Atalanta stunned Liverpool with an incredible 3-0 win in the first leg of the teams’ Europa League quarter-final tie at Anfield on Thursday, leaving the Reds’ hopes of European glory hanging by a thread.
Former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca dispatched right-wing crosses from Davide Zappacosta and Charles De Ketelaere either side of half-time, the first with the help of some weak goalkeeping from Caoimhin Kelleher, to put La Dea in dreamland.
With Liverpool throwing men forward in a bid to cut the deficit, Mario Pasalic capped a devastating Atalanta break by tapping home with seven minutes remaining to leave the hosts shell-shocked.
After one of the most chastening Anfield outings of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool reign, the German now needs a miraculous turnaround in Bergamo to have any chance of capping his final season in charge with a European trophy.
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Atalanta smothered Liverpool with their well-organised press and were far more of a threat from the off. Their first chance came within three minutes, but Pasalic saw his shot from six yards out hit Kelleher in the face.
Harvey Elliott went close to a spectacular opener when his curling effort bounced off both the crossbar and the post before dropping to safety, and La Dea made that reprieve count after 38 minutes.
A flowing Atalanta move ended with Zappacosta crossing low for Scamacca, and Kelleher allowed the striker’s weak finish to squirm into the net.
🤷🏻♂️Scamacca🤷🏻♂️ PIC.TWITTER.COM/1OZGQHJLIO
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) APRIL 11, 2024
Kelleher went some way to atoning for that error on the stroke of half-time, though, standing tall to smother Teun Koopmeiners’s chip with Liverpool’s defence nowhere to be seen.
Klopp introduced Dominik Szoboszlai, Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah at the break in a bid to wake Liverpool from their slumber, and the latter went close within 10 minutes of the restart as his snap-shot forced Juan Musso into action.
Darwin Nunez then shot over before Atalanta doubled their lead on the hour mark, Scamacca prodding De Ketelaere’s cross into the bottom-left corner after being left totally unmarked in the centre.
Koopmeiners should have made it 3-0 moments later but could only drag his shot wide, before Salah saw a tap-in correctly chalked off for offside at the other end.
With Liverpool desperately seeking a way back into the tie, Atalanta punished them further, Pasalic reacting quickest when Kelleher denied Ederson to tap home and leave La Dea with one foot in the semi-finals.
⚫️🔵 Pašalić makes it three 😲#UEL PIC.TWITTER.COM/YAJ7R5GFTV
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) APRIL 11, 2024
