Liverpool nab last-gasp winner against wasteful PSG, Bayern outclass error prone Leverkusen

Liverpool substitute Harvey Elliott scored a last-gasp winner 47 seconds after coming on to earn a fortunate 1-0 win against Paris St Germain while Harry Kane scored twice for Bayern in their all-German clash against German champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Elliott slotted home in the 87th minute against the run of play after a layoff from fellow substitute Darwin Nunez for a scarcely-deserved victory in Paris after goalkeeper Alisson had kept Liverpool in the game with a string of magnificent saves.

Liverpool’s goal was their first shot on target and second attempt compared to PSG’s 28.

“To go away with a win from here was probably a bit more than we deserved,” acknowledged Slot.

Luis Enrique’s PSG, who had won 18 and drawn two of their last 20 games, were left to rue missed chances as they contemplate a tough return leg at Anfield next Tuesday.

“We’re going to show the team we are, we’re going to show our character. We’re going to win there,” said their midfielder Vitinha. “With the game we played, the win was more than deserved. We had plenty of chances … we just couldn’t score.”

The aggregate winner will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the Champions League last eight.

DOMINANT HOSTS

PSG got off to a strong start with Liverpool’s attempt at a high press not lasting long.

The hosts had the first clear chance in the 16th minute when Joao Neves skied his attempt over the bar from Dembele’s cutback after the France forward had outpaced two defenders.

Alarm bells were ringing for Liverpool and they again escaped punishment in the 20th when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s superb curled effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

Bradley Barcola went down after a challenge from Ibrahima Konate, prompting another video check for a potential red card, but the visitors stayed with 11 men.

With Liverpool in survival mode, Alisson parried Neves’ 25-metre strike before denying Dembele. The ball went into the path of Barcola, whose first strike was blocked before his second flew over.

The Brazilian keeper’s firm hand was there again to stop Kvaratskhelia and he made saves left, right and centre early in a one-sided second half. “Without him, I don’t know where we’d be,” said goalscorer Elliott.

SUBSTITUTE THE SAVIOUR

Slot sent Curtis Jones and Nunez on for Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota hoping to shift the momentum but PSG stayed a notch above.

Alisson, again, stretched to tip away Desire Doue’s missile 10 minutes from time and he also played a key role in the buildup to the goal.

With the clock ticking down, Nunez showed his strength to win Alisson’s long ball and played perfectly into the path of Elliott, who calmly slid the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“You could see they (PSG) had become a bit tired at the end,” added Elliott. “It was down to me to put the opportunity away and fortunately it went in.”

Alisson, who was named man of the match, said it was the performance of his life. “We had to be ready to suffer … It was a tough night for us with a happy end,” he said.

“We worked hard. We gave away so many chances … And then at the end Harvey coming in and scoring the goal. It’s unbelievable. A great story. A great night for us.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane scored in each half to guide his team to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Bayer Leverkusen in the all-German Champions League round of 16 first-leg match on Wednesday.

The Bavarians earned their first victory in the last seven matches against Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen and will take a significant advantage into next week’s return,

For the visitors, second in the league behind Bayern, it was a bitterly disappointing evening, filled with mistakes and sloppy defending in their worst performance of the season.

“We did a lot of things right, otherwise you cannot beat such a team,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told reporters. “We have to repeat what we did well today next week.

“It’s only the first half, we have to play them again and we need to deliver the same performance. It was the most important game of the season so far, but hopefully we’ll get more important games.”

The Bundesliga leaders, knocked out of the German Cup by Leverkusen, shot out of the blocks and established a ninth-minute lead through Kane’s powerful header.

Kane’s 30th goal across all competitions ended the striker’s four-game goal drought.

In a pulsating start, the visitors almost hit back five minutes later but Jeremie Frimpong, alone in front of goal, could not beat Manuel Neuer, making his 150th Champions League appearance, from close range.

Bayern had control of the game and came close to a second goal when Jamal Musiala headed against the crossbar.

Error-prone Leverkusen, with top strikers Victor Boniface and Patrick Schick left on the bench, were a shadow of the team who dominated Bayern in their goalless league draw just over two weeks ago.

Leverkusen keeper Matej Kovar gifted the hosts a second in the 54th minute after he dropped the ball from a Joshua Kimmich cross to allow Jamal Musiala to tap home.

Things got worse for the visitors when Nordi Mukiele was sent off following a second booking and Kane sealed Bayern’s comfortable win with a well-taken 75th-minute penalty and his 31st goal across all competitions.

“It will take time to process this game,” Alonso said. “A lot went against us today, but that was our own fault. We didn’t have good control and made big mistakes.

“But it’s not over until it’s over. The craziest things have already happened in football and we’ll fight to make something happen next week,” the Spaniard added.

The only sour note on an otherwise perfect evening for Bayern came in the 58th minute when Neuer had to be taken off injured.

The winners will face Feyenoord or Inter Milan in the last eight.

Results for the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday

Feyenoord (0) 0 Internazionale (1) 2
PSG (0) 0 Liverpool (0) 1
Bayern München (1) 3 Bayer Leverkusen (0) 0
Benfica (0) 0 Barcelona (0) 1