The curtain raiser for the 2018/19 Champions League lived up to all of the hype as the Reds fended off the Parisians in a five-goal thriller to secure all three points. The Reds opened the scoring on the half-hour mark when Daniel Sturridge peeled off Marquinhos to head home a cross from left-back Andrew Robertson, with his counterpart on the opposite side Trent Alexander Arnold also involved in the build-up to the goal.
Six minutes after Liverpool’s opener came a chance to put clear daylight between themselves and PSG, as Georginio Wijnaldum earnt a penalty after some clumsy defending from former Bayern Munich left-back Juan Bernat. The increasingly likeable and respected James Milner doubled the Reds’ advantage over their French opponents, despite Alphonse Areola diving the right way. PSG, however, found a route back into the game five minutes from the end of the first half as Thomas Meunier struck a fierce shot into Alisson’s bottom left corner to give the Parisian’s a lifeline.
The Merseyside club was good value for their lead and spurned several opportunities to go further ahead; something which proved costly as Kylian Mbappe equalised for the Ligue 1 outfit seven minutes from time after a wayward pass from Mohammed Salah. The Anfield faithful, however, roared on and the team kept pressing with substitute Roberto Firmino scoring a winner in the dying moments of the game to give Liverpool a 3-2 victory.
3 Liverpool would have drawn this sort of game last season
With only a couple of minutes left to go before the final whistle, Liverpool looked to have been heading for a repeat of last season’s 2-2 draw against Sevilla, where they failed to take their chances and ultimately let the 2-1 lead slip from their grasp. The Merseysiders had 24 shots compared to Sevilla’s seven, with the Spaniard outfit only managing two shots on target during the entire game.
This game followed a near identical pattern with Liverpool amassing 17 shots, compared to the 9 totalled up by Thomas Tuchel’s men, with the home side also dominant on the possession front. The Reds showed more grit and steel this time around, refusing to back down despite squandering a comfortable two-goal advantage as Jurgen Klopp’s side took the initiative in the closing stages to try and wrestle back the three points.
The substitution of Daniel Sturridge for Brazilian international Roberto Firmino was logical, with both strikers adding their name to the scoresheet in Liverpool’s victory. Jurgen Klopp now has a prolific goalscorer in Firmino and a worthy alternative in Daniel Sturridge, with Roberto Firmino, finally looking like a real goal scorer and Sturridge back to full health.
2 The Reds have made life easier for themselves in the following group stage games
Although Thomas Tuchel’s side looked laboured and lethargic throughout the ninety minutes, they still caused Liverpool real danger and were only moments from snatching a crucial point. Italian outfit Napoli will also prove a tough test for the Reds, with the side from Naples causing problems for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in both meetings during the group stage despite succumbing to City both times.
The double loss of Jorginho and manager Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea did rock the Napoli boat, as former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti took over the reigns during the summer. The away tie in Paris, therefore, looks the most daunting task of them all but this win could simplify their task significantly, with PSG possibly having to gamble to earn three points in the reverse fixture. The onus is now on the Parsian’s given this opening day loss, which could result in them landing a harder tie in the last sixteen, should they finish runners-up.
1 Liverpool now have a diverse range of options in midfield
Many Liverpool fans went to social media to express their surprise at the exclusion of summer signing Naby Keita, with Jordan Henderson replacing him in midfield. The decision to take the former Leipzig man out of the starting eleven and give Henderson the nod was a sign of Jurgen Klopp’s tactical nous and his understanding of the opposition.
Paris-Saint Germain are used to having the majority of possession against teams in Ligue 1, as most teams in the French top division look to neutralise the firepower of the frontline worth nearly half a billion pounds. One of Liverpool’s greatest strengths, however, involves pressing and winning the ball high up the pitch in order to start building attacks of their own; a tactic PSG usually do not have to deal with and counter. The decision to pick the more athletic and robust Henderson over the more technically gifted Keita made sense, as the England international won the ball back several times during the match.