Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs PSG as Hugo Ekitike struggles but one 8/10

Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers as Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave PSG a big lead in a game when Hugo Ekitike struggled to make an impact

Willian Pacho of PSG and Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool battle for the ball.(Image: Harry Langer/DeFodi via Getty Images)

PARC DES PRINCES, PARIS // Liverpool avoided another hammering, this time against PSG, but has given itself plenty of work to do at Anfield next Tuesday after a dominant performance by the Champions League holders.

Desire Doue's shot deflected wickedly off Ryan Gravenberch to give PSG the lead early on, and after collapsing against Manchester City at the weekend, this time Liverpool fought on, keeping the scoreline respectable as much down to good fortune as anything else.

Georgian forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the PSG lead with around two-thirds of the game played and Liverpool couldn't really argue with that outcome. Ousmane Dembele should have scored at least once.

Winners

Giorgi Mamardashvili made a few good saves but there wasn't anyone beyond that who stood out. It was also a mixture of good fortune and poor finishing from PSG that meant the Ligue 1 champion didn't further extend its advantage. Ahead of the second leg, there was enough to suggest that Liverpool can be competitive, which is a small positive for Arne Slot.

Losers

Attacking-wise, Liverpool didn't really offer that much at all. Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz were ineffective, while the rest of the team was struggling, under pressure, to string more than a couple of passes together. PSG presses relentlessly and it should have pushed harder to kill the tie completely, but there was a gulf in technical quality. The French team was dominant but wasteful.

Player ratings

Giorgi Mamardashvili (8). In arguably the biggest game of his career to date, he conceded early, but couldn't do anything with the deflected effort that beat him or the second from Kvaratskhelia. His distribution at times was suspect but he made a few saves to stop PSG scoring several more.

Jeremie Frimpong (5). Lining up as a wing-back, which is where he excelled under Xabi Alonso for Bayer Leverkusen, the Dutchman was able to beat Nuno Mendes a few times and his pace was an asset, but he lacked anything in the way of a quality final ball. Defensively, he was shaky.

Joe Gomez (6). He took an age over long throws to take the sting out of the game, but didn't look that comfortable in possession when he was out on the left. Harshly cautioned for a strong tackle when he played the ball.

Ibrahima Konate (6). Back in the city where he was born, the Frenchman started a little shakily. He is clearly not used to playing with an extra center-back and the PSG movement was causing him all sorts of problems, where he wasn't sure whether to come or go. In fairness, he improved in the second half, though he was a tad fortunate not to concede a penalty.

Virgil van Dijk (6). He did not look comfortable in the back three and was being dragged all over the place at times. The Reds captain warmed into things, but he was made to work by the constant interchanging of positions by the PSG players. Like Konate, got better as the game went on and was doing a lot of screaming at those around him to organize.

Milos Kerkez (6). Experiences like this one will do him good as he continues to grow in the role. Kerkez did well enough defensively in a tricky battle with Doue but couldn't offer that much going forward.

Ryan Gravenberch (6). Things looked more solid as a result of the change in formation, but PSG was still able to get around the Liverpool midfield at times. Kvaratskhelia, for instance, got past him too easily when he scored. Gravenberch didn't leave things as open as he has at times this term, but it still was far from perfect.

Alexis Mac Allister (6). Brought back into the team in place of Curtis Jones, the Argentine tried to stamp his authority on the game but without much luck. He was fine, but nothing more. Booked for a ridiculous tackle in the first half.

Dominik Szoboszlai (5). He runs a lot but the PSG midfield looked a cut above in terms of passing and movement. Whenever he got the ball, he instantly had three players around him.

Hugo Ekitike (5). Facing one of his old sides, the French forward was back on familiar turf. However, he was having to drop very deep to collect the ball and couldn't capitalize on any of the space that PSG leaves in behind its defense. The half-chances that came his way, he wasted.

Florian Wirtz (5). These are the games that he signed for Liverpool to play in but he looked lightweight and wasn't able to make much of an impact. Defensively, he simply wasn't strong and fast enough. Offensively, he was crowded out a lot.

Substitutes

Alexander Isak (6). Back in the team after four months out, it wasn't an easy situation to come back into. He did some running, but didn't get many touches.

Curtis Jones (6). Playing an advanced midfield role, he slotted in and did fine. Calm under pressure but the game had already got away from Liverpool by the time he entered the field.

Andy Robertson (6). Sent on with Kerkez struggling with cramp, the Scotland captain was an experienced option. Did well to get up to the pace of the game late on. Trey Nyoni also came on but too late to earn a rating.