Liverpool were stunned at Anfield as Atalanta took a 3-0 first leg victory.
Liverpool players will roll into training on Friday somewhat shellshocked after being hammered at home to Atalanta on Thursday night, losing at Anfield for the first time since February 2023 and leaving their Europa League dreams hanging by a thread.
Jurgen Klopp’s men were simply caught off guard and sliced open by the Italian visitors, who looked quicker off the mark and more willing in every department.
Whether it was a case of a simple one-off, or whether a long arduous season is taking its toll, Klopp acknowledged that his Liverpool players need to do better and recover quickly.
Klopp, who has added an element of pressure on the season given he has confirmed he will depart Anfield next month, conceded that his men essentially “lost the plot.”
Klopp admitted at full-time: “It was a really bad game. We started well and didn’t continue. We just lost the plot a bit. We were everywhere and nowhere. I didn’t recognise what they were doing [in midfield].
“We played a bad game and deserved to lose. We must feel that now. But it’s this night to feel bad about it. Congratulations, Atalanta. They played really well.”
With one eye on Sunday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, Klopp insisted he had no issues starting with so many of his regulars on the bench. Mo Salah, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai all came on at half-time when trailing 1-0. He maintained: “I’d do exactly the same again.
Now, however, certain players in the Liverpool XI will feel they owe their German boss much more than others. Express Sport takes a look.
Virgil van Dijk
The Liverpool skipper had a very uncharacteristic evening, and it is no coincidence that when Van Dijk is out of tune, the Reds usually falter.
The imposing Dutchman stood off Davide Zappacosta which allowed him to get the ball into Gianluca Scamacca for the opener, while was also the guilty suspect for playing Scamacca onside for his second goal of the game.
Liverpool’s defensive talisman and key organiser looked livid with himself at the final whistle, and will undoubtedly be wanting to immediately make amends when Crystal Palace visit Anfield on Sunday.
Joe Gomez
Gomez has been an unsung hero all season, keeping himself at full fitness and playing out of his skin in the full-back positions, and even on occassion in defensive midfield.
But the Atalanta meltdown saw the England international lose his way. Perhaps a knock-on effect of Van Dijk playing under par, Gomez and his fellow defenders appeared to lose all rhythm and focus.
Gomez and Ibrahima Konate didn’t seem to be in sync with each other during large periods in the match, with a big gap left for Atalanta’s second goal.
The former Charlton man was seen berating himself during the onslaught, and will be keen to once again show way he has become a mainstay in the Liverpool XI this season.
Darwin Nunez
The chaotic, mercurial forward had an evening to forget.
Nunez’s first clear-cut chance of the game was wasteful, and it set the tone for things to follow. Opportunities were served up for the Uruguayan in the second half, to make amends and get himself on the score sheet, but Nunez failed to deliver.
The pacey forward is often forgiven for wastefulness given the Reds score in almost every match – the Atalanta loss being only the second time all season that Liverpool did not find the back of the net – but on this occasion the Reds needed their No.9.
Nunez was not up to the mark, and now Palace could likely feel his wrath as a scorned Liverpool look to get back to their ruthless best.
