Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted his staff had been extraordinarily lucky of their 1-0 win away to Paris Saint-Germain of their Champions League final 16 first leg on Wednesday as he heaped reward on goal-scoring hero Harvey Elliott.
“If we had a draw over right here we might have already been the fortunate one. That’s clear for everybody,” Slot accepted after his aspect withstood a pummelling from the hosts in Paris.
PSG dominated the primary leg of the heavyweight last-16 tie, however Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was in impressed kind and the guests snatched an unlikely victory to take again to Anfield for the return as substitute Elliott scored within the 87th minute.
“They have been the significantly better staff immediately, particularly within the first half,” Slot mentioned of PSG, who had a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia aim disallowed for a good offside within the twentieth minute and had 28 makes an attempt in complete.
“They’d three or 4 open probabilities within the first half, and it was nearly a miracle that it was 0-0 then.
“However we have been already within the recreation three, 4 or 5 occasions, I felt like we might harm them in transitions, however we did not, however we waited till the final second after which we harm them.”
Elliott, 21, was despatched on for Mohamed Salah late on after the Egyptian had did not make any influence on proceedings. He then scored along with his first contact after being arrange by Darwin Nunez.
“It was an enormous second for him. I can perceive that he’s typically annoyed concerning the taking part in time he will get,” Slot mentioned of Elliott, who has nonetheless now scored in three straight Champions League video games.
“He has to do it with restricted taking part in time however he simply retains on going. I’ve to offer him large compliments for that.
“It wasn’t solely Harvey but in addition the one who assisted him, Darwin Nunez, who got here from a tough two video games, however was completely there once more tonight as a result of from the second he got here on we have been extra of a menace than earlier than.”
– ‘Unfair’ for PSG –
Earlier than Elliott’s outstanding strike, Liverpool seemed set to complete a recreation with out scoring for simply the fourth time all season after they have been pushed again by their opponents all night.
“We weren’t under-par, it was purely the standard of Paris Saint-Germain and the way in which they’ve performed this entire season,” the Liverpool coach added.
“Luis Enrique made an unimaginable staff right here. It was an unbelievable problem for us to get away with a end result and we all know it is going to be a tough one in every week.”
Slot’s reverse quantity admitted the end result was a sore one to take as PSG’s run of 10 straight wins in all competitions was dropped at a halt.
“We have been far superior to Liverpool by way of how we performed, and probabilities created,” Luis Enrique mentioned.
“In opposition to the most effective staff of their league and in Europe, we put in a whole efficiency, defended nicely, took dangers, and clearly deserved one other end result, however that’s soccer.
“It’s typically unfair and we simply have to just accept it.”
Requested if he nonetheless believed his staff might attain the quarter-finals going into subsequent Tuesday’s return leg, he added: “With none doubt. We’re a staff with completely nothing to lose.
“Right now we deserved rather more. Their greatest participant was the goalkeeper, which signifies how the sport went.”
as/mw
