Liverpool
Arne Slot has explained why he left Mo Salah on the substitutes’ bench for the entirety of Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
What Arne Slot said about Mo Salah post-match spoke volumes about Liverpool’s mindset against PSG
Arne Slot has explained why he left Mo Salah on the substitutes’ bench for the entirety of Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
Having been the subject of much criticism after the Reds’ FA Cup thrashing by Manchester City last weekend, the Egyptian was omitted from the starting XI to face PSG four days later, with Jeremie Frimpong instead preferred on the right in a wing-back
However, despite the Merseysiders trailing 2-0 from the 65th minute onwards, our third-highest scorer of all time wasn’t called upon at any stage to try and make an impact off the bench.
Slot explains why he didn’t bring Salah off the bench
In his post-match press conference, Slot was asked why he didn’t deploy Salah even when Liverpool were losing and in need of a goal to give themselves a foothold in the tie.
The head coach explained (via liverpoolfc.com): “I think in the last part of the game, it was more about surviving for us than there was ever a chance that we could score. You never know, because last season we scored five minutes before the end, Harvey Elliott [scored] when I took Mo off.
“I think this was a 20, 25 minutes where we were only defending and Mo has so much quality, but for Mo to be 20, 25 minutes defending inside his own box, I think it’s better for him to save his energy for a lot of games that are coming up in the upcoming weeks.”
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Surely it would’ve been worth giving Salah some minutes?
That Slot attributed Salah’s no-show last night to Liverpool being in survival mode speaks volumes of the Reds’ mindset in Paris, with the final quarter of the game viewed as damaged limitation rather than seeking an opportunity to halve the deficit and set up a finely-poised second leg at Anfield next week.
We get the argument for not being excessively gung-ho against a PSG side who can rip apart the best teams in Europe, and it’d be fair to say that the Egyptian winger has been enduring a miserable season by his own exceptional standards.
However, it was still surprising that he wasn’t given some bit of game-time off the bench at the Parc des Princes. Even if he’d had just a quarter of an hour on the pitch, he might still have conjured up one moment of decisive brilliance for his team.
Instead, with Slot choosing to hold him back for upcoming fixtures, he’s basically putting the onus on Salah to deliver against Fulham on Saturday if – as seems likely, juding by the Dutchman’s remarks – the 33-year-old is restored to the starting XI.
Even 12 months ago, it would’ve been inconceivable that our number 11 would’ve been left on the bench by choice with Liverpool losing in a Champions League quarter-final.
Despite his loss of form since last summer, it’s still mind-boggling that he played no part last night, instead being left to undergo some post-match drills in order to maintain sharpness for upcoming games.
Liverpool
PSG 2-0 Liverpool: Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia condemn Liverpool to fourth straight away loss in Champions League quarter-final
Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool; UEFA Champions League Quarter Final
FTFull Time
Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool. UEFA Champions League Quarter Final.
8:00pm, Wednesday 8th April 2026.
Parc des PrincesAttendance: Attendance47,511.
Paris Saint-Germain2
D Doué (11’11th minute)
K Kvaratskhelia (65’65th minute)
Liverp
PSG 2-0 Liverpool: Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia condemn Liverpool to fourth straight away loss in Champions League quarter-final
Report as Liverpool’s Champions League hopes are dented by a 2-0 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain; Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were on target; Liverpool have lost four consecutive away games for the first time since 2012
Report as Liverpool’s Champions League hopes are dented by a 2-0 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain; Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were on target; Liverpool have lost four consecutive away games for the first time since 2012
Image:PSG’s Desire Doue celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Liverpool
Liverpool face a huge task to reach the Champions League last four after a humbling 2-0 defeat to holders Paris Saint-Germain in their quarter-final first leg at the Parc des Princes.
Desire Doue scored a deflected opener and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia punished poor defending to add a brilliantly-taken second in a one-sided contest in Paris as Liverpool were condemned to a fourth consecutive away defeat for the first time since April 2012.
