A Beatles theme ran through the pages of France’s daily sports newspaper L’Equipe on Wednesday, celebrating Liverpool’s visit. One headline served as a plea to the vibrant young PSG team assembled by Luis Enrique, urging them not to be intimidated by Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders. “Hey Dudes,” it read, “Don’t be Afraid.”

And PSG were not afraid. They entered the match with reckless abandon, launching wave after wave of blue fury at Liverpool. Their pressing was relentless, with the brilliance of Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia consistently exposing Liverpool’s defense.

While Liverpool had faced awkward moments this season—such as the chaotic end to the last Merseyside derby and an FA Cup loss to Plymouth—they had not encountered anything like this.

Harvey Elliott scored an 87th-minute winner as Liverpool pulled off an incredible victory. Despite the onslaught, Liverpool survived, largely thanks to the exceptional performance of goalkeeper Alisson, who made a series of superb saves to deny close-range efforts from Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

Then, with just three minutes remaining in a match where Liverpool had been battered and run ragged, substitute Harvey Elliott received the ball on the right side of the PSG box. Gianluigi Donnarumma could only manage a weak touch, allowing the ball to squirm into the net—Liverpool had won.

Elliott scored with his first touch just 47 seconds after coming on, sealing a stunning victory for Liverpool. PSG had dominated the game and even had a goal disallowed, but Alisson’s heroics kept Liverpool in contention. PSG felt the night had been brutally unfair, yet their finishing let them down. They had chances to score but faltered in critical moments.

Liverpool, however, capitalized on their lone chance. This is the team they have become—a brilliant and opportunistic squad that waits for the right moment to strike.

Liverpool also benefited from a bit of luck; Ibrahima Konate was fortunate not to be sent off for a first-half shove on Barcola. At times, it seemed that Alisson’s saves would not fall favorably for PSG.

Yet, Liverpool emerged with a one-goal lead to take back to Anfield next Tuesday, aware that they had escaped from a match where they were distinctly second-best against a formidable team, but still had a chance to progress to the quarter-finals.

There were fewer Liverpool fans in Paris than usual for such an important match, which is perhaps understandable given their last experience here. Football nearly faced another crowd tragedy before the 2022 Champions League final, where poor policing led to dangerous bottlenecks outside the stadium. Some fans chose to stay home, but those who attended found entry to the Parc des Princes to be better organized.

The atmosphere in Paris was clear. Along with urging PSG’s young team to be brave, L’Equipe’s front page paid homage to the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Instead of The Beatles, the slogan read “The Battle,” featuring Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembele, Virgil van Dijk, and Mo Salah prominently.

Dembele made the first significant impact. The early moments were tense, with Liverpool only facing self-inflicted problems when Van Dijk and Luis Diaz lost possession. After about 15 minutes, Dembele slipped the ball past Andy Robertson and evaded Alexis Mac Allister, laying it back to Joao Neves, whose shot bounced over the bar.

Liverpool escaped again when they failed to clear a corner, allowing Kvaratskhelia to curl a shot past Gravenberch and into the net, only for VAR to rule it offside. The stadium erupted in frustration when PSG called for a red card against Konate for a shove on Barcola, but VAR declined to intervene, leading to deafening boos.

Liverpool was pushed to their limits. Barcola played in Dembele, who had scored 25 goals in all competitions this season, but Alisson blocked his shot with his legs. The ball rebounded to Barcola, who lifted his next shot over the bar with the goal open.

Alisson had to dive to keep another low shot from Kvaratskhelia out, and Liverpool breathed a sigh of relief as halftime approached. Slot resisted making changes at halftime, although the temptation must have been strong. The usual pressure resumed, and Alisson produced a brilliant save to keep out a Kvaratskhelia free-kick.

Liverpool survived a series of dangerous corners from Dembele, with Szoboszlai clearing one off the line as it threatened to score. PSG’s relentless pressure continued, but they still couldn’t find the net.

Then, late in the game, Slot brought on Elliott. Before he even touched the ball, Darwin Nunez set him up, and Elliott finished decisively. The young PSG team, who had not been afraid, hung their heads in despair.