It was a poor show from Liverpool last night who had the chance to qualify early for the knock-out stages of the Champions League but fell short with a 2-0 loss to Atalanta at home.
Atalanta started a lot more positive compared to last time out, with early chances for Josep Ilicic and Papu Gomez, as well as a strong effort from Robin Gosens that forced a save from Alisson.
Liverpool were slow throughout most of the first half, failing to register a shot on target and failed to create too much when in possession – a surprising aspect for Jurgen Klopp’s side and not something Liverpool fans have been used to seeing.
The Italian side capitalised on that frequently – including a penalty shout in the 35th minute after a challenge from Kostas Tsimikas on Ilicic but to no avail, with the challenge being very soft from the Greek defender with just a grab of the Slovenian’s arm enough to send him tumbling down.
Mo Salah produced the first shot of the game for the Reds shooting over the bar in the 42nd minute after a smart set-piece play with Tsimikas and Curtis Jones – a real example of the first half though, slow and just not quite on the money.
Atalanta had a great chance early on in the second half with a lovely through ball from Gomez across to Ilicic, but Alisson was quick enough off his line to collect the ball.
Still, the Reds failed to capitalise throughout the start of the second half – which was soon punished with a great ball into the box from Gomez that was met by Ilicic, who tucked the ball under Alisson to give La Dea the lead on the hour mark.
It didn’t take long for I Nerazzurri to double their lead with a simple finish from Gosens just four minutes later, off of a Hans Hateboer header across the box – the defending throughout the game to this point was poor, with the Reds looking flat and lackadaisical.
Who was your MOTM against Atalanta?
Rhys Williams
James Milner
Neco Williams
Other
The Reds failed a shot on target the whole game, something I haven’t been very used to seeing from Klopp’s side and I think we played incredibly poor. The starting XI never looked like the sort of team that was going to be bombing forward, with Tsimikas still not used to playing within the first team and Neco Williams not coming across as the attacking full-back that Trent Alexander-Arnold is.
Divock Origi never looked a threat in my opinion and I think he should have capitalised on his chance better, with the Belgium failing to do anything during his spell on the pitch and eventually being substituted off in place of Diogo Jota. The striker failed to show any glimpse of promise during the game and I think his poor movements and effort both on and off the ball played a big part in the front three’s lack of impact throughout.
It was a poor game overall for the Reds, who could have secured Champions League qualification with a win against the Italians – with it now leaving the club just three points clear at the top of Group D.
What do you think about the result Liverpool fans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below…