What that means is they must not only win when they host Napoli at Anfield on 11 December but do so by two goals or more.
Even a 1-0 victory would suffice courtesy of their head-to-head record (Napoli won 1-0 in the corresponding fixture), but should Liverpool win 2-1 or 3-2 they would be eliminated because of Napoli’s away goals.
Pointless on the road
That Liverpool find themselves in such a predicament is entirely of their own making, a result of an inconsistent Champions League campaign in which they have failed to pick up a point on the road.
Defeat in the French capital followed losses in Naples and Belgrade and last night they never looked capable of beating PSG.
The hosts were two up in 37 minutes, Juan Bernat capitalising on sloppy defending to fire home on 13 minutes and then Neymar finishing a lightning counter-attack.
James Milner pulled a goal back from the penalty spot for the Reds on the stroke of half-time, but the visitors failed to register a shot on target after the break as PSG bossed the game.
Unmellow yellow
Liverpool’s frustration was evident in the number of fouls they committed - 20 to PSG’s 12 - and Polish referee Szymon Marciniak dished out eight yellow cards, six of which were shown to Liverpool players.
“We looked like butchers with the number of yellow cards,” said Jurgen Klopp, who accused the hosts of hamming it up for the benefit of the official.
“It was clever of PSG, especially Neymar, but a lot of other players went down like there was something serious. We were not that calm any more, rather frustrated and negative frustration does not help. That is a job for us to deal with.”
Klopp remains confident
Asked if he believed his side can qualify for the last 16, Klopp replied: “Yes, of course. We need Anfield again, we need to create an atmosphere which is pretty special… we have to make a special night of it, 100%, if we want to go through. If we do that and win it then we deserve it, if we don’t then we don’t deserve it, that’s how it is.”
Results and fixtures
Matchday five results
Group A: Atletico Madrid 2 Monaco 0; Borussia Dortmund 0 Club Brugge 0
Group B: PSV Eindhoven 1 Barcelona 2; Tottenham Hotspur 1 Inter Milan 0
Group C: Napoli 3 Red Star Belgrade 1; Paris Saint-Germain 2 Liverpool 1
Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow 2 Galatasaray 0; Porto 3 Schalke 04 1
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
register for free
Already have an account? Sign in
Subscribe to The Week
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Subscribe & Save
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Unlimited website access is included with Digital and Print + Digital subscriptions. Create an accountwith the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
Has Liverpool been weakened by Jürgen Klopp’s ‘seven-year itch’?
Premier League all-star game: ‘incredibly arrogant’ or natural ‘evolution’?
Uefa Champions League 2022-2023 guide: group stage draw and key dates
