The tattered Reds were ripped apart by Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
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Jurgen Klopp stated that there was no cause to panic following Sunday’s awful draw at Manchester United, but what happens now? Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes may not have been dashed at Old Trafford, but their Europa League hopes are over after an embarrassing 3-0 loss at home to Atalanta on Thursday night, which only adds to the suspicion that the Reds are running out of steam at the wrong time.
Liverpool simply never got going in the first leg of their quarterfinal match. Darwin Nunez squandered a fantastic opportunity, and Harvey Elliot hit the woodwork with a fantastic effort, but Atalanta should have been ahead by more than one goal at halftime.
The opener had an element of fortune to it, with Caoimhin Kelleher somehow allowing Gianluca Scamacca’s shot to squirm under his body, but the Italians were by far the better, more assured side, and they deservedly doubled their lead when the Italian side-footed home a fantastic cross from Charles De Ketelaere in the 60th minute.
By that point, Klopp had brought on Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, but there was no rallying the Reds, who lost a crucial third goal to Mario Pasalic in the dying minutes.
GOAL assesses all of the Liverpool players who were torn apart by an incredible Atalanta…
Virgil Van Dijk Liverpool Atalanta, Europa League 2023-24Getty: Goalkeeper and Defense.
Caoimhin Kelleher (5/10):
Should have saved Scamacca’s weakly struck shot, but Liverpool would have been worse behind at the half if he hadn’t made great saves on Pasalic and Koopmeiners.
Joe Gomez (4 /10):
Solid defensively, but gave little moving forward. Alexander-Arnold’s return to full fitness cannot come quickly enough.
Ibrahima Konate (4/10):
Returned to the starting lineup in place of Quansah and won plenty of possession, but was guilty of putting Scamacca onside for his second goal.
Virgil Van Dijk (4/10):
Making some crucial interceptions with some wonderful touches and threatening at the opposite end of the field, Liverpool’s poor defensive record does not reflect well on the captain, who did not step out early enough in the build-up to Atalanta’s third goal.
Kostas Tsimikas(3/10):
Atalanta wreaked havoc down Liverpool’s left flank, with their Greek full-back constantly caught out of place. He was eventually put out of his agony at halftime.
Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool Atalanta Europa League 2023-24.Getty Middlefield
Alexis Macallister (5/10):
Blazed over early on and was not his typical lively self, which is a huge issue given how vital he has been recently.
Wataru Endo (5/10):
Another underwhelming performance from a guy who has appeared fatigued in recent weeks. I took off with 15 minutes to go.
Curtis Jones (4 /10):
His magnificent through-ball to Nunez deserved so much more, but his passing consistently let him down, and he was hooked at halftime.
Darwin Nunez Liverpool Atalanta, Europa League 2023-24 Harvey Elliott scored a 5/10 on the Getty Attack.
Given a well-deserved start following another strong performance as a substitute at Old Trafford, he was brutally denied a wonderful, Salah-like goal by a combination of the bar and post. He was really unlucky to be substituted at halftime while his teammates were performing significantly worse.
Darwin Nunez (4/10):
He had issues with his pressing but made a complete mess of his finish after being put clear through by Jones. The fact that he was substituted when Liverpool needed a goal was a devastating indictment of his wastefulness.
Cody Gakpo(4/10):
Never gave up, at least, and gave Nunez one shot with his perseverance, but it was another missed opportunity to press his demands for a starting position.
Jurgen Klopp Liverpool Atalanta Europa League 2023-24 Getty Subs & Manager Luis Diaz (4/10)
Replaced Nunez at the hour mark but failed to make an effect.
Mohamed Salah (4/10):
At the start of the second half, he reclaimed his normal position on the right wing from Elliott and thought he had put Liverpool back in the game, but his tap-in was ruled out for offside.
Diogo Jota (5/10):
A welcome return to action after a two-month absence, but his arrival was too late to change the tide in the hosts’ favor.
Andy Robertson (6/10):
Unsurprisingly, he was called on in place of Tsimikas, and while he was effective going forward, he was unable to contain Atalanta’s threat down the right side.
Dominik Szoboszlai (3/10):
Came on in place of Jones in midfield but performed similarly to his teammate before allowing Atalanta to score a third goal.
Jurgen Klopp (3/10):
An unmitigated nightmare for the German, who could only smirk ruefully as his team absolutely capitulated. Clearly got his starting lineup completely wrong against such a quality opponent, and his alterations had little effect on the outcome of the game, leaving Klopp with a major task to resuscitate the Reds ahead of Sunday’s must-win Premier League encounter with Crystal Palace.
