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68 min Ngumoha wins a corner with his first touch. It’s headed on and wide of the near post by Mac Allister.
67 min: Liverpool substitution Rio Ngumoha becomes the second youngest player to appear in the knockout stage of this competition, presumably after Lamine Yamal. He’s on for Joe Gomez, which means Szoboszlai will move to right-back.
66 min: No penalty to Liverpool!
I’m surprised that was overturned, even though it would have been a soft penalty.
65 min: The referee is going to the monitor! Blimey.
64 min: Penalty to Liverpool!
PSG aren’t having it but Pacho has been penalised for a challenge on Mac Allister. He got between man and ball, felt a bit of contact from behind and took the invitation to visit the grass. I don’t think this will be overturned. It was smart play from Mac Allister.
63 min Gravenberch has a pop from the left edge of the area. Safonov falls to his right to make a comfortable save.
It looks like Rio Ngumoha is about to come on. I knew Arne Slot read this nonsense.
63 min Gakpo, a player who isn’t to everybody’s taste, has looked sharp since coming on. I still think Arne Slot is missing a trick by not introducing Rio Ngumoha.
62 min “Hello Rob,” writes Kári Tulinius. “If we’re on the subject of today, the fourteenth of April is Ruination Day, as laid out by Gillian Welch in the two-part song April 14th and Ruination Day on her masterpiece Time (the Revelator). Let’s hope this match isn’t added to a list of calamities which includes the murder of Abraham Lincoln and the sinking of the Titanic.”
I know the twins could be quite annoying in Darling Buds but it’s a bit harsh dragging them into Ruination Day. I prefer to think of Aphex Twin.
60 min PSG break three on two, but Dembele goes a fraction too early and is offside before finding Hakimi on the far side. The attack is allowed to play out and Mamardashvili makes an excellent stop from Hakimi.
57 min Salah moseys infield and plays an maginative angled ball towards the far post. Kerkez runs onto it and clips a slightly indecisive cross-shot wide of goal.
55 min Gravenberch charges to the edge of the D and sprays a shot that fades a few yards wide of the right-hand post. Liverpool are having a decent spell.
53 min Wirtz plays an excellent return pass into the area for Salah, whose heavy touch allows Pacho to come across and make a good tackle.
52 min: Paris Saint-Germain substitution Bradley Barcola replaces Desire Doue.
51 min Desire Doue is down and will need to come off. He was eased onto the running track by Szoboszlai and has hurt his ankle.
The weather at Anfield is biblical.
49 min Gakpo scrunches a drive from 20 yards that is palmed round the post by Safonov. Salah’s corner is headed over at the near post by Gomez; half a chance.
46 min Peep peep!
Half-time substitution Liverpool are making a double change, but it doesn’t involve Rio Ngumoha. Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo are on for Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak.
“Liverpool slightly better than expected, PSG not quite as good as expected,” writes Chris Healy .”Thinking Liverpool are going to need to score from a set piece because they haven’t really troubled PSG’s back line from open play.
“Robertson’s experience and Ngumoha’s trickery would be very welcome in the second half because Kerkez keeps giving it away and Isak needs it put on a plate for him. Fingers crossed Liverpool can raise their bar after the break.”
“Sad for Slot that his brainiac approach has not suited any of the players,” writes Ian Copestake. “He may as well give the crowd what it wants and unleash the Rio grande.”
He really should. If Liverpool are going to turn this round, they need to get the crowd going. Ngumoha would do that with one run.
We’ve just seen a replay of Hugo Ekitike’s injury. He hurt his right ankle after slipping and looked stunned as he started to register the pain and process what had happened. Sad to say, it looks serious.
Half-time entertainment
On this day in 1999, the greatest FA Cup semi-final of them all took place.
“It’s strange,” begins Matt Dony. “We’ve talked so much this season about the effect Diogo Jota’s loss might have had on the team, and yet I still think we’re underestimating the impact. As fans, it hit us hard. I remember feeling almost guilty for having such a sense of loss, when really, I had no connection to him. But at the same time, as fans, we enjoy a measure of distance that makes it easier to move on. I have very few reminders of that loss in my daily life, so it’s not something I have cause think about much.
“A few years ago, however, I lost a close friend in work in horrendous circumstances. The business moved on, I continued working, but that man’s name was all over files and documents I would regularly open. He was replaced, but every time I walked into his old office, I saw him at the desk. And it all affected me. For years. I don’t mean I was an inconsolable, mourning wreck for all of that time, but the reminders were there and I would have to just take a beat. He was on my mind. I was affected by it.
