301208-2560-1440.jpg)
Watch moment PSG knocked Liverpool out of Champions League
Video credit: TNT Sports
He said: "It was a totally different Liverpool to what we showed in Paris. But penalties … that is the reality.
"I think even in the first half we created dangerous moments. But it came down to penalties. We were pretty good today. You want to go as far as possible."
He concluded by looking forward to the weekend’s League Cup match against Newcastle, saying: "The focus will now be on recovery. Because everyone has to be at their very best against Newcastle. I am looking forward to it."
Stream the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Thoughts?
Related Matches
Advertisement
Advertisement