Steven Gerrard has weighed in on Liverpool’s disappointing Champions League quarter-final first leg, insisting the Reds made defensive errors that contributed directly to PSG’s opening goal — even if the finish itself was laced with fortune. The Liverpool legend, speaking on TNT Sport, didn’t hold back as Désir Doué’s deflected effort put Paris Saint-Germain ahead in what turned into a difficult night for Arne Slot’s side.
The goal arrived just 11 minutes into the match, with Doué finding a pocket of space despite pressure from Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Ryan Gravenberch. His shot cannoned off Gravenberch and looped wickedly over goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who had little chance of stopping it once the ball changed direction. On the surface, it looked like cruel luck. But Gerrard’s analysis suggested Liverpool’s defensive structure had already been compromised well before the shot was even struck.
“They could have been better around the halfway line — you can see PSG dragged them out of shape,” Gerrard said. He pointed specifically at Ibrahima Konaté, arguing the centre-back should have done more to win his duel before Liverpool’s backline fell out of sync. According to Gerrard, the Reds weren’t passive in their defensive response — they had bodies around the ball — but no one got tight enough at the critical moment to prevent the strike.
Even with the deflection taken into account, Gerrard wasn’t willing to fully absolve Mamardashvili either. The former skipper suggested the Georgian goalkeeper may have been positioned a yard or two too high, which cost him the chance to recover in time. “If you step outside of the goalkeeper’s union, you can say maybe he could have been that little bit further back — then he might have been able to tip it over the bar,” Gerrard added, carefully but clearly laying some responsibility at the keeper’s door.
Steven Gerrard’s Champions League analysis highlights Liverpool’s systemic defensive problems against PSG
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson offered a more sympathetic take when speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live. Robinson acknowledged the role of the wicked deflection and pointed out that pressure had been building on Liverpool throughout the opening stages. From his perspective, Mamardashvili was left with no realistic chance once the ball pinballed off Gravenberch. “It is a fortunate finish from a PSG point of view,” Robinson said. “A wicked deflection takes it up and over Mamardashvili.”
But whatever the debate around the first goal, Liverpool’s struggles were far from limited to that single moment. Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock noted on commentary that the Reds were spending the majority of the match trapped in their own half, unable to build any meaningful pressure going forward. He suggested that, given how difficult they found it to even get near the PSG defensive third, a 1-0 deficit at half-time was almost a relief.
“Liverpool will be very happy it is only 1-0 and their aim now is to keep it that way,” Warnock said. “From what we’ve seen so far, I don’t see them getting a goal to take back to Anfield.” It was a damning assessment of Liverpool’s attacking output, and unfortunately for the Reds, Warnock’s words proved prophetic.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put the tie further beyond Liverpool’s reach when he slipped away from Gravenberch inside the area and finished coolly in the 65th minute, making it 2-0 to PSG on the night. The Georgian winger — who has been one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards all season — punished exactly the kind of defensive lapse Gerrard had been flagging throughout.
Liverpool now face an enormous task in the second leg at Anfield, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit against a PSG side that looked comfortable, organised, and clinical when the opportunities arrived. The tie is far from mathematically over, and Anfield’s atmosphere has overturned bigger deficits in European history. But the manner of this first leg — particularly the defensive fragility and the inability to threaten in attack — will need serious addressing before Slot’s men can genuinely believe in a comeback. The Reds have dug themselves into a hole, and now comes the hard part.