March 06, (THEWILL) – Liverpool earned a narrow 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg, thanks to Harvey Elliott’s late goal and an exceptional performance from goalkeeper Alisson Becker. The win gives the Merseyside club a valuable advantage heading into the return fixture at Anfield.
PSG dominated the opening exchanges, with Bradley Barcola and Fabián Ruiz both coming close before Ousmane Dembele created opportunities for João Neves and himself. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia thought he had broken the deadlock, but his effort was ruled out for a marginal offside. The French champions continued to apply pressure, with Achraf Hakimi and Kvaratskhelia testing Alisson from distance.
The Liverpool goalkeeper proved instrumental throughout the match, making a string of important saves to deny Kvaratskhelia multiple times before and after the interval. PSG maintained their offensive approach in the second half, with substitute Desire Doue forcing another outstanding stop from the Brazilian shot-stopper, who also dealt effectively with Dembélé’s dangerous delivery.
Against the run of play, Liverpool struck the decisive blow when Darwin Nunez found substitute Elliott, who beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with his first touch just 47 seconds after entering the field. The goal not only provided Liverpool with a lead to defend in the second leg but also ended PSG’s impressive 22-game unbeaten run and halted their scoring streak that had extended to 20 consecutive matches.
Both teams return to domestic action this weekend, where they each hold commanding 13-point leads in their respective leagues. The return leg at Anfield will determine which side advances to the quarter-finals of European football’s premier club competition, with Liverpool now holding a slender but significant advantage following their performance in the French capital.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
