Liverpool are out of the Champions League after another 2-0 quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield saw them beaten 4-0 on aggregate.
Arne Slot's side were up against it after that two-goal defeat in Paris but with the home crowd up for a comeback, Liverpool produced a spirited performance that unsettled the European champions until Ousmane Dembele punished them twice late in the game.
There were chances for the Reds, Marquinhos clearing from near the line to deny Virgil van Dijk in the first half and Alexis Mac Allister seeing a penalty award controversially revoked by the referee following a VAR review. It was as close as Liverpool would come.
Slot certainly went for it, gambling on starting Alexander Isak and then introducing Mohamed Salah for the injured Hugo Ekitike before the break. When the Liverpool boss swapped Joe Gomez for Rio Ngumoha, the Kop were dreaming of a classic Anfield turnaround.
But PSG's greater precision made the difference even on an awkward evening. The holders will take on Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the last four. Luis Enrique's side are now on a six-game winning streak for the first time this season. A quality outfit timing their form.
For Liverpool, there is encouragement that they gave it a go but the reality is that their trophyless campaign has now been confirmed. Now the focus must shift to securing their Champions League return by finishing in the Premier League top five this season.
Even the PSG players looked concerned when Ekitike went down in the first half. He attempted to get up only to go down again clutching what appeared to be his Achilles. The fear is that it is an injury that will end not only his season but his World Cup hopes.
"It looks really bad but it is difficult for me to say how bad," said Slot when speaking in the press conference about the injury to Ekitike. "Tomorrow we will investigate this further how bad this is for him. Let's see but that it doesn't look good is clear."
There is no denying that the initial penalty award given against Willian Pacho for a foul on Mac Allister was soft. But did it warrant overturning by the VAR when there was some contact? Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate certainly did not think so.
"For me it was a clear penalty," said Konate, speaking to Amazon Prime. "I was behind the referee. If we get the penalty and score it would have been completely different." He has a point about that. Momentum was building. It would have been 2-1 on aggregate.
"I still think it was a penalty. There was contact into the back of the leg. He is entitled to go down with that contact," said Tim Sherwood, watching the game for Your Site.
"Liverpool were the better team tonight. If they play like that, they will 100 per cent qualify for the Champions League. This tie was lost in the first leg. Why didn't they go over there and have a go?"
PSG head coach Luis Enrique speaking in the press conference:
"Liverpool played a fantastic game, real intensity. In the second half, when things turned around, things got even tougher for us. We showed what kind of team we are, Liverpool showed what kind of team they are too. It was a great quarter-final.
"Good luck is important. Had we conceded a goal early in this game, it would have been difficult so you need things to go your way.
"They had to take a lot of risks and that meant we could launch a counter-attack and kill the match off. It took us longer than I would have liked for us to do that. I would have liked us to do it earlier.
"We knew they would create problems for us, we knew we would have to suffer at times. Liverpool definitely deserved to score, I think, over the course of the game."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot speaking in the press conference:
"I have to give a lot of credit to the players, how hard they worked. I have to give a lot of credit to our fans, how they helped us tonight to execute our game plan.
"And that means if we have a high press it's so helpful if there are fans behind you to keep on pushing you, pushing you, pushing you. That's what they did.
"Unfortunately, it's one of the many examples of this season where we weren't able to score from the many chances we had. Again, we were so far underperforming in terms of xG and that is just an ongoing thing with us throughout the whole season.
"And add to that, as it seems to be, a bad injury [to Ekitike], we don't know for sure yet. Add to that another intervention of the VAR which was not in our favour and that is not for the first time this season.
"Then, of course, we are very disappointed because I think there were parts in the second half where you could just feel that we can score now and this is going to become a special night."
Liverpool came into the game having scored 24 goals from an expected-goals total of 27.8 in the Champions League this season, making them the biggest underperformers in front of goal among the eight quarter-finalists. It was a similar story on the night.
They had 21 shots against PSG but forced only five saves. Liverpool threw bodies forward but the precision was lacking. A sloppy pass, a wild finish. A poor decision, a tentativeness when somebody needed to step up and seize the moment in front of goal.
For Salah, the mind is willing but the body is now lacking. For Florian Wirtz, it was an opportunity missed to show that he has the mentality to deliver for Liverpool in the biggest matches. Isak remains well short of fitness, the season having passed him by.
The fans at Anfield were just grateful for the endeavour that their team showed, a much improved tempo. The final score certainly did not reflect the fact that they had PSG unnerved in the second half. But when the dust settles, familiar failings undid them.
