Liverpool emerged as deserved winners in the Champions League on Tuesday night, as a late Roberto Firmino goal sealed a breathtaking 3-2 victory for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Liverpool were impressive from the start and deservedly took the lead when Andy Robertson's cross was headed past Alphone Areola into the net by Daniel Sturridge. Georginio Wijnaldum was then brought down in the penalty box, allowing the ever-reliable James Milner to score from the penalty spot.
Thomas Meunier pulled one back for the French giants just before half time, and it appeared as though Kylian Mbappe had stolen a point for a largely disappointing PSG side when he equalised late on. However, substitute Firmino's impressive strike ensured Liverpool took all three points.
Check out our breakdown of the game below.
LIVERPOOL
Key Talking Point
A lot has been said about Liverpool's depth in attack, and Jurgen Klopp's side were forced to prove some of this depth as Daniel Sturridge was preferred to a partially fit Roberto Firmino. Fortunately for Liverpool, Sturridge did not disappoint.
The Englishman's primary job was to score goals, and that is exactly what Sturridge did as he rose to convert an Andy Robertson cross after half an hour. He was not involved in much of Liverpool's attacking play but certainly proved that, from a purely footballing perspective, he is a reliable option in attack.
Match-winner Firmino will certainly return to the starting lineup, but Sturridge did his stock no harm with his performance tonight.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Alisson (6); Alexander-Arnold (7), Gomez (7), van Dijk (8), Robertson (8); Milner (9), Henderson (8), Wijnaldum (8); Salah (5), Mane (8), Sturridge (7).
Substitutes: Firmino (7), Shaqiri (6), Fabinho (N/A)
STAR MAN - James Milner
Once again, James Milner proved just how important he is to Liverpool. The 32-year-old has recently been playing some of the best football of his career, and he continued that trend with another spectacular performance tonight.
His stamina allowed him to make a huge impact at both ends of the field for Liverpool. Milner was responsible for disrupting PSG's attack on a number of occasions, and he was constantly turning defence into attack with many marauding runs from deep. He thoroughly deserved his goal from the penalty spot.
It was a fantastic display from Milner, and fans on Twitter were quick to praise the Englishman online.
Milner smashing Neymar is what it’s all about tbh
— Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) September 18, 2018
James Milner is the most under appreciated midfielder in Europe.
— Samue (@VintageSalah) September 18, 2018
milner just gets better with age
— rf (@morgangsimpson) September 18, 2018
James Milner has scored but, more than anything, he has been outstanding yet again so far tonight. Proof that if you look after yourself, work hard and listen to your manager, you can be brilliant deep into your career.
— Sachin Nakrani (@SachinNakrani) September 18, 2018
So many world class players on the pitch at Anfield tonight.
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) September 18, 2018
And what a privilege for them to learn from the great maestro himself, James Milner.
I said to Firmino Is that celebration because Vertonghen poked you in the eye at the weekend? He said Err, yes James. I said Yeah, I thought it was. He said Okay. I said No problem.
— Boring James Milner (@BoringMilner) September 18, 2018
WORST PLAYER - Mohamed Salah
Perhaps Salah was simply a victim of his own impeccably high standards, but the Egyptian looked a shell of the man who took the Premier League by storm last season. It seemed to be a constant string of mistakes from Salah, who was guilty of playing a poor pass which led to PSG's equaliser.
Not a night to remember for Liverpool's talisman.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Key Talking Point
Thomas Tuchel will undoubtedly be concerned by the performances of his attacking players. Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria all struggled to make a real impact on the game, leaving a determined Edinson Cavani completely isolated in attack.
The expensive duo of Neymar and Mbappe were almost constantly bested by Liverpool's defence and, despite managing to combine for PSG's equaliser, were certainly second-best far too often. The Brazilian was almost non-existent for large parts of the game, which is not good enough from the world's most expensive player.
Whatever Tuchel's plan was this evening, it clearly did not work, and PSG must find a way to get the best out of their stars on the European stage as soon as possible.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Areola (5); Meunier (7), Thiago Silva (6), Kimpembe (6), Bernat (5); Rabiot (6), Marquinhos (5), Di Maria (5); Mbappe (6), Neymar (6), Cavani (7).
Substitutes: Draxler (6), Choupo-Moting (6)
STAR MAN - Thomas Meunier
With PSG's heavy hitters struggling to get involved, Meunier took the chance to showcase his importance to the French champions. He was reliable defensively, but his presence was mainly felt in attack.
The Belgian was always looking for a long ball towards either Cavani or Mbappe, and could regularly be seen getting forward on the right hand side. His attacking determination was rewarded just before half time as Meunier's impressive strike left Alisson with no chance of saving the ball.
WORST PLAYER - Juan Bernat
The trio of Mohamed Salah, James Milner and Trent Alexander-Arnold all ensured that Bernat suffered an incredibly challenging night. He was regularly caught out by Liverpool's impressive passing, and Alexander-Arnold seemed to have the freedom of the entire right side of the pitch. The Spaniard certainly needs to improve when Liverpool visit Paris in November.
Looking Ahead
With three points on the board, Liverpool travel to Napoli in their next Champions League match in early October. However, they must now prepare themselves for Premier League matches against both Southampton and Chelsea, as well as meeting the latter in the Carabao Cup next week.
Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to bounce back with a victory against Rennes this weekend, and also face Stade Reims and OGC Nice ahead of their next Champions League test, when they welcome Red Star Belgrade to the Parc des Princes.
Source: 90min
