ATALANTA 0-1 LIVERPOOL (3-1 agg.): Mo Salah’s early strike gave Liverpool a narrow victory in Bergamo, but it was insufficient to allow them to mount a valiant recovery.
Liverpool’s dreams of winning a triple have been dashed after losing to Atalanta in the Europa League.
After falling to the Italian team 3-0 at Anfield last week, the Reds faced a formidable challenge. For a few moment, it appeared as though they could pull off the unbelievable, as Mo Salah’s penalty in the seventh minute handed Liverpool the ideal start in Bergamo.
The Reds, however, did not pose quite enough of a threat as Atalanta held their Premier League opponents at a distance. Liverpool now returns their focus to playing at home and winning the league.
Atalanta advances to the semi-finals and will face either Benfica or Marseille there. Here are all the talking points from Liverpool’s challenging evening in Bergamo:
Liverpool has a fantastic start.
Atalanta could only become anxious if they were to find the net first. Salah of Liverpool accomplished just that. Matteo Ruggeri’s arm stopped Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross, giving the Reds a spot-kick.
Salah took ownership of the game and scored expertly to cut his team’s deficit to two goals. The attacking intent of Klopp’s team was evident from the beginning as they piled on their Italian opponents. Salah’s attempt went miles wide of the goal just before the half, even though he should have scored another.
Atlanta flees in red
Shortly after Salah’s goal, Liverpool appeared to be about to double their lead when Luis Diaz was allowed in behind. The Colombian appeared to be going through one-on-one.
As the ball bounced up, Isak Hien reached out an arm to stop it in its course. Naturally, the majority of the Liverpool team called for a red card, but the referee wasn’t persuaded and only sent out a yellow.
Hien lingered on the pitch. The Reds may also view that incident as a turning point because they could have tied the game with two more goals if he hadn’t been on the pitch.
Fluency is a challenge for Liverpool.
Even though Atalanta appeared to be improving early on, they were able to stop Liverpool’s onslaught quickly. The Reds appeared like a completely different team after the break and produced nothing close to enough to mount a comeback.
Nothing that could be called a “golden chance,” but there were a few intriguing exchanges and a clutch of balls in the behind. It’s an issue that Liverpool is beginning to pay for.
The last three games have seen just one goal scored by Klopp’s team. If they want to stay in the running for the Premier League, they need to find their creative spark again, and quickly.
Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool in Europe is over
It’s official: as manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has overseen his final European match. But for the Reds, wow, what a roller coaster. Three finals for the Champions League, one winning.
A Europa League final was also held there. Not to mention the historic victories at Anfield against Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.
Even though Klopp was unable to pull off yet another incredible comeback, he will be pleased with his work in placing the Reds back among Europe’s best.
Gasperini provides a hint
Regarding the Liverpool bench, there are several candidates vying to succeed Klopp. Gian Piero Gasperini, the manager of Atalanta, is one of those names, and he has done no harm at all to his chances.
Atalanta was well-organized, disciplined, and accomplished enough to barely pass. They are still a very excellent football team and should have found a way past the Reds, even though they are not as daring as they were in the past. This is how Liverpool would appear in the upcoming season, assuming Gasperini is appointed.
