Liverpool 3-2 PSG match report: Champions League 2018/19 Group C

Liverpool 3-2 PSG: match report

Liverpool's Roberto Firmino sprung from the bench on Tuesday night to win all three points for his side. In a game between one side looking to create a legacy in Europe and another trying to rediscover theirs, it was the latter who came out on top of a five-goal affair.

Klopp said there is no team like Liverpool in the build-up to the game and Paris Saint-Germain might have felt the same after the start when they were under serious attack. Liverpool were peppering the visitors' goals with shots, corners and creating general mayhem in their penalty area.

They got their reward after an ambitious start when Daniel Sturridge headed home unmarked after 30 minutes. Sturridge hadn't played in the Champions League since December of last year in a 7-0 win over Spartak Moscow but he announced his return with a positive performance and a well-taken goal.

The flurry continued and Liverpool continued to push for more. They had a penalty on 36 minutes when Wijnaldum was hauled down and Milner dispatched the penalty.

PSG were handed a lifeline when the ball landed to Thomas Meunier just inside the box and he slammed home on the volley despite more than a hint of offside from Edinson Cavani who swung a foot at it, causing Liverpool to hesitate with their clearance.

Liverpool continued their dominance into the second half with PSG retreating. They didn't just retreat, however, they went into defensive mode with no apparent way of striking back. They had accepted their fate or knew no other way to respond such was Liverpool's relentlessness.

But Liverpool couldn't consolidate their lead. Mbappe made them pay when he struck on 83 minutes. After a marginal offside called on Mane and PSG's lack of intent, it looked like Liverpool would have to suffice for a point when they deserved more.

The football gods shone down on Anfield Road, however, as Firmino, the hero, took the ball on the right and made his way toward goal. He faked with his left and put the ball on his right to slide home a neat finish beyond Areola.

PSG continue to search for their identity in Europe as they look around at some genuine footballing giants and try to draw inspiration from them. Historically, there are only a few bigger than Liverpool and at Anfield on Tuesday night, the reds gave the upstart PSG a lesson in how to win in Europe.

Liverpool vs PSG: live updates

Liverpool vs PSG: Champions League preview

If Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah are to be in the shake-up for this year's end-of-season gongs, they know it's nights like this when they must begin to put forward their candidacy: all eyes will be on them as Paris Saint-Germain visit Liverpool on the opening evening of the 2018/19 Champions League campaign (21:00 CEST). For that very reason, Neymar asked to be rested on Friday night (and wasn't even in the squad) for the 4-0 Ligue 1 thumping of Saint Etienne, while Liverpool's weekend Premier League victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley saw Salah arguably with one eye on this evening's Group C match-up with the Parisians.

Both sides come into the clash with five wins from five in their domestic leagues and, although PSG have been the more prolific in front of goal - with 17 to the Reds' 11 - they've also conceded twice as many (four to two). It'll be a significant test for both Thomas Tuchel, who knows he'll be judged on his exploits on the continent rather than at home, and Jürgen Klopp, who may have less to prove his employers than his countryman, but will see his side's newly-found defensive solidity undergo a stiff examnation against one of the most dangerous attacking trios in the world game in Mbappé, Neymar and Edinson Cavani. It'll be interesting to see how the hosts' own fearsome front three - Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané - respond to the challenge.