Darwin Nunez fell into the arms of Arne Slot at the conclusion of a dramatic night that may yet come to define the spectacularly mixed bag that has been the Uruguayan’s Liverpool career.
Nunez must not shoulder the blame for Liverpool’s exit on penalties at the last-16 stage of the Champions League after cruising into the knockout phase – only to be drawn against the growing force that is this outstanding Paris St-Germain side.
Liverpool’s support, as they always have, stood firmly behind Nunez but he suffered a nightmare with an undistinguished performance as a substitute before missing a penalty in the shootout.
He was courageous enough to step up to take Liverpool’s second penalty in the shootout, but there was a nervous air inside Anfield.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock confirmed on BBC Radio 5 Live what many others felt: “You just had that feeling as Darwin Nunez walked up to the ball. A sense of anxiety from the Liverpool fans. He didn’t have an impact on the game.”
And it was justified as Nunez’s spot-kick was not enough to defeat the expertise of PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Indeed, Nunez may not even have been called upon take a penalty had Liverpool not lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury and replaced the reliable spot-kick taker Alexis Mac Allister on a physically and mentally draining, emotional night.
Nunez trudged disconsolately back to the halfway line, where he was comforted by his Liverpool team-mates, but the credits were rolling on their Champions League campaign as PSG converted four outstanding penalties, with Curtis Jones also seeing his penalty saved.
There was no question about his work-rate here, but this was a confused, over-anxious display characterised by misplaced passes and misunderstandings after he replaced Diogo Jota with 17 minutes left of normal time.
If anything, this was the work of someone trying too hard.
It will, however, only increase the question marks about whether it will ever fall into place for a striker who earned a reputation as “Captain Chaos” for his all-action style but simply does not produce with the consistency to meet Liverpool’s demands.
Nunez, it should be stressed, was certainly not to blame for Liverpool’s loss and the greats can miss penalties, but it was his miss that felt as it if carried more weight.
He is likely to have plenty of chances to turn his fortunes around, perhaps starting against Newcastle United in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, but there is an inescapable sense that his future is likely to be on the agenda in the summer when Slot’s tenure moves into its next phase, almost certainly with a Premier League title to defend.
This was a tough night in all respects for Liverpool, who will certainly question the luck of the Champions League draw after topping the new format’s table with ease only to draw a PSG side who can now be considered potential winners, such is their quality.
If Liverpool rode their luck to somehow escape with a 1-0 win in the first leg in Paris, they did not enjoy the best of fortune here as both Alexander-Arnold, injured and now a doubt to face Newcastle United at Wembley, and Jarrel Quansah hit the woodwork.
Donnarumma also saved well from Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz, while Mohamed Salah had a rare night when the final flourish eluded him.
Liverpool’s luck did not even hold for the toss for penalties, the kicks being taken in front of PSG’s fans at the Anfield Road end rather than in front of the Kop, who were forced to try and inspire from afar.
This was the first time Liverpool had gone out at Anfield after winning the first leg of a European tie, while it was also the first time they had lost a penalty shootout in this competition after winning the European Cup against Roma in Rome in 1984, the Champions League against AC Milan in 2005 then beating Chelsea in the semi-final in 2007.
PSG will say, with some justification, they deserved their win over two legs and coach Luis Enrique, a Champions League winner with Barcelona, is presiding over a superb revamp of a team that looks more cohesive and energetic than the one that failed so often in the Champions League.
The “Bling Bling” era of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar has gone, to be replaced by Ousmane Dembele finally fulfilling his potential and recent signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia adding a new dimension.
This is a team that will threaten every opponent.
For Liverpool, this is a bitter disappointment among all their imperious Premier League progress this season.
Talk of a quadruple was always fanciful, but the FA Cup campaign ended when Slot fielded a virtual reserve side at the Championship’s bottom club Plymouth Argyle, while an exit at the last-16 stage always counts as a Champions League failure for a club of Liverpool’s aspirations.
This season still has so much to offer for Liverpool and Slot, as they stand 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League, their coronation now little more than a formality as their rivals fall by the wayside in the face of their relentless consistency.
It has been a superb campaign.
The Champions League, however, always adds that extra touch of spice and glamour to the latter stages of any Liverpool season and there was no disguising the pain of defeat on the faces of their players and Slot when Desire Doue slammed home the penalty that confirmed PSG’s place in the quarter-finals, where they will face either Aston Villa, who hold a 3-1 lead from the first leg, or Club Brugge.
Liverpool have the perfect opportunity to recover from this disappointment with a Wembley final against Newcastle on Sunday – but there is no escaping this was a night of huge disappointment for a side touted by so many as the best side in Europe and Champions League favourites.-BBC
