Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Liverpool: Doue and Kvaratskhelia put holders in control of quarter-final tie

Paris Saint-Germain put one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after producing a dominant display to breeze past Liverpool.

Paris Saint-Germain will take a deserved lead to Anfield for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie following a 2-0 victory over Liverpool on Wednesday.

The Parisiens could have scored even more, but a combination of poor finishing and some important Giorgi Mamardashvili saves gave the Reds a slight glimmer of hope.

Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 11th minute at the Parc des Princes, with his shot from just outside the box deflecting off the outstretched leg of Ryan Gravenberch and looping over Mamardashvili's grasp.

The Liverpool goalkeeper then got down low to his right to thwart Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's curling effort, before Doue was denied one-on-one by Mamardashvili following a sweeping counter-attack down the left-hand side.

The visitors' best chance came five minutes before the break as Jeremie Frimpong's shot – which came after Florian Wirtz's clever flick – whistled past the far post, though Ousmane Dembele should have done better with an attempt he struck straight at Mamardashvilli. 

PSG's dominance continued after half-time and Dembele squandered another glorious opportunity to put his side two goals ahead when he blazed over the crossbar, though their persistence was rewarded soon after.

Joao Neves' sensational pass in behind the Liverpool defence sent Kvaratskhelia scampering into the box, with the Georgian riding the challenge of Gravenberch before rounding Mamardashvilli and rolling the ball into the net.

Luis Enrique's side then thought they had been awarded a penalty when Ibrahima Konate felled Doue inside the box, but referee Jose María Sanchez Martinez overturned his original decision after a VAR review.

PSG had another chance to put the tie beyond doubt, but Nuno Mendes was unable to sort out his feet inside the area, though Liverpool still have a huge mountain to climb next week.

Data Debrief: Purring PSG pile more misery on Slot's Liverpool

A meeting with the Champions League holders was perhaps the last thing Liverpool wanted after their FA Cup thrashing at the hands of Manchester City, and Luis Enrique's side dominated the first leg to put one foot in the semi-finals.

PSG have won eight of their last 10 Champions League games against English sides (D1 L1), as many as they had in their first 27 in the competition (D7 L12), and their latest victory over Premier League opposition was supremely comprehensive.

They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.2 from their 18 shots, compared to Liverpool's measly 0.18 from three attempts. It was the first time since facing Atalanta in November 2020 that the Reds failed to have a shot on target in a Champions League match.

In addition, Liverpool have now lost three consecutive matches in all competitions for the third time this season. It is the first time they have had 3+ runs of 3+ consecutive defeats in a campaign since 1953-54, when they were relegated from the top flight.