Devoid of lustre Atalanta shocked Liverpool 3-0 in the Europa League quarterfinals, which might have been Jurgen Klopp’s final European night in charge of Liverpool.
The Germans’ chances of qualifying for the Dublin showpiece, which takes place on May 22, are dwindling, but this competition offers them a chance to end their reign with a European trophy.
Thanks to a brace from Gianluca Scamacca and a late goal from Mario Pasalic, Atalanta are in full control of the quarterfinal match going back to Bergamo, as Liverpool lacked both creativity and cohesion in the first leg.
After Sunday’s potentially damaging 2-2 draw against arch rivals Manchester United, the Reds suffered their first loss at Anfield since February, when they lost to Real Madrid.
After a first-half miss by Harvey Elliott and a first-half shot by Scamacca that wiggled past Caoimhin Kelleher, the former West Ham striker beat Kelleher again in the second half as Liverpool began the game well.
It was Atalanta’s night, and Pasalic sealed an unforgettable victory for the visitors. An enraged Klopp yelled and waved his arms, pleading with fans to liven up the drab Anfield atmosphere.
For Liverpool, the red flags were up from the beginning.
Atalanta were given a green light to keep pressing in the third minute despite what looked like a foul on Elliott. Pasalic ultimately had a chance to shoot from six yards out, but Kelleher made a diving stop with his face.
Darwin Nunez surged through to test Juan Musso as Liverpool responded, and Alexis Mac Allister smashed over as the game continued to be open.
The Atalanta team came out swinging for the battle, displaying beautiful, fluid movement, but the Reds were finding openings, and Nunez made a bad grab when a ball got through.
After a brief pause in action, Elliott unleashed a breathtaking effort from outside the penalty area; his curling shot went acrobatically past the far post after brushing the underside of the bar.
Atalanta finally shut down Anfield in the 38th minute after Curtis Jones had made a comparable but less accurate attempt.
In front of the flagless Kop, Davide Zappacosta—a ravaging ex-Chelsea defender—sprayed a low cross for Scamacca, who struck a first-time shot that slipped past Kelleher.
The Gian Piero Gasperini side maintained their pressure right up until halftime and had a golden opportunity to score in the last seconds of the match.
After winning the ball at the halfway line, Marten de Roon delivered an unmarked Teun Koopmeiners through on goal, but Kelleher was there to block his shot.
Despite some grumbling during halftime, Liverpool came out strong in the second half, including Dominik Szoboszlai, Andrew Robertson, and Mohamed Salah.
Following Virgil van Dijk’s corner kick, Salah had two attempts at goal blocked by De Roon and Musso, respectively, while the introductions improved the situation.
As Liverpool persisted in making a run, Atalanta struck again in the 60th minute, but Nunez’s unconventional header was saved.
After a careless pass from Charles De Ketelaere down the right wing caught Liverpool off guard, Scamacca was able to score with a measured first-time finish after receiving passes from Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Koopmeiners came close to scoring a third for Atalanta moments later, but his shot went wide of the goal.
Liverpool appeared disoriented as they attempted to equalize; their joy at cutting the gap in the 79th minute was short-lived when Salah was adjudged to have been offside after receiving a pass from Robertson.
Just four minutes later, the atmosphere grew even darker as Atalanta took advantage of a mistake by Szoboszlai to break. Scamacca set up Ederson for a shot, who had the ball saved, and Pasalic followed up in front of the away crowd, giving Liverpool a huge challenge.
