Arne Slot agreed with Jurgen Klopp as reason for Champions League exit pinpointed

Arne Slot was left to rue Liverpool's lack of luck after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain - a factor former boss Jurgen Klopp once warned the Reds about.

The Dutchman's assessment came as Liverpool failed to capitalise on their 1-0 win over the French champions in last week's first leg in Paris. Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker was in inspired form at the Parc des Princes, making nine saves to keep his side in the game.

Yet, Alisson was helpless to prevent PSG taking an early 1-0 lead at Anfield on Tuesday. Luis Enrique's team rode something of a storm on the night as Liverpool huffed and puffed for 120 minutes but were ultimately forced to settle for a penalty shootout, where they missed two, sealing their European fate for this season.

After the game, Slot claimed the luck which had shone on his team last week in France seemed to abandon them on Merseyside.

“It feels a bit unfair to go out in this round already if you were top of the table and face a team like PSG," he said. "Last week we had a bit of luck, we didn't have it today."

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Alisson made 16 saves across both games with PSG which is the most by a goalkeeper in a UEFA Champions League knockout tie since Manuel Neuer starred for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid in the 2016-17 quarter-finals, as per Opta.

The Reds' shot stopper has frequently been cited as the reason for Liverpool's recent success by Slot – and former boss Klopp – with both managers admitting that their reliance on him was not ideal.

After a 2-2 draw with rivals Manchester United and a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg in early January, Slot insisted that Liverpool shouldn't have to depend on good fortune.

“What can we improve? Increasing the margin, because otherwise you’ll always depend on a bit of luck or a bit of being unlucky as well or certain decisions made by the referee," Slot said. “We must make sure that we don’t depend on those moments any more and that’s the next step we want to make if we want to not depend on luck or bad luck."

However, his predecessor saw alarm bells ringing as far back as 2021. Klopp was furious after Liverpool demolished Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford in October of that year, owed to what the German perceived as his team once again counting on Alisson to ensure victory.

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

"We have to improve, we know that. The world is like this - you win 5-0 against United and everything is perfect. Well, it was not," Klopp said after the game. "United had clear-cut chances, which we gave them. We should not rely on luck or Ali (goalkeeper, Alisson). We could have done better. This is how we spoke at half-time, even though we were 4-0 up.

"It is really important you believe you have to play better, otherwise you open up the gate for them. I saw the first half, we gave too much away. We have to improve, in general."

While Liverpool will no doubt be licking their wounds, they are still 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, having played one more game than Arsenal in second. Next up is the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday.

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