Credit: Imago / Net Insurance YouTube

Harri Burton

Tue 14 April 2026 22:15, UK

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Maurizio Mariani was the man in the middle as Liverpool and PSG battled it out for a spot in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Anfield crowd was subdued, with their 2025-26 campaign resting on reaching the next round, and the Ligue 1 giants heading into the clash with a two-goal advantage on Tuesday, 14 April.

Just moments after having a penalty overturned, Lius Enrique’s side put the tie to bed through a lovely Ousmane Demeble strike, who then grabbed another in stoppage time.

Liverpool are now out of the Champions League, with a spot in the competition next season at stake in the Premier League, and it could have been even worse for the Reds on Merseyside.

Arne Slot almost gets involved on the pitch

In the 26th minute, a spinning ball down the left flank appeared to be heading out of play, only for it to curl back in towards Milos Kerkez. You can probably guess what happened next.

Arne Slot looked as though he had come onto the pitch, but it was a moment that went completely under the radar. The referee might have thought he’d stayed inside his technical area, but it should have been a warning at the very least.

Alexis Mac Allister unfairly punished early on

Alexis Mac Allister was first to go into the referee’s notebook at Anfield, being cautioned just before the half-time whistle for wiping out Joao Neves on the touchline.

PSG’s No.87 was going absolutely nowhere, and with the yellow card meaning that the midfielder would be suspended for the next round, it seemed like a very harsh decision from Mariani.

Fouls were flying in all over the pitch. It was hardly reckless from Mac Allister. It was nothing more than careless. The referee went to his pocket far too easily on this occasion.

Maurizio Mariani requires VAR to overturn penalty decision

Liverpool fans were bouncing off the walls when Mariani pointed to the penalty spot in the 64th minute, only to be massively disappointed following a VAR intervention.

The referee eventually reached the right decision, but it was disappointing to see a UEFA official give a penalty for something so soft.

There was contact between Mac Allister and William Pacho, but nowhere near enough to send the Liverpool man tumbling inside the penalty area.