Liverpool hardly laid a glove on Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, as PSG comfortably ran out 2-0 victors in the first leg of two Champions League quarter-final showdowns.
Heading into the game, the worry would have been that the Reds would be on the receiving end of another pummeling, akin to their 4-0 loss in the FA Cup to Manchester City.
Thankfully, when push came to shove, Liverpool didn’t get completely humiliated on their travels to France, but ultimately, this shows how far the mighty have fallen in such a short span of time.
Just last season, the Reds gave PSG a great game on their own soil, as a narrow 1-0 victory was secured.
Now, they are just thankful they haven’t been a whipping boy, with Slot having to stomach four away-day defeats in a row at the Parc Des Princes, which is the first time Liverpool has lost four on the bounce – away from Anfield – since 2012.
In the grand scheme of things, there is still plenty to play for in the second leg.
But Liverpool will need to show far more cutting edge, and more defensive discipline to stand a chance.
Here are the ReadLiverpoolFC’s full-time ratings, as Slot’s men travel back to Merseyside, 17 defeats down for the season.
Giorgi Mamardashvili – 5
Mamardashvili cut a far more assured figure in the second half against Luis Enrique’s rampant side, after conceding Desire Doue’s long-range strike in the first 45 minutes.
He did end up leaking another goal, as his fellow Georgian compatriot Khvicha Kvaratskhelia beat him with a sumptuous solo goal, but it wasn’t a completely embarrassing performance from the stand-in number 25.
Jeremie Frimpong – 4
Frimpong was ineffective throughout, as PSG sealed a relatively straightforward win on their own patch.
Failing to win a single duel or tackle, it will be intriguing to see if Slot sticks by the quiet number 30, as Liverpool welcome Fulham next at Anfield in Premier League action.
Ibrahima Konate – 4
Konate is likely to be retained for the game with the Cottagers, as he has been a staple of Slot’s defensive lineup this campaign.
But, despite being a favourite of his manager, the Frenchman was ropey back in his native country, as he failed to cut out the through ball that allowed Kvaratskhelia to casually make it 2-0.
Virgil Van Dijk – 4
Likewise, Van Dijk might be an ever-present member of the Dutchman’s backline, usually, but he suffered from a rough night at the Parc Des Princes.
Unusually sheepish when trying to close down Doue’s opener, the Liverpool captain failed to lead by example, again.
Joe Gomez – 5
The last of the three centre-backs chosen to try to thwart the mighty PSG attack was Gomez.
He wasn’t up for this challenge at all, with only one duel won across a shaky night for the London-born defender.
Receiving a yellow card, too, he just couldn’t lay a glove on the likes of the tricky Kvaratskhelia.
Milos Kerkez – 5
Unlike Frimpong down the right flank, who receded into his shell the more the one-sided game went on, Kerkez did grow somewhat into the contest after an unremarkable opening 45.
It was far from the Hungarian at his best, which saw him bag an instinctive equaliser against Brighton and Hove Albion last month, but he did get stuck in with four duels bravely won.
Ultimately, though, he didn’t do enough to stop the likes of Desire Doue bombing forward with confidence.
Ryan Gravenberch – 5
Gravenberch couldn’t follow up his goal against Galatasaray in the last 16 of the Champions League with another memorable effort in Paris.
But, he did show off glimpses of his quality on the ball by amassing 24 accurate passes.
Winning all 100% of his duels, too, he will be hopeful that the goals and assists start flowing on his end, again, as Liverpool tries to overturn this narrow defeat at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 5
Szoboszlai was way off his creative peak at the Parc Des Princes.
Usually calm and controlled when picking out a killer pass, the number eight – who has 20 goal contributions this season in all competitions – would, unfortunately, give the ball away a haphazard 14 times versus Luis Enrique’s comfortable hosts.
Failing to fire a single shot at Matvey Safonov’s goal, much like Gravenberch, it wasn’t a shock when he was substituted off, towards the latter stages of the clash.
Alexis Mac Allister – 4
Mac Allister somehow survived longer than his midfield counterpart, despite offering even less than Szoboszlai in the attacking areas.
He did see a shot blocked, but he would regularly find himself out of the general flow of the contest, with only 40 touches accumulated.
Florian Wirtz – 6
Many might criticise Wirtz – at the close of the clash in the French capital – for finding himself too in and out of the game.
When he was involved, before Alexander Isak took his place, he did cause PSG some headaches, with three tricky dribbles registered, and one shot amassed, which was blocked by the home side’s defence.
With the game more in Liverpool’s favour during the second leg, as the magic of Anfield hopefully bears fruit, he could be a difference maker in a comeback being on the cards.
Hugo Ekitike – 4
Ekitike might not be around to see the start of the second leg, if his drab performance on Wednesday evening is anything to go by.
Eager to prove a point to his ex-employers, the Frenchman – instead – handed Enrique and Co. plenty of ammunition as to why they got rid, as he managed just one lacklustre shot, averaged a clumsy 57% pass accuracy, and was hauled off with 12 minutes of normal time left for Cody Gakpo to gain a run-out.
Substitutes
Alexander Isak – 5
Isak’s long-awaited return to the Liverpool first team fold should be met with widespread jubilation, as the Reds’ record signing is back to gift Slot and Co. something fresh up top.
He didn’t offer up much from his late cameo here, though, as the returning Swede only mustered up a forgettable three touches.
Curtis Jones – 5
Jones hardly set the world alight, either, when he was gifted 12 minutes of action late on, as his standout moment came when he won one ground duel.
Other than that, he only got on the ball a handful of times as a weak replacement for Szoboszlai.
Cody Gakpo – 4
Slot would have had his fingers crossed that Gakpo could inject some life into Liverpool’s flat attack late on, next to Isak returning from injury.
Instead, the ex-PSV Eindhoven forward operated in much the same drab way that Ekitike did, with zero shots registered, as PSG never looked in danger of relinquishing their clean sheet.
Andy Robertson – 5
Robertson has played in his fair share of Champions League classics with Liverpool.
This 2-0 defeat was, obviously, not of those, but the much-loved Glaswegian did apply himself well in bursts, as a late replacement for Kerkez.
Trey Nyoni – N/A
Nyoni was barely on the pitch when he came on right at the end of the game for Frimpong, so it feels a tad harsh to rate him.
He might well have warranted a longer run-out, as the Dutchman somehow survived right until the 90th minute – despite his poor individual showing – before being hauled off for the Reds youngster.
