Liverpool were stunned at Anfield after suffering a shock 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
Jurgen Klopp made the changes before kick-off but they almost backfired immediately as his team had Caoimhin Kelleher to thank for a stunning point-blank save from Mario Pasalic.
The Reds were far from their best and Gianluca Scamacca gave his team a deserved first goal, although his shot escaped Kelleher’s hands.
Despite a triple change at half-time, Liverpool failed to recover and Scamacca doubled Atalanta’s lead after some poor defending, before Mario Pasalic added a third to send the Italian team to pre-match dreamland back from next week in Bergamo.
Here, Mail Sport’s WILL PICKWORTH has rated the players…
Atalanta surprised Liverpool at Anfield in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals
It was a terrible night for Jurgen Klopp as his team put in a dismal performance and lost 3-0.
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Liverpool (4-3-3)
Caoimhin Kelleher – An impressive save from Pasalic early on, but Kelleher was at fault for the first goal by allowing Scamacca’s shot to slip through his hands. He made some good saves afterwards, although his save landed at the feet of Pasalic for Atalanta’s third. 5
Joe Gomez – Lacked his usual composure on the right and didn’t know if he was coming or going when facing Atalanta’s split forwards, as the Italian team constantly got behind. Wasteful in attack. 5.5
Ibrahima Konate – Struggled to deal with a dangerous attacking trio and was responsible for Scamacca’s second goal, playing with De Ketelaere, before leaving the former West Ham flop in acres of space. 6
Virgil van Dijk – Surprisingly unstable, with the Serie A side constantly opening spaces for Liverpool, while the Reds faltered under pressure from their opponents. He also headed a good chance from a corner. 6
Kostas Tsimikas – Exposed in his first start since February, with Zappacosta and Koopmeiners causing him all sorts of problems, while he was badly out of position in the build-up to Scamacca’s first goal. Hooked on the break. 5.5
Kostas Tsimikas struggled badly in his first start since February and was left hooked at half-time.
Virgil van Dijk and his defensive partner Ibrahima Konate were surprisingly out of tune for the Reds
Endo Wataru – He failed to provide the defensive protection he has provided for much of the season. One of the Liverpool stars who were in a bad mood at Anfield. 6
Alexis Mac Allister – A strong candidate for Liverpool’s Player of the Season, but the Argentine had one of his quietest nights in the Reds shirt. 6
Curtis Jones – A good ball to create a chance for Núñez, and he got some good positions in the inside left channel. Perhaps substituted harshly at half-time. 7
Harvey Elliott – Unlucky not to score after his curved shot hit the post and crossbar, although he failed to take advantage of his opportunity from the start. 6.5
Darwin Nunez – Missed a golden opportunity at 0-0 when he should have avoided Musso, before shooting inside the area in the second half. Núñez has to improve in front of goal if he wants to move to the next level. 5
Cody Gakpo – Caused occasional problems coming in from the left as the Dutch striker showed signs of his usual form but failed to inspire a reaction for his team. 6
Darwin Núñez was wasteful in attack and squandered two good opportunities on either side of the break.
Mohamed Salah failed to inspire Liverpool when coming off the bench and had a goal disallowed
SUBSTITUTES
Mohamed Salah (for Harvey Elliott, 45 minutes) – Finished the disallowed goal well, but it shouldn’t have been offside. They squandered two more good chances and not even Liverpool’s talisman could inspire them on this gloomy night. 6
Andy Robertson (for Kostas Tsimikas, 45 minutes) – A bright spark for Liverpool as he added impetus down the left and played a delightful ball for Salah’s disallowed goal. 6.5
Dominik Szoboszlai (for Curtis Jones, 45 minutes) – Looked to add energy, but made a terrible mistake in Atalanta’s third, which could prove crucial in the tie. He also missed a good opportunity at the end. 5
Luis Diaz (for Darwin Núñez, 60 minutes) – Struggled to get into the game, although he tested Musso with an opportunity. 5.5
Diogo Jota (for Endo, 75 minutes) – It’s nice to see Jota on the field for the first time since February, but he showed up too late to have an impact on this game. 5.5
Unused subs: Adrian, Quansah, Bradley, Alexander-Arnold, Bajcetic, Clark, Gravenberch
Reserved: None
Scorers: None
It was a special night for Atalanta, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s team putting in an impressive display.
Atalanta (4-3-1-2): Musso 7: Zappacosta 8.5, Djimsiti 6, Hien 6, Ederson 6; Ruggeri 6, Roon 7, Pasalic 7.5; Koopmeiner 6.5; Scamacca 8.5, De Ketelaere 7 (Miranchuk 89)
Unused subs: Toloi, Holm, Touré, Lookman, Bakker, Adopo, Carnesecchi, Rossi, Hateboer, Bonfanti
Reserved: Hien, Ruggeri
Scorers: Scamacca 38 + 60, Pasalic 83