LIVERPOOL, England - Celebrating Liverpool's stoppage-time winner by covering his left eye, Roberto Firmino was finally able to joke about the injury that nearly denied him a chance to face Paris Saint-Germain.

Assurances the scratch on his cornea had cleared up only came hours before kickoff in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"I can open the eye again," Firmino told manager Juergen Klopp after the 3-2 victory.

Firmino still had to bide his time to play, starting on the bench and watching as Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead.

Firmino had been on the pitch 11 minutes by the time Kylian Mbappe equalized for the French champion in the 83rd minute.

But the French World Cup winner's carelessness at the other end allowed Firmino to provide a thrilling climax to a pulsating night at Anfield to open Group C.

Mbappe was dispossessed by James Milner and Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk combined to feed the ball to Firmino.

The Brazil forward, who injured his eye against Tottenham on Saturday, found the space to weave through the defense and fire a low shot into the net.

"The day before yesterday there was no chance (he could play) and yesterday it didn't look well," Klopp said. "This morning he came in and said 'I'm fine.'"

It all made for painful viewing for PSG coach Thomas Tuchel in his first Champions League game with the French champion.

Conceding in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of an electrifying encounter at Liverpool is just what happened when Tuchel's Borussia Dortmund was beaten 4-3 by Klopp's side in the Europa League quarterfinals in 2016.

"This is what Liverpool does," Tuchel said. "They press you and they make it hard for you in possession."

Four months after the fivetime European champion lost last season's final to Real Madrid, Liverpool showed its credentials to again challenge for the title by finding a way to tame Neymar and Mbappe for much of the game.

"He's got to work hard to try to improve," Tuchel said of Mbappe.

Leftback Andy Robertson, who repelled Mbappe's forays down the right, also showed his attacking ability by setting up the opener.

A cross from Robertson was headed in by Daniel Sturridge 30 minutes into his first Champions League start since playing for Chelsea in 2012.

"We are good at getting in people's faces," Robertson said. "Especially at home, to make it uncomfortable."

Milner, who was Liverpool's tireless engine in midfield, then stepped up to the penalty spot when Georginio Wijnaldum was tripped by Juan Bern, doubling the lead in the 36th minute.

"We conceded goals in the first half, but we never lost our confidence the rest of the way," Tuchel said.

That was evident when Thomas Meunier sliced into the net in the 40th minute, and PSG avoided a bigger deficit when Mohamed Salah's goal in the 67th was ruled out for Sturridge sinking his studs into goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in the buildup.

Salah, Liverpool's top scorer last season, had a low-key game and it was his misplaced pass that gifted PSG a chance for a late equalizer.

AP