Dembélé nets twice asPSG knock Liverpool out

Dembélé nets twice asPSG knock Liverpool out

Ousmane Dembélé struck twice as Paris Saint-Germain completed the job at Anfield with a 2-0 win over Liverpool, sealing their place in the Champions League semi-finals and ending the Reds’ hopes of silverware this season.

Already holding a two-goal cushion from the first leg in Paris, the visitors arrived on Merseyside knowing patience would be key. The Reds responded with far greater intensity than a week earlier, pushing forward early on and creating a handful of promising moments, but they lacked the cutting edge required to shift the momentum of the tie.

The night took a worrying turn midway through the first half when Hugo Ekitike was forced off with an apparent injury, prompting the introduction of Mohamed Salah earlier than expected.

Arne Slot's side nearly made the breakthrough soon after, but Matvey Safonov produced an excellent stop to deny Milos Kerkez before Marquinhos made a vital intervention to keep Virgil van Dijk out on the rebound.

The hosts thought they had a lifeline in the second half when a penalty was initially awarded after Alexis Mac Allister went down in the area. However, following a VAR review, the decision was overturned to Anfield’s frustration.

PSG made that moment count. Dembélé created space on the edge of the box and fired low into the corner to settle the contest before calmly adding a second in stoppage time to wrap things up.