Match ends, Atalanta 0, Liverpool 1.
Liverpool's hopes of ending Jurgen Klopp's reign with a European trophy are over after they failed to overturn a first-leg deficit against Atalanta.
The Reds travelled to Italy on the back of a 3-0 defeat at Anfield last Thursday and, despite controlling the game for the large periods, could not find the required goals and lost 3-1 on aggregate.
Mohamed Salah's seventh-minute penalty, after a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross was handled, gave them hope.
As the first half drew to a close, the Egypt forward lofted well wide when put through one-on-one, but Klopp's side struggled to create meaningful openings in the second period.
It marks the end of a difficult 12 days for the Reds, who drew at Manchester United and lost at home to Crystal Palace to surrender their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Attention will now turn back to the title race with Liverpool sitting third behind second-placed Arsenal and two points off leaders Manchester City.
The league now represents their final chance to give Klopp a fairytale ending to his eight and a half years on Merseyside and add to their success in the Carabao Cup in February.
Liverpool lack creativity as season threatens to peter out
Ultimately, Liverpool lost this game in the first leg at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp said they would need to play the "complete game" in Italy to progress, and while they had more than 70% possession, this was Liverpool far from their best.
They lacked an incisiveness going forward and with the pace of Darwin Nunez starting on the bench, they failed to get in behind the Atalanta defence and stretch the game.
Klopp used his bench, calling for Nunez, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott with 25 minutes remaining, but it made little difference with the Reds only having two shots in the second half.
Their expected goals was a meagre 0.11 in the second period, demonstrating the lack of quality they showed in the final third.
Atalanta sit sixth in Serie A, 32 points behind leaders Inter Milan, but they were superb in this tie, defending valiantly and attacking with creativity, and deservedly set up a semi-final against Marseille, who beat Benfica on penalties.
Klopp has managed Liverpool in four European finals during his tenure, but there will not be a fifth.
Their season is in danger of petering out. Three away games in the Premier League in the next nine days could well define how their campaign pans out from here.
Player of the match
LookmanAdemola Lookman
Atalanta
Avg
- Squad number11Player nameLookmanAverage rating
7.29
- Squad number8Player namePasalicAverage rating
7.07
- Squad number17Player nameDe KetelaereAverage rating
7.01
- Squad number13Player nameÉdersonAverage rating
6.20
- Squad number77Player nameZappacostaAverage rating
6.20
- Squad number7Player nameKoopmeinersAverage rating
6.19
- Squad number90Player nameScamaccaAverage rating
6.17
- Squad number15Player namede RoonAverage rating
6.16
- Squad number19Player nameDjimsitiAverage rating
6.14
- Squad number23Player nameKolasinacAverage rating
6.13
- Squad number22Player nameRuggeriAverage rating
6.10
- Squad number59Player nameAl MiranchukAverage rating
6.10
- Squad number4Player nameHienAverage rating
6.09
- Squad number1Player nameMussoAverage rating
5.94
Liverpool
Avg
- Squad number4Player namevan DijkAverage rating
5.78
- Squad number1Player nameAlissonAverage rating
5.73
- Squad number26Player nameRobertsonAverage rating
5.71
- Squad number66Player nameAlexander-ArnoldAverage rating
5.71
- Squad number10Player nameMac AllisterAverage rating
5.70
- Squad number7Player nameDíazAverage rating
5.50
- Squad number5Player nameKonatéAverage rating
5.49
- Squad number18Player nameGakpoAverage rating
5.48
- Squad number8Player nameSzoboszlaiAverage rating
5.32
- Squad number11Player nameMohamed SalahAverage rating
5.12
- Squad number17Player nameJonesAverage rating
5.08
- Squad number20Player nameDiogo JotaAverage rating
4.32
- Squad number19Player nameElliottAverage rating
4.20
- Squad number76Player nameDannsAverage rating
4.16
- Squad number2Player nameGomezAverage rating
4.13
- Squad number9Player nameNúñezAverage rating
3.92
Line-ups
Atalanta
Formation 3-4-1-2
- 1Musso
- 19Djimsiti
- 4HienBooked at 43mins
- 23Kolasinac
- 77ZappacostaBooked at 90mins
- 13dos Santos Lourenco da SilvaSubstituted forPasalicat 75'minutes
- 15de Roon
- 22Ruggeri
- 7KoopmeinersBooked at 77mins
- 59Al MiranchukSubstituted forLookmanat 79'minutes
- 90ScamaccaSubstituted forDe Ketelaereat 75'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Tolói
- 3Holm
- 8Pasalic
- 10Touré
- 11Lookman
- 17De Ketelaere
- 20Bakker
- 25Adopo
- 29Carnesecchi
- 31Rossi
- 33Hateboer
- 43Bonfanti
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Alisson
- 66Alexander-ArnoldSubstituted forGomezat 72'minutes
- 5Konaté
- 4van Dijk
- 26RobertsonSubstituted forDannsat 79'minutes
- 8SzoboszlaiSubstituted forElliottat 67'minutes
- 10Mac Allister
- 17Jones
- 11SalahSubstituted forNúñezat 67'minutes
- 18Gakpo
- 7DíazSubstituted forJotaat 66'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Gomez
- 3Endo
- 9Núñez
- 13Adrián
- 19Elliott
- 20Jota
- 21Tsimikas
- 38Gravenberch
- 42Clark
- 62Kelleher
- 76Danns
- 78Quansah
- Referee:
- François Letexier
- Attendance:
- 14,994
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home30%
- Away70%
- Shots
- Home8
- Away10
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away5
- Corners
- Home2
- Away1
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Atalanta 0, Liverpool 1.
Post update
Offside, Atalanta. Ademola Lookman is caught offside.
Post update
Foul by Curtis Jones (Liverpool).
Post update
Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Post update
Attempt saved. Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alexis Mac Allister.
Booking
Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Diogo Jota (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta).
Post update
Corner, Atalanta. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
Post update
Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta).
Substitution
Substitution, Atalanta. Ademola Lookman replaces Aleksey Miranchuk.
Substitution
Substitution, Liverpool. Jayden Danns replaces Andy Robertson.
Post update
Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
Post update
Sead Kolasinac (Atalanta) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Booking
Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Foul by Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta).
Post update
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Comments
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I seriously doubt it
We beat Atalanta 5 – 0 before you said.
Well you didn’t tonight, hahahaha.
Thank You Atalanta.
Please thumbs up if you agree with me