Arne Slot’s tactics questioned after ‘toothless’ Liverpool beaten by PSG in Champions League - reaction | OneFootball

Arne Slot admitted Liverpool were 'lucky to only lose 2-0' (AP)

Liverpool were left with a Champions League mountain to climb as Paris Saint-Germain secured a 2-0 advantage in the first leg of their quarter-final, as Arne Slot’s tactics were questioned following a “toothless” performance by the visitors that largely resembled a damage limitation exercise.

Goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave a dominant PSG a richly-deserved win at the Parc des Princes, and Luis Enrique’s side will travel to Anfield next week in a position of real strength. They were met with good resistance for long periods by a Liverpool side given extra ballast by a bold back-five formation named by Arne Slot – but, in the end, they were unable to hold the array of attacking talent in the home side totally at bay.

Liverpool will now have to overturn the deficit in next week’s second leg but Slot was hopeful that that match will not reflect the performance he saw in Paris. “If you reflect on the whole game I think we should be lucky only losing 2-0,” the Liverpool boss told TNT Sports after the game. “They had more chances than the only goals they scored.”

Arne Slot highlights 'importance' of Anfield in second leg

“We were outplayed here last season, which led to a 1-0 win from us which was unbelievable. Paris Saint-Germain was by far the better team today, could have scored more than two goals.

“But the good thing was that the players of Liverpool showed fighting spirit, kept going. Almost every time they had a shot, we had a lot of players behind the ball or protecting our box, which was necessary because if you don’t run back, these players, like the ones from City, are able to hurt you a lot.

“Last season at Anfield we played a completely different game and after 10 minutes could have been 2-0 up.

“But we need to have a) a better performance and b) we definitely need our fans to help us to create an atmosphere where we can rise to a better level than we did so today.”

Slot highlights 'importance of Anfield' after Liverpool gamble backfires against PSG

Jamie Braidwood9 April 2026 09:00