Liverpool stun PSG in Champions League as Barcelona defeat Benfica

Liverpool snatched a late winner to beat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 1-0 in the first leg of their heavyweight Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, while Barcelona claimed a 1-0 win at Benfica.

French league leaders PSG dominated at the Parc des Princes but couldn’t make their superiority count and Harvey Elliott struck three minutes from time after replacing Mohamed Salah with Liverpool’s only shot on target.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half but Arne Slot’s side defended resolutely to keep PSG at bay and are in a strong position to advance to the quarter-finals going into next week’s second leg at Anfield.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker made several crucial saves as PSG had 28 attempts on goal but could not replicate the finishing that had allowed them to score 21 goals in their last five Champions League outings.

If Liverpool finish the job at home next Tuesday, they could face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

Champions League: Arsenal thrash PSV 7-1 as Real Madrid beat Atletico

Barcelona also edged past Benfica 1-0 in Lisbon thanks to Raphinha’s second-half strike despite playing most of the game with 10 men.

Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half for a foul as the last defender, but Barcelona clung on and Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give the five-time European champions a slim advantage.

Inter Milan seized control of their tie against Feyenoord as Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez scored in a 2-0 win in Rotterdam.

Feyenoord knocked out Inter’s city rivals AC Milan in the play-off round but have since changed coaches, with former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie returning to take charge of his hometown club.

Bayern Munich also took charge with a 3-0 win over German rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

The Star