The Stats Behind Alisson’s Remarkable Champions League Display Against PSG

The clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool always had the potential to be closely contested, particularly considering the impressive form of both European powerhouses recently.

Prior to their loss to the Reds, which came from a late intervention by Harvey Elliott in the 87th minute—his goal establishing the record for the latest winning goal for Liverpool in the Champions League knockout rounds—PSG had not lost in 22 matches across all competitions, securing 19 victories during that run.

Liverpool, meanwhile, had endured three defeats in their last 16 games. However, they were able to overturn a first leg loss in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham and the loss to PSV Eindhoven in their final group stage match of the Champions League proved inconsequential. The other defeat, to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup, while disheartening, was arguably their least pressing concern compared to the Premier League and Champions League.

It’s important to note that prior to this recent setback, Liverpool had recorded just one loss in their last 28 fixtures across all competitions, dating back to the inception of the 2024/25 season.

With PSG conceding nine goals and Liverpool five in this season’s Champions League ahead of the knockout phase, both sides appeared to boast solid defensive records. Their tallies of 14 and 17 goals respectively over eight matches suggested that a low-scoring affair was on the cards—and indeed, it turned out to be the case.

Nonetheless, the match’s outcome was significantly influenced by Alisson Becker’s remarkable performance, as he was simply outstanding.

His nine saves in this encounter set a record for the most by a Liverpool goalkeeper in a single Champions League match since records began in 2003/04, and marked the highest number of saves he’s made in a single game this season.

After the match, he stated that it was “probably the best game of my career,” a sentiment echoed by his teammates and manager Arne Slot.

Alisson, in particular, kept Ousmane Dembélé at bay, preventing the French winger from converting any of his chances, despite Dembélé putting up eight attempts on goal—the most for any PSG player in a Champions League match.

With a flawless save percentage for the night, Alisson notched up his 10th instance of achieving this perfect record in 25 games across all competitions this season, a statistic that held great significance as Liverpool battled through 97 minutes of tense play.

Highlighting just how much Liverpool were under pressure for the majority of the match, they managed to secure victory despite registering 25 fewer shots than PSG (two to 27), marking the joint largest disparity in shots faced by a winning side in a Champions League knockout match on record since 2003/04.

At half-time, the stat revealed that it was only the second occasion since the 2003/04 season that Liverpool had faced over 12 shots in the opening 45 minutes without conceding.

The final scoreline also marked Liverpool’s sixth clean sheet in nine Champions League outings this season. Their previous campaigns with more clean sheets in a European Cup/Champions League run include 2001/02 (eight), 2006/07 (seven), and 2020/21 (seven).

Winning three consecutive matches while keeping a clean sheet was a feat Liverpool had not achieved since the first three matches under Arne Slot’s management in August and September of 2024, demonstrating the importance of their solid start.

The Premier League side managed to score with their solitary shot on target on the night, while PSG failed to convert any of their ten attempts on goal, despite boasting a high xG of 1.78 throughout the match.

In the game, Alisson recorded four clearances—joint second highest—and made seven passes into the final third, a feat only surpassed by Trent Alexander-Arnold (10) and Dominik Szoboszlai (12).

With 44 touches, he showed immense work rate, exceeding only Alexander-Arnold (45) and Andrew Robertson (54) among Liverpool’s outfield players.

Although his passing accuracy was 57.1%—the lowest of his season—he was fortunate that this did not create additional challenges. However, all four of his long passes to Darwin Núñez were successful, while only Ibrahima Konaté had more successful passes (five) within a shorter range.

As discussions about the future of the 32-year-old goalkeeper loom, especially considering his relatively young age for a keeper, Slot described Alisson as the “best goalkeeper in the world.” This has undoubtedly added pressure on the soon-to-arrive Giorgi Mamardashvili, set to join Liverpool this summer.

The 24-year-old is unlikely to want to bide his time in the same manner as Caoimhin Kelleher, but perhaps Liverpool aim to cultivate depth in that position, ensuring either Alisson or Mamardashvili can maintain top-notch performance levels next season.