Heist at the Parc des Princes: How Liverpool stole the first leg

PARIS -- Liverpool have put themselves in the driver's seat to secure qualification for quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League after substitute Harvey Elliott scored late on to seal a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot warned ahead of the match that his team must be prepared to "suffer" against the French champions and that certainly proved to be the case as the Premier League leaders were outclassed for much of the match at the Parc des Princes.

PSG's January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia thought he had given the hosts the lead with a sublime curling finish in the first half, but his effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR check. Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola also had chances to put Luis Enrique's side in front, but Alisson Becker turned in an heroic performance in the Liverpool goal to keep the scores level.

That opened the door for Elliott -- on for the surprisingly lacklustre Mohamed Salah five minutes from time -- to slot home past Gianluigi Donnarumma to win it in the 87th minute. Liverpool will now carry their narrow advantage into the second leg at Anfield next Tuesday.

Slot's Liverpool know how to suffer

Over the course of this season, Liverpool have beaten Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City (twice). But it is this victory, against a formidable PSG team at a ferocious Parc des Princes, that might just turn out to be their best win of the campaign.

Not in terms of performance; make no mistake, Liverpool were outplayed and outclassed for most of Wednesday night's contest. They finished the night having had less than 30% of the possession and having registered just the one shot on target compared to PSG's 10.

Crucially, though, Liverpool's solitary shot found the back of the net to hand the Premier League leaders a precious advantage heading into the second leg at Anfield.

"Tomorrow, we have to see if they are on top of us and if they are we have to suffer like we did against [Manchester] City," Slot said in his pre-match news conference.

The Dutchman's words proved prophetic and, while neither Slot nor his players will be satisfied with the standard of their performance in the French capital, Liverpool -- as they did in their 2-0 victory at the Etihad last month -- showed they are not too proud nor too blindly wedded to their principles to do what it takes to win ugly.

Of course, qualification has not been secured yet. Liverpool rode their luck at times and PSG, based on Wednesday's evidence, will surely fancy themselves to create plenty of chances at Anfield.

But Liverpool have now added the French champions to their collection of vanquished opponents this term and, should they progress to the quarterfinals, they will surely eel they are capable of beating anyone in this competition. -- Beth Lindop

PSG won everywhere, except the scoreboard

Dominating is not winning. Not always. PSG learnt that the hard way on Wednesday night in Paris, where they outplayed Liverpool in a way that no other team has done this season. Luis Enrique's side beat the Reds in every stat possible, creating a hatful of chances and leaving the visitors only crumbs -- and yet they will go to Anfield next week down a goal.

This is a young Paris team that is still growing and learning, and Wednesday's defeat will teach them a valuable lesson. The old adage about not taking your chances coming back to haunt you was on everybody's lips at the Parc des Princes and in front of their televisions. The counter-pressing applied by the Parisians was so effective -- perhaps the best we have seen this season in this competition -- that it made Liverpool look like a mid-table Ligue 1 them.

When Paris play like they did on Wednesday, they force the opposition to play long balls, and don't allow them to settle into their own game. The Reds had two shots all night, one on target. And yet they won 1-0. Paris completed three times more passes than them, had 27 shots and 10 on target. And they lost. -- Julien Laurens

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Burley slams VAR 'nonsense' after Konaté wasn't sent off vs. PSG

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Alisson is still one of the world's best

Dembélé, along with everyone else in the stadium, was just waiting for the net to bulge when out came the leg of Alisson to smother his goal-bound shot.

The Brazil international's 30th-minute save was just one of a number of excellent stops he made at the Parc des Princes to keep Liverpool not just in the game, but in the tie against a sparkling PSG.

Rarely under Slot have Liverpool been so under siege as Dembélé, Barcola and Kvaratskhelia took it in turns to torment their visitors' creaking defence. Alisson's display between the sticks offered an emphatic reminder of the 32-year-old's quality at a time when his long-term future at Anfield is perhaps more uncertain than ever.

While there can be no disputing that Alisson remains, when fit, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Liverpool's purchase of Georgia international Giorgi Mamardashvili last summer has raised questions about whether the club are already planning for his successor.

Having impressed at the European Championship, MamardashvilIi -- who is spending this season on loan at Valencia -- views himself as a No. 1 and would surely be reluctant to spend too long in Alisson's shadow. There is also the future of Liverpool's reserve goalkeeper, Caoimhín Kelleher, to consider.

Alisson's sketchy injury record has afforded the Republic of Ireland international with plenty opportunities to show his class over the past couple of seasons and he will not be short of suitors this summer. But, while concerns over Alisson's fitness linger, his performance against PSG showed why he is still such an asset for Slot's side. -- Lindop

Kvaratskhelia shows why Luis Enrique wanted him in Paris

He could have been, maybe even should have been, the hero of the night. All game long, Kvaratskhelia terrified the Liverpool defence, causing problems left, right and centre, scoring a fantastic goal eventually ruled out for an offside by a centimetre, and forcing Alisson to pull out some great saves.

There was a question mark before the game about who would start up front for PSG with Dembélé and Barcola. Désiré Doué was the other option, but Luis Enrique went for the Georgian for his experience, for his one-on-one qualities, and he justified his manager's pick.

"Kvaradona" was unstoppable at times, tormenting Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté and the rest of the Liverpool defence. He played on the right, on the left, as a false nine, and was a constant threat until he came off late for Gonçalo Ramos. At €70 million, Kvaratskhelia was expensive move for PSG to make in January, but coach Luis Enrique only had eyes him.

The 24-year-old has settled quickly since his move from Napoli -- which he deserves credit for -- but it has also made easy by the fact that Luis Enrique has this PSG team playing exactly the way Kvaratskhelia likes: with flair and skill. -- Laurens