Dembele double helps PSG sink Liverpool's dream
Ousmane Dembele struck twice to confirm Paris Saint-Germain's place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool, sealing a 4-0 aggregate win in their quarter-final tie at a rain-soaked Anfield.
The holder soaked up sustained second-half pressure from Liverpool, which was roared on by a raucous home crowd, but built on the advantage it established in the first leg in Paris last week to book its fifth semi-final berth in seven seasons.
Dembele scored at Anfield for a second successive campaign when he latched on to a ball from Bradley Barcola in the 72nd minute and curled a shot into the bottom corner past Giorgi Mamardashvili from 20 yards out.
He completed his double early in stoppage-time, slotting home a cross from Barcola.
PSG will meet either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, with the German side leading 2-1 ahead of its quarter-final second leg with the LaLiga giant.
Boos rang around Anfield in the second half after a penalty was overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR), initially awarded when Willian Pacho clattered into Alexis Mac Allister in the box.
The game, played in a torrential downpour, was overshadowed by a worrying first-half injury to Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike, who was carried off after going down unchallenged and pointing to his Achilles tendon, leaving the pitch in tears.
"It's not too good," Liverpool boss Arne Slot said. "Let's wait and see. In the second half he went home. I've not seen him yet."
PSG dominated the first half, and Dembele's brace came after he squandered a couple of earlier chances, including a close-range shot that he fired well over the bar and another that Mamardashvili, racing back toward his net, punched clear.
It was virtually all Liverpool early in the second half as Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez and Mac Allister all missed decent chances.
Milos Kerkez looked poised to score after latching on to a brilliant ball from Mohamed Salah, who was making his final UEFA Champions League appearance for the home side, but the Hungarian sent the ball wide.
Dembele's first goal, against the run of play, all but settled the contest, stripping struggling Liverpool, who had previously crashed out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, of any realistic hope of overturning the tie and leaving PSG firmly in control for the remainder of the night.
"The game today meant a lot of things because against PSG, who are a bit better than last season, to make a performance like that we have to build from that and realise how good we can be," Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate said.
"It is minimum standard for Liverpool to play [UEFA] Champions League. We have six games left [of the Premier League season] and we have to give all in those six games.
"We knew we could do something special at Anfield... this is football. It's sad."
