Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits his side were lucky in their late 1-0 victory over Paris St Germain in the French capital having been dominated for almost all of their Champions League last 16 first leg.
And he credited man-of-the-match Alisson Becker – “the best goalkeeper in the world” – for keeping them in contention long enough for substitute Harvey Elliott to score in the 87th minute with their only shot on target.
The Liverpool boss said: “We’re the lucky ones, that’s clear for everyone. I think they were the much better team today, especially in the first half [when they had] three or four big, big chances.
“In the second half, they were still the better team, still had a lot of shots on target but they were mainly from outside the box.
“That’s why Alisson still had to make a lot of big saves. I have had some very good players as a manager but never the best goalkeeper in the world until now.
“He showed that he is the best in the world today. To go away with a win here was probably a bit more than we deserved.”
Alisson made nine saves from 27 shots against a side who had not been beaten since November and had scored 40 goals in winning their last 10 matches in a row.
The Brazil international told TNT Sports it was “probably the performance of my life” as he broke Pepe Reina’s club record with his 22nd Champions League clean sheet.
His nine saves were also the most on record (since 2003) by a Liverpool goalkeeper in a Champions League match.
Liverpool were fortunate VAR ruled out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s first-half goal for offside and also decided Ibrahima Konate‘s shoulder barge on Bradley Barcola did not warrant a red card.
“We were lucky with the first half that the goal was fractionally offside,” added Slot.
“I think if the referee would have blown his whistle [for the Konate offence] VAR would not have overturned it and it was also clear for me that he should not have overturned it because it wasn’t clearly wrong.
“It’s a big decision, that’s true.”
Slot also enjoyed great fortune with his substitutions, with one – Darwin Nunez – teeing up Elliott to score with his first touch after replacing Mohamed Salah late in the game.
“A big moment for him. I can understand that he’s sometimes frustrated about the playing time he gets, because he’s a good player,” Slot said of Elliott.
“He has to do it with limited playing time but he just keeps on going. I have to give him big compliments for that.
“But it wasn’t only Harvey, it was also the one that assisted, Darwin, who came from a difficult two games but was absolutely there again tonight.”
PSG head coach Luis Enrique was not too disappointed by the result, which he believes they can recover in the second leg at Anfield next week.
“We deserved more. Their best player was their goalkeeper – he was magnificent today,” he said.
“Today wasn’t a game based on the stats or the details. We were far superior. We didn’t allow Liverpool to play. They were better than us for the first five minutes but, apart from that, it was us on top.
“I’m so proud of my team, my players. I congratulate my players. A team can always improve. I’m a demanding coach.
“All I can do is praise my players and motivate them. We’ll go there and make our fans proud of us.”