“When we pressed them high we were ripped apart,” Arne Slot said in his press conference. “The second half of the game for us was more about surviving.”
The margin of defeat would have been greater if not for some wasteful Paris Saint-Germain finishing and good goalkeeping from Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made saves from Doue, Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi as the hosts dominated.
Image:Hugo Ekitike reacts after Liverpool fall 2-0 down to PSG in the Champions League quarter-final first leg
Luis Enrique’s side were also aggrieved not to be awarded at least one penalty, with VAR overturning the referee’s decision to penalise Ibrahima Konate for a foul on Warren Zaire-Emery, then opting not to penalise the defender for a push on Nuno Mendes.
Player ratings
PSG: Safonov (7), Hakimi (7), Marquinhos (7), Pacho (8), Nuno Mendes (7), Zaire-Emery (7), Vitinha (8), Joao Neves (8), Doue (8), Dembele (7), Kvaratskhelia (8)
Subs: Lee Kang-In (6), Hernandez (n/a)
Liverpool: Mamardashvili (8), Gomez (5), Konate (5), Van Dijk (5), Frimpong (6) Kerkez (6), Szoboszlai (6), Gravenberch (5), Mac Allister (5), Wirtz (6), Ekitike (5)
Subs: Robertson (6), Gakpo (6), Jones (6), Isak (6), Nyoni (n/a)
Player of the Match: Khivicha Kvaratskhelia
“This isn’t easy for me to say, but nights like this are honestly painful. Sitting out a big game, watching from the sidelines, knowing how much you want to be out there fighting for your team… it hurts more than people think.
I’ve always given everything to football. Every training session, every match, every moment l’ve played with passion, pride, and responsibility. Not just for myself, but for the fans who support me endlessly.
I will never stop working hard, never stop believing in myself, and never stop giving my all”
Liverpool fans have reacted badly to Dominik Szoboszlai’s post-match interview following Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat away at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Arne Slot’s beleaguered side, who were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday, failed to register a single shot on target at the Parc des Princes.
Goals either side of half-time from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia secured a deserved first-leg victory for the reigning European champions in Paris.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher summed up the thoughts of concerned Liverpool supporters after the match by saying live on CBS Sports: “That, what we’ve just saw tonight, was like watching a team from a lower division playing someone [much better].
“The gulf in class was very worrying from a Liverpool point of view.”
Wednesday’s result piles further pressure on the shoulders of Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who many pundits and fans alike suspect will no longer be in charge at Anfield beyond the end of this season.
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Steven Gerrard Praises Mo Salah After Spotting What Liverpool Ace Did After PSG Loss
By Hal Fish
Szoboszlai Slammed After PSG Post-Match Interview
Szoboszlai
The cracks are starting to show among the squad, with Szoboszlai heavily criticised by supporters for his eyebrow-raising actions at the Etihad Stadium following Liverpool’s defeat to City at the weekend.
Despite receiving criticism from fans, the Hungary international – one of the Reds’ standout performers over the course of what has been a tough season for the Merseyside outfit – fronted up and conducted a post-match interview with beIN Sports following Liverpool’s latest defeat.
Szoboszlai spoke with optimism ahead of the second leg, telling beIN Sports’ reporter Matt Spiro: “We’re not going to be only 11 players, we’re going to be the whole stadium… I can’t really wait for it, these nights in Anfield are always special.” Watch the interview below:
However, supporters are far less convinced that a comeback is possible at Anfield with this group of players playing under Arne Slot. As a result, they’ve hit out at Szoboszlai for talking ‘nonsense’ given the circumstances.
One fan said on X (Twitter): “Man, shut up. You shouldn’t need fans to register a shot on target or play well.”
Another commented: “Sorry, but you were absolutely pathetic today. When the ball was with you it felt like it was a fire ball.”
One particularly angry supporter added: “After that reaction towards the fans at City, he can genuinely f*** off.” And a fourth fan wrote:
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