Liverpool have begun their Champions League campaign with a last-gasp 3-2 win over fellow European giants Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on Tuesday.
The Reds were the better side for long spells of the Group C clash on Merseyside, but it looked as though they might be punished for their failure to make their dominance count when Kylian Mbappe tucked home an undeserved equaliser seven minutes from time.
However, Roberto Firmino – who started on the bench after suffering an eye injury against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend – fired home a stoppage-time winner to ensure that Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the season with six wins from six games across all competitions.
Daniel Sturridge and James Milner had earlier given last season’s beaten finalists a two-goal lead which was quickly halved by Thomas Meunier, but the visitors can have few complaints at coming away with nothing following an underwhelming and lacklustre performance.
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PSG’s star-studded attackers were struggling to get into the game and their lack of defensive discipline was playing into Liverpool’s hands, with Mane forcing another stop from Areola in the 10th minute after Henderson had dispossessed Neymar to launch a counter-attack.
The visitors did begin to grow into the game as the first half wore on, and they finally threatened Alisson Becker’s goal when Neymar skipped into the box before firing an effort straight at his compatriot, while Edinson Cavani could not get enough on his rebound.
It was a relatively rare sight of goal during a half in which Liverpool were the better team, though, and the hosts created another half-chance when Mane darted past Neymar on his way into the box, only to then slice his effort well off target.
The opening goal did finally arrive on the half-hour mark when Sturridge rewarded Klopp’s faith in him with a firm header past Areola from Andrew Robertson’s pinpoint cross, sparking a flurry of action which would see two more goals fly in during a 10-minute spell.
PSG found themselves facing a penalty courtesy of Juan Bernat’s needless challenge inside the area, with the full-back dangling out a leg which sent Wijnaldum to ground.
Milner stepped up to take the spot kick, and having set a new Champions League record for assists in a single campaign last season, he got his own name on the scoresheet by tucking his penalty beyond the dive of Areola.
The two-goal cushion lasted only four minutes, though, as PSG pulled one back almost immediately through Meunier’s instinctive finish into the bottom corner, although the replay showed that Cavani was offside during the buildup.
PSG may have been relieved to only go into the break with a one-goal deficit, but their performance did not improve during the second half and Liverpool looked in complete control of the match for long spells.