Liverpool manager Arne Slot described Tuesday's Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain as "the best game of football I've been involved in," despite seeing his side exit the competition on penalties.
The Reds lost the shootout 4-1 after the tie ended 1-1 on aggregate, with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma proving to be the hero by saving penalties from Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones before Desire Doue sealed the victory.
PSG had leveled the tie early in the match when Ousmane Dembele struck in the 12th minute, canceling out Liverpool's 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Paris. Despite creating numerous chances, Liverpool couldn't find the net during regular or extra time.
"It was the best game of football I have ever been involved in," Slot told Amazon Prime after the match. "It was an incredible performance, especially if you compare it with last week. Maybe we ran out of luck because the margins were so small."
The Dutch manager praised his team's effort, adding: "We played the perfect game, except for scoring a goal. It was similar to Paris last week, when they played the perfect game and didn't score. And then in extra time, they were maybe a little bit better."
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk acknowledged the quality of both teams, saying: "We were pretty good and you want to go as far as possible, but we knew when we drew Paris that it was going to be very difficult. In Paris, we struggled but we won. Today we saw a very good Liverpool side, but we're out of the competition."
Despite the disappointment, Liverpool still have plenty to play for this season. They hold a commanding 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League and face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
Left-back Andy Robertson emphasized the team's resilience: "It wasn't meant to be and we need to dust ourselves down. We always bounce back, there's a lot of tired legs in there. Cup finals, we enjoy them, and that's the biggest game."
Even PSG manager Luis Enrique acknowledged Liverpool's misfortune, stating: "Both of the teams deserve to go to the next phase. They played better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium showed great personality and character. I think it shows clearly the team we are."
