The winners and losers as Firmino’s eye for goal condemns PSG to last-minute Anfield defeat

In a dramatic night of football, Liverpool picked up a last-minute winner to beat PSG at Anfield.

The game got Liverpool’s Champions League campaign off to a flying start, and it was a contest that ebbed and flowed from one side to the other. There was so much to discuss, but who were the winners and losers?

Winner: James Milner

Of all the things you would have expected to happen in the blockbuster clash between PSG and Liverpool, James Milner being the outstanding player on the park would not have been in the top five. Probably not even top 10 unless you were related to him.

The 32-year-old midfielder was at his workhorse best against PSG, absolutely bossing proceedings. He was winning tackle after tackle, making countless blocks to prevent PSG advancing. and when he had the ball he drove it forward. And to cap things off, he buried his penalty into the bottom corner of the net to give Liverpool what looked like an insurmountable two-goal lead.

Loser: Left-backs defending

When Andrew Robertson created the opening goal of the game with a scorching cross, it looked to be a good night for left-backs. It turned out to be anything but, however. First there was Juan Bernat’s almost comic blunderous tackle that gave away the penalty Liverpool scored their second goal from. And then just when left-backs thought it couldn’t get any worse, Andrew Robertson almost cancelled out his great assist with some comedic non-defending as Thomas Meunier pulled one back for PSG.

Winner: Daniel Sturridge

What a lovely story, eh? Daniel Sturridge was thrust into into the starting line-up because of Roberto Firmino’s eye problem, making his first Champions League start since 2012. And it was clear that his presence, whilst a positive, was having an effect on Liverpool’s attack. Things just weren’t as fluid as they can be when the Brazilian is in attack.

But Sturridge is a man of great qualities, and when Robertson’s cross careened over the head of Thiago Silva there was only one man you wanted on the end of things. Sturridge guided a brilliant header in to break open the match, and the only blemish on his copybook is that he didn’t make it 2-0 in the second half when an even better chance presented itself.

Still, he was subbed off to rapturous applause, his impact on the game most assuredly made.

Loser: UEFA

In the lead-up to Liverpool’s opening goal, Georginio Wijnaldum was offside. In the lead-up to PSG’s opening goal, Thomas Meunier was offside. Now you may be tempted to say that these things balanced each other out, and that’s true, but that was pure happenstance.

Both decisions drastically altered the momentum of the match, and could have impacted the outcome. This is a serious problem with a very simple solution: VAR. Why UEFA have yet to introduce the refereeing aids is beyond comprehension, but they don’t come out of this game looking too smart (VAR would have also surely deemed Sturridge’s challenge on Alphonse Areola worthy of serious censure).

Winner: Kylian Mbappé

It seems as though whenever Kylian Mbappé plays a game, he breaks or sets a record. Tonight he played wide on the right of PSG’s famous front three and looked decidedly average for much of the match. Nothing seemed to be coming off for him, and you could sense his frustration growing.

Then the formation changed and Mbappé moved into a central position, and suddenly he looked sharper. Neymar’s driving run through the heart of Liverpool’s midfield drew Virgil van Dijk out, and when the Dutchman’s weak tackle saw the ball bounce to Mbappé’s feet, only one thing was happening. The teenager equalised and became the youngest player to score a Champions League goal at Anfield.

Loser: Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé should have ended this game an absolute hero for saving his side and earning them a wholly undeserved draw from their toughest group game. Instead, in the 91st minute with PSG having the chance to break from a corner, Mbappé went for an ambitious pass instead of a simple one, giving the ball away. Two passes and one special bit of skill later, Liverpool had scored a dramatic winner. From hero to zero.

Winner: Marco Verratti

Marco Verratti tends to be valued very highly, sometimes it even feels like he’s overrated given his actual displays against elite sides are just as often terrible as good. But games like tonight show that Verratti is unquestionably worth all the hype, because without him the PSG midfield looks like an absolute joke (and his smirking on the bench suggests he knew it).

In fairness, Thomas Tuchel had to send out a midfield comprising of a centre-back, a winger and Adrien Rabiot. Now, Adrien Rabiot is very good, but there are two French midfielders you could expect to “one man army” it and he’s not one of them.

It’s absurd that PSG could spend so much money on so many players yet not sign a central midfielder worth a damn, especially as they lost the imperious Thiago Silva to retirement in the summer. If Marco Verratti’s agent is smart (and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest he is) he’ll be straight into Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s office tomorrow asking for a new contract for his man, because by goodness, they need him.

Winner: Roberto Firmino

Left on the bench to recuperate after Jan Vertonghen went knuckle-deep into his eye socket at the weekend, Firmino did eventually come on late in the game. He didn’t look particularly eagle-eyed at first, but in the end he most certainly had his eye-in.

When he got the ball inside the box in the 91st minute, Firmino twisted Marquinhos inside out and then slapped the ball low and into the far corner of the net. A tremendous goal, an even better celebration, and a deserved late winner for a lethal Liverpool side who just can’t stop winning football matches!

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