Liverpool thrill but fall short in UEFA Champions League as blueprint to hurt Paris Saint-Germain emerges

Two paths present themselves when faced with superior opposition: dig in or cause chaos.

After failing with the former in Paris, Liverpool opted emphatically for the latter at Anfield in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg with PSG - and what a joy it was for the neutral.

Gone was the meticulous planning, the overthinking that has riddled football this season. In its place: beautiful madness.

Liverpool played as though a frenzied supporter was controlling the action from a game console, such was the wildness of it all.

Ibrahima Konate stepped up the pitch like prime Beckenbauer. Joe Gomez, zero goals in over 250 appearances, lined one up from 35 yards. Rio Ngumoha, still four months shy of 18, terrorised his full-back off the bench.

Of course, such a display meant they were wide open on the break, which was ultimately their undoing. But this was a rip-roaring reminder of Liverpool at their best: an attacking juggernaut capable of rocking the world’s top sides.

If only they had a fit No. 9…

There were flashes - two, to be precise - from Alexander Isak on his return to the starting XI.

The first came inside 10 minutes when he climbed to win a header he had no right to even contest, revving up the crowd and helping calm the early PSG storm.

The second saw him get clear in the inside-right channel and squeeze a shot at goal. Saved? Yes. Offside? Yes. But it was still a flicker of life.

Beyond that, though, there was little else to shout about. The Swede had just five legal touches - and only one in the penalty area - before being replaced at half-time.

Had Arne Slot realised how the second half would unfold, with Liverpool laying siege to the PSG goal, he would surely have introduced him from the bench.

Cody Gakpo was a willing replacement, but for all Liverpool's touches in the opposition box - 50 of them - there were precious few clear-cut chances.

Too often the ball was recycled back out wide from the outskirts of the six-yard box, when an in-form Isak, you suspect, would have added the required movement and attacking instinct to turn that pressure into a goal.

The lack of an out-and-out striker worked in the Jurgen Klopp era, with Mohamed Salah happy to carry the goalscoring burden.

But this is a different Liverpool under Slot, rebuilt around the roaming, assist-hungry Florian Wirtz, who needs a focal point.

A fit and firing No. 9 is now even more necessary after Hugo Ekitike, shoehorned into the lead role during Isak's long spell on the sidelines, was stretchered off at Anfield with a nasty looking injury.

Liverpool still have plenty to do to qualify for next season's Champions League. They need their record signing to play his part.

For 30 minutes in the second half, Liverpool had the defending champions on the ropes.

If ever there was a reminder to keep football in the hands of the fans, this was it. Anfield cranked up, and then broke, the decibel-meter as their team flooded forward with abandon.

It was an atmosphere that had even this great PSG side wobbling. The Vitinha-led passing metronome that dictated the first leg, and much of the opening half at Anfield, was unable to tick after the restart.

The visitors tried to slow the game down, to buy time, but the red shirts, galvanised by those in the stands, kept on coming. Had the referee stuck with his original decision to give a penalty for Willian Pacho's collision with Alexis Mac Allister, it might have been a different story, but to their immense credit, PSG survived.

As for the tactical blueprint, Chelsea showed in the last 16 that a swift switch from left to right can open up the French side, who are happy to leave Nuno Mendes up the pitch, as illustrated in the above graphic.

Liverpool threatened to exploit this too before Mendes came off injured in the 38th minute, just like Malo Gusto did in the French capital.

Indeed, had it been Trent Alexander-Arnold galloping into the free space, and not Jeremie Frimpong, hooked at half-time for Gomez, it might have been a different tale.

Too often the switch was on and not taken, giving PSG time to shuffle across the pitch, while Dominik Szoboszlai struggled to find his range when the gaps were spotted. Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, take note.

Of course, the flip side to that 'weakness' is PSG's great strength: the counter-attack. Luis Enrique's side lull you in, then press as a pack, in the hope to turn over possession and break at pace.

In Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, PSG have arguably the most clinical front three in Europe. The eight goals against Chelsea and four more against Liverpool highlight their approach is working - and if a few chances are conceded at the other end, so be it.

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