Liverpool claim famous win in Paris – PSG risk another early exit from the Champions League

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PSG 0-1 Liverpool 

©TM/IMAGO

Liverpool performed a remarkable smash-and-grab effort in Paris on Wednesday night, when they withstood an almighty barrage of attacking plays from Paris Saint-Germain to win the game with a solitary goal from Harvey Elliot just three minutes before full time. Over the course of the match, the Ligue 1 giants created no less than 27 goalscoring attempts but were constantly thwarted by a number of miraculous saves from Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson. The Premier League giants now go into the second leg of the Champions League Last 16 tie not only with a notable one-goal advantage but the added confidence of knowing that few teams know how to trouble them at Anfield.  

Liverpool win in Paris, return to fortress Anfield

Indeed, Liverpool fans will be full of confidence going into the second leg in front of their own fans at Anfield due in no small part to their remarkable run of form this season. While Arne Slot’s team have suffered a patchy run of form away from home in recent months, they’ve lost just one of their 20 home games this season, which came just two weeks into the season with a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. And that record is even more impressive in Europe, where Liverpool have won all four of their home games this season with a remarkable goal difference of +7, having conceded just one goal. In fact, the last time Liverpool lost a home match in the Champions League was more than two years ago, when Real Madrid beat Jürgen Klopp’s side 5-2. 

Naturally, the English giants have often been able to call upon the famous support of their fans on European nights and a look through their record in the Champions League over the course of the last 10 seasons unquestionably underlines how remarkable their home record is in the competition. For example, over the course of the last 38 home games played in front of the Anfield faithful in the European competition, Liverpool have suffered defeat just 12 times. And when we consider that six of those defeats came against Napoli and Real Madrid, it truly highlights how hard it is for the continent’s best teams to come to Liverpool and pick up a win. It now remains to be seen whether Luis Enrique’s side can add to that count and turn this tie around. 

Liverpool overcome faltering away form 

While Wednesday night’s victory was vital for Liverpool’s continued participation in the Champions League, it was also an important achievement for Slot’s team in their quest to wrestle back some control of their form away from home. It may seem rather odd to take issue with Liverpool’s record in away games, when Slot’s side just beat PSG and also won their last Premier League away game 2-0 against none other than English champions Manchester City. But when we take a look at their run in games away from Anfield since the turn of the year it certainly points to a team that have struggled for form. So much so that Liverpool’s performance in the French capital wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary when compared to their recent form. 

Prior to the aforementioned win over Man City, the Anfield side were held to a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa, after a similar 2-2 draw at Goodison Park to cross-city rivals Everton. And before that they were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 1-0 to second-tier Plymouth at the Home Park Stadium. A win over Bournemouth before that cup upset may suggest the poor form started there, but that came after a run of four away games in which Liverpool won just two, notably losing 1-0 to Tottenham and 3-2 to PSV. In total, Liverpool had played nine away games in 2025 and won just three of them prior to Wednesday’s win over PSG. And his team’s ability to turn such poor form around will undoubtedly be an added bonus for Slot as he prepares for the second leg. 

PSG wary of Last 16 curse in Champions League 

While Enrique would never admit to focusing on anything beyond the next game against Liverpool, the PSG manager will undoubtedly be aware of the fact that he’s in charge of a team with a notably poor record of getting beyond this stage of the competition. Should Liverpool knock the French giants out of the competition in the second leg, it will be the third time in five seasons that PSG had failed to make it to the quarter-finals of the competition. And, rather remarkably, despite reaching the final in 2020, the Ligue 1 club have only made it past the Last 16 in three of the last eight seasons. Such a record has undoubtedly come to define the club’s lack of success in the competition and on a number of occasions led to the club opting to make managerial changes. That is surely something that Enrique is well aware of and will be hoping to avoid when his side make the trip to Anfield next week.