Liverpool were left stunned when Atalanta took the lead at Anfield in the first half, and things got even worse for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
There may be a second leg in this tie, but the tie is all but over as Atalanta will defend a 3-0 lead on their home turf thanks to goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic.
The opener came courtesy of former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca, whose predatory instincts in the box proved decisive. Despite Liverpool’s efforts, Scamacca found himself unmarked and capitalised on the opportunity with a clinical first-time finish, leaving goalkeeper Kelleher helpless as the ball squeezed past him.
At half-time, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recognised the need for a tactical reshuffle. The introduction of Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Salah injected fresh energy into the team, as they sought to regain control of the game.
However, Atalanta’s momentum remained unyielding, with Scamacca once again stealing the spotlight with a masterful volley to double their lead. The defensive lapses from Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate only added to the frustration for the home side, as they struggled to contain Atalanta’s attacking prowess.
The final blow came in the form of Mario Pasalic, who capitalised on a loose ball to further extend Atalanta’s lead to 3-0. Despite Kelleher’s heroics in denying Ederson, the Croatian midfielder’s opportunistic strike poured misery on Liverpool, marking their first Anfield loss since their defeat to Real Madrid in February 2023.
Liverpool were shocking at the back against Atalanta
Liverpool’s defending was shambolic at times, which made it look easy for the away side. Atalanta created seven big chances to Liverpool’s three.
For the Italian’s second goal there was a tonne of space for Scamacca to ghost into. And that provoked a reaction from Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.
Jurgen Klopp was furious with the space his defence left for Gianluca Scamacca's second goal of the evening ? pic.twitter.com/eqf3zgT6ju
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 11, 2024
The Reds will be hoping for a miracle in the reverse leg to try and keep their Europa League campaign alive.
Konate&Tsimitkas ,Jones were dreadful,lazy &un composed,rubbish performance,give back your wages,Tossers.!
The whole team played badly.
Absolutely disgusting. A local amateur team would have provided a far better game than this shambolic side. All those faithful supporters who consistently fork out to pay absorbant rates for tickets should have a refund, as I see it those liverpool players who have the temerity to call them selves profession are obtaining money, under false pretences
Absolutely diabolical performance. We played as if we didn’t want to be there. Defensively we weren’t there at all. Jurgen has every right to be furious as has every fan who was there….including me 😡