Anfield Watch
·18 April 2024
Anfield Watch
·18 April 2024
Liverpool produced one of their greatest displays under Jurgen Klopp in their only other trip to Atalanta. They need to do it all over again.
Liverpool travel to take on Atalanta tonight and face one of the most difficult tasks they've ever faced; 3-0 down from the home leg, the Reds need to produce a world-class performance to pull off another historic comeback.
Is it probable? Absolutely not but the Reds have at least a few reasons for confidence. One of those is their last trip to Bergamo - in fact, their only other trip to Bergamo.
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It came in November 2020 and Liverpool produced what remains their third-biggest away win in European football. Here's how it went.
Liverpool went to Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League back in 2020 for their first-ever fixture with the Italian club. Now, this was slightly different as it was in a Champions League group stage.
Liverpool were 1-0 up inside 16 minutes as Trent Alexander-Arnold found Diogo Jota. Is was already their fourth effort of the game, having limited Atalanta to just one.
Goal no.2 came on 33 minutes. Again, Jota found the net and by this point, Liverpool had managed over 100 passes more than their hosts and were utterly dominant.
By half-time, Liverpool had bumped that up to 132 more passes and seven shots to Atalanta's two. Did they let-up after the break? Quite the opposite.
It took Mohamed Salah just two minutes into the second half to find Liverpool's third. Curtis Jones got the assist and the Reds effectively had the game won.
Two minutes after that, though, Sadio Mané got in on the act for 4-0. Jota would complete his hat trick five minutes later.
Photo Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse 03-11-2020 Bergamo Italy Soccer Atalanta Vs Liverpool Uefa Champions League - Group D Gewiss Stadium In The Picture liverpool& x2019s players celebrate goal 0-2 Diogo Jota PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStefanoxNicoli/LaPressex
Only then did Liverpool actually slow down. Possession was actually 50/50 after the fifth goal. Before that it had been 62/38 in the Reds' favour.
It was one of Liverpool's best performances under Klopp and, importantly, he still has largely the same team at his disposal. Here's the XI from that game:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Williams, Gomez, Robertson; Jones, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Jota, Mané
Seven of those players are in line to start this time around, too. The centre-back pairing will certainly be stronger this time around - no question there.
Liverpool have the same manager, Atalanta have the same manager - there's just more on the line. But historically, several of the Reds' stars know how to win big in Bergamo.
A similar display is a necessity.
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