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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jonathan Wilson at Anfield

Ruthless PSG prove that not even Anfield has an infinite capacity for miracles

Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk at the end of the match
Arne Slot had asked Anfield to be at its loudest, but even the fabled atmosphere could not inspire Liverpool to find a way past PSG. Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Often in the past Liverpool has demanded and Anfield has delivered. Past glories perhaps shouldn’t influence the present, but they do; precedent begets belief. That’s part of the mythos of the great stadiums, how they develop a life and an identity of their own. But a club cannot simply give itself to an arena and hope that it will do the job that players and management and the executive body cannot. No ground, not even Anfield, has an infinite capacity for miracles.

Just because Liverpool came from 3-0 down to beat Barcelona in 2019, there’s no reason to believe they could overhaul a two-goal deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in 2026. Anfield did its bit on a windy night on which early drizzle gave way to teeming rain. The rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone was suitably stirring, the noise from both sets of fans boisterous. But it was not enough.

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