Ousmane Dembele’s double guided Paris Saint-Germain into the Champions League semifinals as a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday completed a 4-0 aggregate win for the holders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To compound the English champions’ woes, Hugo Ekitike suffered a serious-looking injury that could end his season and hinder Liverpool’s chances of being back among Europe’s elite next season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arne Slot’s men sit fifth in the Premier League and will end the campaign trophyless after being kept at arm’s reach by a PSG side that did not need to be at their brilliant best to reach a third consecutive semifinal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defeat means there will be no glorious goodbye for Mohamed Salah after nine memorable years on Merseyside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slot showed little sentiment as he dropped the Egyptian to the bench on his final Champions League appearance in red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alexander Isak was preferred up front as the most expensive player in Premier League history started for the first time since breaking his leg in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Salah was forced into action after just half an hour as Ekitike suffered a nasty-looking injury that could ruin his World Cup hopes with France. The former PSG striker crumpled in a heap holding his lower right leg with a suspected ruptured Achilles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salah nearly made an immediate impact as from his cross Matvey Safonov made a fine save from Milos Kerkez before Marquinhos produced a remarkable block to deny Virgil van Dijk the opening goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PSG had plenty of chances to have put the tie to bed in the Parc des Princes last week and were profligate once more in the first half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giorgi Mamardashvili scrambled back towards his line to punch away Dembele’s attempted chip before the Ballon d’Or winner blazed over from close range with just the Georgian to beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slot admitted before kick-off that Isak could only last for 45 minutes due to a lack of match practice and the Swede made way for Cody Gakpo at half-time in a further blow to Liverpool’s firepower up front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerkez had the best chance to set up a grandstand finale when he sliced wide another inviting Salah delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liverpool thought they had been gifted a lifeline when Alexis Mac Allister was awarded a very generous penalty for minimal contact by Willian Pacho, but VAR intervened to instruct referee Maurizio Mariani to reverse his original decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as Liverpool poured forward in desperation, they became a sitting duck for the rapid PSG counter-attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dembele finally killed the tie off 18 minutes from time when he cut onto his left foot and curled into the bottom corner from outside the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The French international then inflicted the final blow with a cool finish from Bradley Barcola’s cross in stoppage time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PSG will face a tougher test against the in-form Bayern Munich or 15-time winners Real Madrid in the last four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n