While their Premier League aspirations may not have taken a decisive hit at Old Trafford, their hopes in the Europa League were crushed by a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta on Thursday night, casting doubt on their form at a critical juncture.
From the onset of the quarter-final tie, Liverpool struggled to find their rhythm.
Despite Darwin Nunez missing a golden opportunity and Harvey Elliot rattling the woodwork with a splendid effort, Atalanta asserted dominance and should have been ahead by more than a solitary goal by halftime.
The opener, somewhat fortuitous, saw Caoimhin Kelleher culpable as Gianluca Scamacca’s shot slipped beneath him.
However, the Italians showcased superior composure and control, doubling their lead deservedly when De Ketelaere’s exquisite cross was met by the foot of the Italian in the 60th minute.
Even with Klopp introducing the likes of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, Liverpool failed to spark a comeback, succumbing to a late third goal by Mario Pasalic, sealing their fate in the match.
After the match, Liverpool’s captain spoke to the press saying: “If you don’t have belief, there’s no point in going to Italy. We can’t dwell on it. In three days we play again. From tomorrow, we have to switch it back on to getting a result.”
“Very disappointing evening. Too many individual mistakes and we were punished“