“It’s plain to see that Liverpool have underperformed for much of the season. I don’t presume to know how they’re feeling or to make excuses for them. It’s madness, though, to ignore the shadow cast over the season, or to think that they’ve should have put it behind them somehow.”
Half time: Liverpool 0-0 Paris Saint-Germain (agg: 0-2)
The European champions kept Liverpool at arm’s length during an impressive first-half performance. There was only one close shave, when Matvei Safonov made a terrific save from Milos Kerkez and Marquinhos did superbly to stop Virgil van Dijk scoring from the rebound.
Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off in worrying circumstances after slipping with nobody near him, while Alexander Isak had little to work with. Right now PSG look comfortable, but a goal would change everything.
45+3 min “As a card carrying member of the Discourse,” begins Mark, “ I can tell you that by end of January of, Liverpool weren’t even in the top half of teams mostg affected by injuries this season.”
Like Morrissey said, some injuries are bigger than others. In 1997-98, for example, Manchester United were without both Roy Keane and Terry Cooke for the majority of the season. You might be right about Liverpool but I’m not sure it’s so easily quantifiable.
45+2 min Mac Allister is booked for a foul on Joao Neves. He was on a yellow card, which means that one way or another, he will miss the first leg of the semi-final.
45+1 min Four minutes of added time.
45 min Liverpool want but don’t get a foul when Salah goes over the D. Pacho leaned into him after originally letting the ball run under his foot. Could have gone either way.
43 min Vitinha plays a terrific pass to the overlapping Hakimi, whose low cross towards Dembele is crucially intercepted at the near post by Konate.
42 min A deliciously silky PSG move falls down when Kvaratskhelia tries to change direction to receive Vitinha’s pass and loses his footing.
Moments later, Vitinha shoots straight at Mamarashvili from distance. PSG have regained control of the game; the relaxed rhythm of their passing and movement is low-level awesome.
38 min: PSG substitution Nuno Mendes is injured and needs to leave the field. Lucas Hernandez replaces him at left-back.
Incidentally, it is pelting down at Anfield.
37 min Possession percentage: Liverpool 39-61 PSG. But Liverpool are having a decnet spell as we approach half-time.
35 min Fun fact: on this day 35 years ago, ITV aired the second-ever episode of Darling Buds of May.
34 min “Slot has made too many mistakes to count this season but he has been cursed by injuries,” says Niall Mullen.
I’m not sure The Discourse has space for such nuance any more.
31 min: Chance for Liverpool! Marquinhos screams in triumph after denying Liverpool a goal. Salah’s first touch was a dangerous inswinging cross towards the far post that Kerkez met on the half-volley Safonov changed direction to make an outstanding save low to his left, but the ball ran loose in front of a largely open goal. Van Dijk looked set to score from four yards until Marquinhos took ball and man with a sensational tackle.
30 min: Liverpool substitution Ekitike has both hands on his head as he is stretchered off the field. He doesn’t look in agony but the body language of those near him, players and medical staff, suggest it’s a serious injury. Mo Salah replaces him.
29 min A stretcher is being brought onto the field and Mo Salah is preparing to come on. There’s a fair bit of concern on the faces of both the Liverpool and PSG players.
28 min Ekitike is down and looks in a significant pain. It’s a rainy night at Anfield and he slipped with nobody near him. This doesn’t look great.
25 min Dembele’s excellent cross/pass from the right finds Doue in a peedie bit of space at the far post – but he decides to take a touch and leaves the ball behind. If he had the chance again he might wallop a first-time shot on the bounce.
There’s been another goal in Madrid. Here’s some bait. Would you like to click it?
22 min Safonov makes a fine one-on-one save from Isak, though the flag went up for offside after the event. Even so, that was more encouraging for Liverpool: a surge through midfield from Gravenberch and an Ian Rush-like run behind the defence from Isak.
20 min Kvaratskhelia is holding his coupon after a collision with Van Dijk’s stiff arm. It looked accidental.
19 min “Liverpool fans cheering half challenges that don’t quite win the ball back reminds me of Petey’s recital in American Pie 2,” writes Niall Mullen.
[NB: Clip may well contain adult themes and/or language. I mean, it’s three minutes long and it’s from American Pie 2, so there’s a fair chance.]
