Liverpool 3-2 PSG: Five talking points

Anfield's first European fixture of the season will take its place in the list of classic matches at the stadium after Liverpool beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 in stunning fashion.

The Reds went two goals up in the first half through Daniel Sturridge and James Milner only for the Ligue 1 title-holders to restore parity via Thomas Meunier and, late on, Kylian Mbappe.

But Roberto Firmino, on from the bench just days after suffering an eye injury, found space to slam in a winner in stoppage-time to give Jürgen Klopp’s men the perfect start in Group C.

Watch: The best of the 3-2 victory over PSG

Here are five talking points from a thrilling night at Anfield…

Firmino has the final say

The Brazil international’s availability for this tie was in the balance right until the last, with the manager unable to confirm on Monday whether his No.9 could play.

As it was, Firmino was named among the substitutes and entered the action on 70 minutes, shortly before World Cup winner Mbappe intervened to make the score 2-2.

However, on his 150th appearance for Liverpool it was the 26-year-old who settled it. Collecting Virgil van Dijk’s pass on the right side of the box, he shuffled from his left foot to his right and threaded a memorable strike through the packed area and into the far corner.

The goal moved Firmino level with Dirk Kuyt and Terry McDermott in the club’s all-time list of scorers in the European Cup/Champions League, with only Steven Gerrard (30) and Ian Rush (14) now ahead of him.

Sturridge’s special moment

It’s an unfortunate quirk of circumstances that Sturridge had never started a Champions League match for Liverpool until the visit of PSG.

In fact, the previous occasion he featured in a game in the competition from kick-off came before he even joined the club – 2,379 days ago, in March 2012.

But the No.15 grasped his long-awaited chance by heading home the breakthrough goal of a frantic encounter against the French champions, from Andy Robertson’s perfect cross at the Kop end.

And, despite that gap between Champions League starts, Sturridge actually extended his run of being directly involved in goals in the tournament for Liverpool. He has now done so in four consecutive appearances – two goals and two assists.

Milner’s midfield class

Milner’s imperious form in 2018-19 continued in the face of PSG’s breadth of quality, the Englishman shackling the visitors whenever possible while also driving Liverpool forward at every chance.

One particularly hefty challenge on Neymar early in the first half set the tone for a display that exhibited the full range of his skillset.

The No.7 made 44 passes, 30 in the opposition half, nine crosses, took 70 touches, contested 12 duels, recorded five tackles, one interception, one clearance and gained possession four times.

His penalty was crucially precise, too. Alphonse Areola dived the right way and was close but the power and placement of Milner’s side-footed spot-kick defeated the goalkeeper.

Reds set goal pace in Europe

Liverpool’s three goals on the night increased their tally in the competition proper since the beginning of last season to 44 – a total no team in Europe can match.

That haul has come in 14 games at an average of more than three per fixture, making the Reds comfortably the tournament’s most prolific side during that period.

Klopp’s charges have been especially relentless at Anfield, scoring 34 times in their past 10 European games at the ground, with only FC Porto shutting them out in that run.

Advantage Liverpool in Group C

While the Reds were fighting hard to finally beat PSG, elsewhere in the group Red Star Belgrade and Napoli were sharing the points in a goalless stalemate.

Nothing could separate the fourth and second seeds in the section respectively, meaning Liverpool hold a two-point lead after the first round of matches.

They’ll now look to build on that minor advantage in their next Champions League fixture – an away trip to Napoli in early October.

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