Harvey Elliott delivered a stunning impact off the bench, scoring with his first touch in the 87th minute to secure Liverpool a surprising 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 showdown on Wednesday. The young substitute, who had just replaced Mohamed Salah, latched onto a Darwin Nunez assist to seal a dramatic win for Arne Slot’s side in Paris.
The result was a classic smash-and-grab for Liverpool, who had been thoroughly outplayed by a rampant PSG side until Elliott’s late heroics. The hosts saw a first-half goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ruled out for a tight offside call, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker produced a string of exceptional saves to keep PSG’s 28 shots at bay—compared to Liverpool’s mere two efforts on goal. “To come away with a win here was probably more than we deserved,” Slot admitted to TNT Sports. Alisson echoed the sentiment, calling it “probably the performance of my life.”
Salah, meanwhile, had been largely invisible, and it seemed Liverpool were on track to be shut out for only the fourth time this season. Now, however, they head back to Anfield with a slender lead and renewed confidence. Should they advance next week, a quarter-final clash with either Aston Villa or Club Brugge awaits—though PSG’s display suggests they’ll pose a significant threat in the return leg. “I’m still optimistic,” PSG midfielder Vitinha told Canal Plus. “We’d have been more than deserving winners with our performance. Goals decide games, but playing like this brings us closer. I’m confident we’ll show the same spirit in Liverpool and win.”
PSG, under Luis Enrique, entered the match in scintillating form, boasting 10 consecutive wins and 21 goals in their previous five Champions League matches. Yet this outing resembled their earlier struggles in the competition, when they faltered against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich, failing to convert dominance into goals. January signing Kvaratskhelia, preferred over teenage talent Desire Doue, joined Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele in a lively front three. Liverpool, missing Cody Gakpo, handed Diogo Jota his first Champions League start since October 2.
Billed as potentially Liverpool’s sternest test of the season, the match lived up to its billing for much of the night. PSG have evolved from a team reliant on a few marquee forwards into a relentless, cohesive unit of energetic young stars, driven by their fiery Spanish manager. Despite their control, however, Elliott’s late strike gave Liverpool the edge in this gripping tie.
