Firmino sinks PSG in stoppage time
Roberto Firmino struck a stoppage-time winner as Liverpool beat Paris St Germain 3-2 at Anfield on Tuesday after Kylian Mbappe looked to have secured a point for the French side in a compelling Champions League Group C clash.
Anfield played host to some memorable matches in this competition last season as Liverpool marched towards a losing final appearance against Real Madrid, and the first match of the current group stage proved to be another electric night of entertainment.
PSG had come back from two goals down with French World Cup winner Mbappe equalising in the 83rd minute, but then Firmino, who started on the bench due to an eye injury, drilled home a low shot in the final seconds.
It was a deserved victory for Juergen Klopp's team who had been on top for most of the match and handled the sport's most expensively-assembled frontline with some confidence.
Yet it was agonising for PSG, who had looked buried in the first half but showed character to claw themselves back on level terms.
Daniel Sturridge, who had not started a Champions League game since his days with Chelsea in 2012, was given the nod to replace Firmino in attack and the English striker responded superbly.
With Anfield in loud and proud mood, Liverpool came roaring out and put Thomas Tuchel’s side under intense pressure from the outset.
Virgil van Dijk forced Alphonse Areola into early action in the sixth minute while the PSG keeper also did well to keep out a low drive from James Milner.
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Milner brought another roar out of the home fans when he left Neymar crumpled on the floor after a crunching, but fair, tackle on the Brazil forward.
The former Barcelona striker offered a reminder of his threat, however, in the 17th minute as he broke away from Trent Alexander-Arnold and tested his compatriot Alisson Becker, in the Liverpool goal, with a snap-shot.
Liverpool were winning every challenge in midfield and managing to nullify the dangers presented by Neymar and Mbappe and they were charging forward with intent at every opportunity.
It was Sturridge who opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a fine header from an Andy Robertson cross, the striker getting in between Thiago Silva and Presnel Kimpembe and powering home his effort.
Six minutes later the Reds doubled their lead when PSG defender Juan Bernat tripped Georginio Wijnaldum in the area and Milner slotted home the penalty.
The Parisians got themselves back into the game though five minutes before the break when Robertson, who had been outstanding in restricting Mbappe, failed to clear and Thomas Meunier drove home a first-time effort.
Liverpool thought they had a third after the break when Mohamed Salah had the ball in the net but the effort was ruled out by referee Cuneyt Cak?r who correctly ruled that Sturridge had fouled Areola when the pair scrapped for a loose ball.
Even at 2-1 Liverpool looked comfortably in charge but with seven minutes to go, Salah carelessly gave the ball away in his own half, Neymar ran towards the home defence and the ball fell to the 19-year-old Mbappe who drove home with supreme confidence.
Just as the home crowd were reconciling themselves to two dropped points, Firmino showed he could match the Frenchman for clinical finishing, eking out just enough space for a drilled, diagonal shot which sent Anfield into ecstasy.
In their group's other match, Red Star Belgrade ground out a 0-0 home draw against Napoli on the Serbian side's Champions League debut as their goalkeeper Milan Borjan made a flurry of telling saves in a pulsating clash.
Napoli dominated the opening half and twice went close to taking the lead as Lorenzo Insigne rattled the crossbar and Borjan denied Arkadiusz Milik from close range with a fine reflex save.
Roared on by a fervent 55,000 home crowd, 1991 European Cup winners Red Star were rarely able to get out of their own half but their packed midfield and well-organised defence largely kept Napoli at bay.
Several last-gasp tackles early in the second half kept Red Star afloat and they threatened for the first time in the 58th minute when Napoli keeper David Ospina palmed away a fizzing low shot by halftime substitute Dusan Jovancic.
Borjan smothered a Piotr Zielinski effort shortly afterwards and substitute Dries Mertens shot wide from the edge of the six-yard box as Napoli continued to pile on the pressure with crisp one-touch passing.
A Red Star defender cleared Jose Callejon's shot off the line after another darting raid by the visitors down the left flank, with the home side hanging on desperately.
With Red Star's 1991 generation watching after they received a standing ovation from the fans prior to kick off, the home side nearly scored against the run of play when Ospina saved an 80th-minute shot from striker Richmond Boakye.
Napoli could not find a way through in the final stages as Red Star closed ranks, drawing loud cheers from their fans after salvaging a point with a gritty performance.
