Europa League: Atalanta Crushes Liverpool 3-0
In an unexpected turn of events, Liverpool suffered a sweeping home setback against the efficient and skilled Italian team, Atalanta. For the reigning favourites in the Europa League, this defeat at Anfield marks their first one at home this season. It also puts them in a precarious position in their pursuit to bid Jürgen Klopp farewell with a final in Dublin. Now, the manager who brought Liverpool many memorable European victories is facing the risk of a subdued exit.
Gianluca Scamacca, previously deemed a disappointment at West Ham, emerged a hero, netting two goals as Atalanta demonstrated superior attacking prowess and a robust defence, both areas in which Liverpool noticeably fell short. This defeat was Liverpool’s first home loss in their last 26 outings this season. The team is now looking at making another remarkable recovery to keep alive their hopes of sending off Klopp on a strong note at Aviva Stadium next month.
A conspicuous lack of flags on the Kop was another twist to the evening. This was a manifestation of a simple but potent protest by fans against Liverpool’s decision to increase ticket prices by two per cent next season. The flag demonstrations organized by the Spion Kop 1906 supporters group have become a quintessential part of European nights at Anfield and offered a strong marketing image for the club. This night, however, was an outlier. Just one banner dared the silence and read, “No to ticket price increases.”
The missing bursts of colours were not the only oddity during the European quarter-final at Anfield. Liverpool appeared defensive and unsure in the first half against Atalanta who effectively countered their pressing style of play. The Italian team remained unbeaten in their last 10 Europa League away matches, a streak that spans over six years. They were the dominant team from the off. With midfield duo Mario Pasalic and Teun Koopmeiners marking Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, Atalanta successfully disrupted Liverpool’s game plan. This obstruction starved Klopp’s forwards of the ball, and the frequent ease with which Atalanta found gaps in the Liverpool defence piled on the home side’s concerns.
In the initial stages of the match, Pasalic had an excellent opportunity to give Gian Piero Gasperini’s team a lead. When Charles De Ketelaere intercepted Virgil van Dijk’s clumsy clearance, Pasalic found himself in an unguarded position right in front of the goal, just five yards away. Despite this, his hurried shot was deflected by Caoimhín Kelleher’s face and led to a corner. Thus commenced a hectic and varied evening for the Liverpool goalie.
Not missing a beat, Liverpool retaliated instantly, seeing Darwin Núñez put Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso to the test following a counterstrike from the ensuing corner. A potential opportunity was squandered when Mac Allister sent a promising shot over the goalpost, following an assist from Harvey Elliott. Núñez, following a pass from Curtis Jones, had a clean run and missed an even greater opportunity, poking the ball wide with nothing but Musso in his way. Although there were wasteful moments, Kostas Tsimikas’ free-kick that ended up at Elliott’s feet on the opposite side of the penalty area was an instance of sheer bad luck for Liverpool. In Mohamed Salah’s absence, the attacking midfielder pulled off a spectacular curler, hitting the underside of the bar and the inside of the far post, but sadly, did not end up in the net.
Contrary to what these missed chances might suggest, Liverpool was not dominant in the game. Atalanta continued to assert themselves, particularly through wing-back Davide Zappacosta, who proved to be a constant danger from the right flank. After crafting a fine opportunity for De Ketelaere that was wasted due to an ill-advised back-heel towards Koopmeiners, Zappacosta once again found himself in plenty of space after a clever pass from Koopmeiners. This time he pinpointed an unmarked Gianluca Scamacca in Liverpool’s penalty area, who smoothly placed a low shot beneath Kelleher. Surprisingly, the normally reliable goalkeeper let the ball slip under his arms, despite seemingly having the shot well covered.
After an initial oversight, Kelleher came back strong with a key save from Koopmeiners, preventing Atalanta from scoring their second, following an advantageous play by Scamacca on the cusp of half-time. Klopp offered his critique of Liverpool’s lacklustre first-half performance during the break. The second half did not see the return of Tsimikas, Elliott, or Jones, who were swapped for Andy Robertson, Salah, and Dominik Szoboszlai. The new entrants injected a much-needed vigour and aggressiveness into Liverpool’s game. Salah managed to force Musso into a short save after Núñez secured the ball on the by-line. The Uruguayan player launched another attempt over the goal before he got replaced by Luis Díaz, causing Atalanta to face increased pressure.
It looked as though Liverpool was staging a comeback, but Atalanta scored once more. The second goal mirrored the first, as it was executed from a void on the right, leading to another accurate cross. De Ketelaere became the provider this time, with a first-timer delivery that left the home defence vulnerable. Ibrahima Konaté’s neglect inside the area left Scamacca open, who then splendidly guided the ball into the bottom corner.
A golden opportunity for Koopmeiners came next, as he could have taken the game and probably even the tie past Liverpool when De Ketelaere set him up inside the penalty area. Despite Scamacca being open again, Koopmeiners’ shot strayed wide. In a last-ditch effort, Klopp brought Diogo Jota into the four-man forward line, but a blunder by Szoboszlai handed Atalanta their third goal. Szoboszlai lost control of the ball, which was capitalised by Scamacca, passing the ball to Ederson. Although Kelleher was successful in saving Ederson’s first shot, the rebound was easily converted by ex-Chelsea midfielder Pasalic, indicating a surprising European exit for Liverpool.