If this is to be Jurgen Klopp’s remaining European night at Anfield as Liverpool manager, this was once now not how it was all supposed to end.
After almost nine years in charge, Klopp is in a position to toast to a whole host of well-known evenings of continental football at this venue which include Roma, Borussia Dortmund and, of course, a positive 4-0 win over Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final 5 years ago.
Liverpool might have to summon the spirit of May 2019 again because they require some thing of a in a similar fashion Herculean nature next week as they go in search of another three-goal turnaround in opposition to all odds.The good news is that Klopp’s guys did rating five instances the remaining time they were hosted with the aid of Atalanta four years ago, but that might be thin gruel for those searching for crumbs for relief right now.This horrorshow used to be the polar contrary of those aforementioned performances as the Reds suffered a really surprising 3-0 defeat to depart their Europa League hopes hanging through a thread.
A massive phase of Liverpool’s large arsenal is the potential to run over opponents with their greater reserves of velocity and power. But they met their in shape right here in opposition to a supremely drilled and physical Atalanta aspect who paid no recognize to their opponents, the venue or the storyline of ending Klopp’s time as manager with a Dublin final that, to many, has been enveloping this European campaign seeing that the supervisor announced his decision to step down in January.
And full credit score must go to Gian Piero Gasperini and his players, who proved that their 2020 success right here in the Champions League used to be no quirk of the behind-closed-doors nature of pandemic football. The Serie A facet were beneficial winners and it’s now five besides reply on their last two visits here. Who else can boast that?
In a first 1/2 of few chances, Darwin Nunez ought to have finished higher when his try at a chipped finish from Curtis Jones’s through ball was once skewed large while Harvey Elliott was so unlucky not to open the scoring with a extraordinary effort that kissed both the underside of the bar and the put up earlier than bouncing out.
Liverpool have been made to pay for what is, via now, a routinely middling first 45 minutes when Gianluca Scamacca finished off a low ball into the box for a goal that saw questions requested of Caoimhin Kelleher, who, in full fairness, had made an fantastic keep before in the recreation to keep out Mario Pasalic
