Liverpool’s chances of winning a European trophy and ending Jurgen Klopp’s reign have been dashed after they were unable to overcome Atalanta in the first leg.
The Reds, who had lost 3-0 at Anfield on Thursday, did not find the necessary goals in their trip to Italy, losing 3-1 overall despite dominating the game for extended periods of time.
They had optimism when Mohamed Salah scored a penalty in the seventh minute following a handled cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Egypt striker missed a great opportunity to score a goal on a one-on-one as the first half came to an end, but Klopp’s team found it difficult to produce any real opportunities in the second half.
The Reds’ trying 12 days are over as they lost at home to Manchester United and drew at and lost at home to Crystal Palace to surrender their lead at the top of the Premier League.
The focus will now shift back to the championship match, with Liverpool sitting two points behind leaders Manchester City and third behind Arsenal in second place.
Their remaining opportunity to provide Klopp with a fantastical farewell to his eight and a half years on Merseyside and build on their win in the Carabao Cup in February is now the league.
In the end, Liverpool lost this match at Anfield during the first leg.
Despite having over 70% of the ball, this was by no means Liverpool at their best, as Jurgen Klopp stated that they would need to play the “full game” in Italy if they were to advance.
They lacked a cutting edge in their attack, and Darwin Nunez’s quickness off the bench prevented them from breaking through the Atalanta defense and stretching the game.
With twenty-five minutes remaining, Klopp made use of his bench, substituting Nunez, Diogo Jota, and Harvey Elliott; nevertheless, it had little effect, as the Reds managed just two shots in the second half.
They performed poorly in the last third, as evidenced by their pitiful 0.11 anticipated goals in the second period.
Atalanta is currently 32 points behind leaders Inter Milan in Serie A, but they played a fantastic match, stifling opposition and launching inventive attacks to earn a spot in the semi-finals against Marseille, who defeated Benfica on penalties.
During his tenure, Klopp has led Liverpool to four consecutive European finals, but a fifth is out of the question.
They risk their season ending too soon. Three Premier League away games in the next nine days could well define how their campaign pans out from here.
(BBC)
