Champions League: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp angered by Neymar and PSG antics
Defeat in Paris leaves the Reds third in group C with one match remaining
Paris Saint-Germain 2 Liverpool 1
Liverpool lost in Paris last night and now last season’s beaten finalists face a nervous 90 minutes in next month’s final Champions League group game.
The Reds are now third in group C, three points behind leaders Napoli and two shy of Paris Saint-Germain.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What that means is they must not only win when they host Napoli at Anfield on 11 December but do so by two goals or more.
Even a 1-0 victory would suffice courtesy of their head-to-head record (Napoli won 1-0 in the corresponding fixture), but should Liverpool win 2-1 or 3-2 they would be eliminated because of Napoli’s away goals.
Pointless on the road
That Liverpool find themselves in such a predicament is entirely of their own making, a result of an inconsistent Champions League campaign in which they have failed to pick up a point on the road.
Defeat in the French capital followed losses in Naples and Belgrade and last night they never looked capable of beating PSG.
The hosts were two up in 37 minutes, Juan Bernat capitalising on sloppy defending to fire home on 13 minutes and then Neymar finishing a lightning counter-attack.
James Milner pulled a goal back from the penalty spot for the Reds on the stroke of half-time, but the visitors failed to register a shot on target after the break as PSG bossed the game.
Unmellow yellow
Liverpool’s frustration was evident in the number of fouls they committed - 20 to PSG’s 12 - and Polish referee Szymon Marciniak dished out eight yellow cards, six of which were shown to Liverpool players.
“We looked like butchers with the number of yellow cards,” said Jurgen Klopp, who accused the hosts of hamming it up for the benefit of the official.
“It was clever of PSG, especially Neymar, but a lot of other players went down like there was something serious. We were not that calm any more, rather frustrated and negative frustration does not help. That is a job for us to deal with.”
Klopp remains confident
Asked if he believed his side can qualify for the last 16, Klopp replied: “Yes, of course. We need Anfield again, we need to create an atmosphere which is pretty special… we have to make a special night of it, 100%, if we want to go through. If we do that and win it then we deserve it, if we don’t then we don’t deserve it, that’s how it is.”
Results and fixtures
Matchday five results
- Group A: Atletico Madrid 2 Monaco 0; Borussia Dortmund 0 Club Brugge 0
- Group B: PSV Eindhoven 1 Barcelona 2; Tottenham Hotspur 1 Inter Milan 0
- Group C: Napoli 3 Red Star Belgrade 1; Paris Saint-Germain 2 Liverpool 1
- Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow 2 Galatasaray 0; Porto 3 Schalke 04 1
- Group E: AEK Athens 0 Ajax 2; Bayern Munich 5 Benfica 1
- Group F: Lyon 2 Manchester City 2; Hoffenheim 2 Shakhtar Donetsk 3
- Group G: CSKA Moscow 1 Viktoria Plzen 2; Roma 0 Real Madrid 2
- Group H: Juventus 1 Valencia 0; Manchester United 1 Young Boys 0
Matchday six fixtures Tuesday 11 December
- Group A: Club Brugge vs. Atletico Madrid; Monaco vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Group B: Barcelona vs. Tottenham Hotspur; Inter Milan vs. PSV Eindhoven
- Group C: Red Star Belgrade vs. Paris Saint-Germain; Liverpool vs. Napoli
- Group D: Schalke 04 vs. Lokomotiv Moscow; Galatasaray vs. Porto
Wednesday 12 December
- Group E: Ajax vs. Bayern Munich; Benfica vs. AEK Athens
- Group F: Manchester City vs. Hoffenheim; Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Lyon
- Group G: Real Madrid vs. CSKA Moscow; Viktoria Plzen vs. Roma
- Group H: Valencia vs. Manchester United; Young Boys vs. Juventus
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
The 'Swiss model' shaking up the Champions League
In the Spotlight Uefa says the new format offers 'greater excitement' but critics say boredom is guaranteed
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
In the Spotlight A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
feature Spaniard has now won two trebles following Man City’s Champions League triumph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
feature Can Guardiola’s team finally win the Champions League and complete a historic treble?
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Has Liverpool been weakened by Jürgen Klopp’s ‘seven-year itch’?
feature After seven years at Anfield, critics are wondering whether his magic is wearing off
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League all-star game: ‘incredibly arrogant’ or natural ‘evolution’?
Talking Point Managers and pundits dismiss US-inspired idea from Chelsea co-owner
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published