Mohamed Salah couldn’t hold back the tears.
The Egyptian forward’s dream of winning the Champions League for the second time lay in tatters. Liverpool’s lack of involvement in the latter stages of the competition means the Ballon d’Or appears destined to elude him — no matter what records he goes on to break domestically.
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones were inconsolable after seeing their penalties saved by Paris Saint-German’s shootout hero, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was left cursing his misfortune after limping off with an ankle injury in the second half, with a scan required to establish the extent of the damage before Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley.
A crestfallen Ibrahima Konate was wracked with cramp and Alisson had the look of a man who couldn’t quite believe he had ended up on the losing side after showcasing his awe-inspiring brilliance throughout the tie.
Typically, captain Virgil van Dijk immediately parked his bitter disappointment and set about lifting chins off the floor, but so many of his team-mates looked physically and emotionally drained.
Mo Salah was left in tears following Liverpool’s exit in the Champions League 💔 pic.twitter.com/8Ophh3FvrB
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 11, 2025
For head coach Arne Slot, there was an unwanted piece of history as Liverpool were eliminated from Europe for the first time after winning the first leg away from home. It was also the first time the six-time winners had lost a penalty shootout in this competition, having won the finals of 1984 and 2005, as well as the 2007 semi-final against Chelsea, in such dramatic fashion.
A European journey that promised so much ultimately delivered so little. The road to Munich in late May appeared to have opened up as Liverpool rattled off seven straight wins in the revamped league phase, claiming the scalps of German champions Bayer Leverkusen and Spanish champions Real Madrid along the way.
However, finishing top ultimately offered scant reward, with Luis Enrique’s impressive PSG side providing arguably the toughest possible test. Having been fortuitous to return from the French capital last week with a 1-0 lead, luck deserted Liverpool in the return game.
If only Salah had been more clinical during those breathless early exchanges when Slot’s side imposed themselves on the contest before Ousmane Dembele’s opener, which came completely against the run of play.
If only substitute Jarell Quansah’s header hadn’t bounced back off the inside of the post late in normal time. The offside flag had been wrongly raised and the goal would have stood.
There was no disgrace in defeat. It came down to fine margins and, in truth, the better team over the two legs progressed to the quarter-finals.
“The best game of football I was ever involved in. Incredible intensity,” was Slot’s post-match verdict.
“Over 90 minutes, I don’t think we deserved to lose this game. Over 180 minutes, maybe it was deserved that we went to overtime. It is something to take into consideration about how much worth there is to end up first in the league table if you can face PSG in the next round.
“Maybe it would be more fair if, after the play-off round, the one that wins the league table plays against the team that is in the lowest position after the teams have played. But that is also because we were so unlucky to play PSG because we could have also gone to the other side of the draw. If you want to win the tournament, you have to beat teams like PSG and that’s what we didn’t do after an incredible first 90 minutes of football from us.”
Slot now finds himself in uncharted territory in his Liverpool reign. This was their fifth defeat in 46 matches in all competitions but none of the previous setbacks cut deep like this one.
Rewind to the loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League in September and Liverpool simply failed to make their dominance count before being undone on the counter-attack. It was a rare blip.
Losing away against Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals in January was quickly repaired by an emphatic triumph in the second leg at Anfield.
That month’s 3-2 defeat against PSV was largely irrelevant because Slot played a second-string side. It was a similar story when Liverpool bowed out of the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle last month.
This one won’t be as easy to shake off. There’s a danger that the impact lingers. Slot and his staff will have their work cut out over the coming days to ensure that’s not the case.
“Maybe it is not the moment to tell them (the players) but I can say it here: last season we weren’t involved in the Champions League and two seasons ago, Liverpool went out against Real Madrid after losing 5-2 at home (6-2 on aggregate in the last 16),” Slot added.
“So if you have to go out, then go out in the way like we did against one of the best teams in Europe, making such a fight out of it. Every fan around the world was hoping this game would just keep on going because it was incredible. We have to accept it and we will come back stronger next season.”
Slot has much to ponder, not least his decision to only make three changes for the Premier League game against lowly Southampton last weekend when Luis Enrique rested eight of his players against Rennes.
Liverpool looked weary and faded badly in extra time against PSG. The commanding Quansah was the only substitute to make a positive impact. Now the 22-year-old looks set to start the Carabao Cup final at right-back given Alexander-Arnold’s injury. Joe Gomez is recovering from surgery and Conor Bradley won’t be fit until after the March international break.
For all the talk of Newcastle trying to end their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy, Sunday’s contest has taken on greater significance for Liverpool following their European exit as they attempt to win the competition for a record 11th time.
Treble talk has been downgraded to a possible double. Pulling that off would still represent a stunning first season for Slot.
After Sunday, there’s a 17-day break before Liverpool return to Premier League action at home to Everton. Securing a 20th top-flight title is tantalisingly close, with Arsenal 15 points behind.
Bowing out to PSG cut deep but it won’t define Liverpool’s season. Slot must lift the mood to ensure there’s no hangover as the focus turns to securing the first piece of silverware of his reign at Wembley.
(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
