Liverpool 2, Atletico Madrid 1 Match Recap: Reds Come From Behind

Liverpool 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid

The Reds: Szoboszlai 40’, Mac Allister 50’
Atletico Madrid: Llorente 17’

Pre-Match

Bradley Barcola makes his first Liverpool start tonight, but Gakpo misses out entirely due to a muscle strain. Gravenberch and Frimpong continue their bench duties under the new gaffer, Araujo gets another start, and Ngumoha is also back in the starting line up.

First Half

Liverpool nearly get in straight away after Szoboszlai’s clever interception in midfield. He drives forward with the ball, plays Isak through, but the Swedish striker cannot put his effort on target. Either way, good start!

Liverpool’s fast start has continued for most of the opening 15 minutes. They’ve looked sharp, aggressive in the press, and dangerous when they’ve won it back. However, if they don’t get their reward soon…oh never mind, Atleti scored against the run of play with a very simple ball through the heart of the defense.

I’d say that Liverpool responded well in the fifteen minutes since conceding, but they haven’t actually registered a shot since then. So. Lots of huffing and puffing and definitely not blowing the house down.

Dom pokes home an equalizer! After all the fruitless lovely buildup play, it was a scrappy goal that puts Liverpool back on level terms. And it was a very sexy backheel assist for Araujo!

Second Half

Liverpool are straight into these to start the second half. Barcola is played through on goal and should score his 1-v-1 but puts his effort just wide of the target. Then a moment later a loose ball comes out to Alexis Mac Allister at the edge of the box, and the Argentinian midfielder hammers home a left-footed effort to put The Reds in front!

Potentially bad news: Barcola pulls up with an apparent knock and walks off gingerly. The manager takes the opportunity to make a double sub, bringing on Munoz and Frimpong for Barcola and Ngumoha. Ten minutes later, Iraola makes another sub, this time swapping Mac Allister—who has been excellent tonight—for Gravenberch. Koumas and Tsimikas are the last two subs, coming on for Kerkez and Isak.

And Koumas almost immediately makes an impact! He creates a great chance for himself, tests the keeper, and if Frimpong had stayed onside, Liverpool would’ve been up by two goals.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool make it a boring last 40 minutes or so, and that’s perfectly fine. The Reds hold on to a come-from-behind 2-1 win. Not a bad outting for Iraola’s Champions League debut! The Reds have scored 2 goals in each of their opening 4 matches, which bodes well for a team still gelling under the new boss.