Europa League: On aggregate, Atalanta triumphed over Liverpool with 3-1
Liverpool’s attempt for a remarkable turnaround was futile despite their 1-0 triumph over Atalanta in Bergamo, leading to the end of their Europa League journey. The early penalty goal by Mohamed Salah lent hope to reminiscing the unforgettable 4-0 victory against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final, but persistent struggles upfront left them with a 3-1 exit on aggregate.
The culmination of Jurgen Klopp’s debut season was marred by a defeat in the finale of the competition, and the story repeated this season with another setback— the sole major title he hasn’t secured during his nine-year tenure at Anfield.
The frustrating part of the narrative is the way his side squandered the opportunities a week earlier, thus making the rebound, devoid of Anfield’s lucky charm like five years ago, less attainable. Klopp had motivated his team to “fail in the most beautiful way” just as he did against Barcelona. While the first half, led by a rejuvenated Trent Alexander-Arnold, was remarkable, it only resulted in one goal.
Liverpool now face six Premier League games, lagging by two points behind Manchester City, as they strive to ensure their admired manager isn’t left with just a Carabao Cup in a season, that showed signs of a quadruple just four weeks earlier.
On the brighter side, Alexander-Arnold’s presence would be beneficial, as exemplified in the first half against Atalanta who were flabbergasted to an extent. Surprisingly, Liverpool got off to a brisk start, but it wasn’t their determination that stood out, rather the perpetual momentum they generated.
Alexander-Arnold’s return post-injury dating back to mid-February has transformed the team dynamics drastically since the defender was allowed to fend and innovate. However, it was his orthodox right-wing cross that made an impact, hitting Matteo Ruggeri’s arm and earning a penalty, subsequent to Luis Diaz’s left wing run and inside cut.
Following a mandatory VAR examination, Salah skilfully sent goalkeeper Juan Musso in the wrong direction, striking a goal in the seventh minute synchronising with the timing of Divock Origi’s comeback score against Barca. However, Musso’s quick reflexes thwarted Diaz’s strike after receiving an excellent pass from Cody Gakpo, ending any direct comparison with the past game. The player activity on the field was quite dynamic, with Salah regularly assuming deeper and central positions, while Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were seen frequently in the centre-forward position.
Despite Salah’s triumphant return after a February injury, he seemed ill at ease when Gakpo set him up for a clean shot. His attempt to lob the ball over Musso bore no fruit. The hosting team took a sizable chunk of 25 minutes to adapt to the storm of activity, with Alexei Miranchuk’s off-target, offside shot being the only strike they attempted in the half. Atalanta’s centre back, Isak Hien, was possibly lucky for only being given a yellow card for deliberately using his hand to block Diaz from capitalising on Salah’s pass, shortly before the match broke for halftime.
The team seemed more invigorated during the second half, with both Ederson and Koopmeiners’ attempts directed straight to Alisson Becker. Klopp rolled the dice with 25 minutes to spare, bringing on Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, but this only created more disruption on an already chaotic field.
Meanwhile, in a separate match, West Ham faced a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen (with Leverkusen advancing on a 3-1 total score). Despite their exit from the Europa League, West Ham did not go quietly, giving the newly-crowned German champions quite a scare. Leverkusen nearly saw their unbeaten streak end at the hands of Michail Antonio, leading West Ham fans to dream of a possible semi-finals spot for the third consecutive European year.
Despite their valiant efforts, the Hammers couldn’t locate a second goal, their spirits crushed when Jeremie Frimpong’s deflected shot led to a 1-1 tie at the last minute, resulting in an aggregate score of 3-1 which ended their dream.
Not many believed they could recover from such deficit against one of the top-ranking European team, especially considering them seem slightly off form after the celebration of their first-ever Bundesliga trophy.
West Ham knew that a swift action from the start was crucial, both in the stands and on the field, contrast was evident compared to their disappointing 2-0 loss to Fulham previously at home.
The first goal attempt came from Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen, but Lukasz Fabianksi, West Ham’s goalkeeper, skillfully blocked it, showing agility on his 39th birthday.
A comeback was to be sparked by a goal from West Ham, and they delivered in the 14th minute of the game when Jarrod Bowen made a successful cross. Antonio outjumped Leverkusen’s central defender Odilon Kossounou and beat the goalkeeper Matej Kovar to net the ball, igniting hope in the passionate home supporters.
The Hammers almost doubled their lead after four minutes when Mohammed Kudus managed to escape Kossounou’s attention and fired a shot which Kovar skillfully blocked. This compelled Alonso to take Kossounou out of the game within half an hour, with the defender promptly exiting the grounds.
Things heated up off-field when the Hammers’ calm coach Billy McKinlay and Leverkusen’s Sebastian Parrilla were both dismissed. West Ham kept pushing though, with a promising shot by Edson Avarez blocked by Antonio, and Kovar managing to hold Bowen’s subsequent shot.
Alonso brought in heavyweights Victor Boniface and Frimpong after the half-time break. Bowen, despite fitness concerns, amplified their attacking prowess after regaining possession from Piero Hincapie, but unfortunately missed the target.
Yet, Leverkusen were getting into their groove. With just 10 minutes remaining, Frimpong had an open opportunity to seal the match as he found himself one-on-one with Fabianski. Alas, his shot skyrocketed well above the crossbar. However, in the dying moments of the match, Frimpong’s shot managed to find the net, albeit with a significant deflection off Aaron Cresswell. This unfortunate turn of events brought a premature end to West Ham’s European journey.