A narrow 1-0 victory was not enough to turn the tie for Liverpool as they crashed out of the 2023-24 Europa League after a 3-1 aggregate loss to Atalanta on Thursday. Two weeks ago, the treble was on for the Reds, with them sitting in 1st position in the Premier League and an Atalanta vs Liverpool tie scheduling in the European tournament. But now, they find themselves in the worst-ever state in the season so far after getting eliminated from the Europa League and trailing Manchester City in the league.
With the European exit, the Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp is once again back to square one in a bid to find out the reasons behind their dismantling performance against Atalanta. Scroll down below to know why Liverpool was eliminated from UEL (UEFA Europa League) despite beating Atalanta 1-0 at Gewiss Stadium.
Atalanta vs Liverpool Europa League Quarter-final Summary
1st leg: Atalanta produced a sensational performance against the Reds in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals to clinch a 3-0 victory at Anfield. Amidst a series of missed opportunities from Liverpool forwards, especially Darwin Nunez, the Italian side went on scoring goals on either side of halftime through Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic to seal the deal and hand Liverpool their first home defeat in 14 months.
2nd leg: The second leg of the Atalanta vs Liverpool quarterfinals saw a fierce start with Jurgen Klopp’s men taking the lead through their talisman Mohamed Salah’s penalty goal in the early minutes of the game. But after that, they were unable to find the second goal despite dominating most of the match. The Reds finished the game with a victory, with Salah being the only difference between the two teams.
Also read: Why Didn’t Isak Hien Receive a Red Card in the Liverpool vs Atalanta Game?
Three reasons why Liverpool was eliminated from Europa League quarter-finals
Aggregate score rule
Despite securing a 1-0 victory at Gewiss Stadium, Liverpool left the pitch empty-handed, courtesy of the aggregate score rule applied in two-legged knockout tournaments. Atalanta had already secured an impressive 3-0 first-leg win at Anfield in the Europa League quarter finals. In order to march on, the Reds needed four goals in the second leg, but they managed to score only one goal, which was not enough to overturn their 3-0 home deficit from the home leg last week. With the aggregate score rule coming into play, Atalanta won the quarter-final tie with 3-1 overall scoreline against their Premier League foes. This is the main reason why Liverpool was eliminated from the Europa League despite beating Atalanta 1-0 in Italy.
Wastefulness of Nunez & Salah
Nunez had a woeful evening in the first leg of the Atalanta vs Liverpool Europa League quarter finals, despite starting the game in an intense way. The Uruguayan forward made an absolute mess of his finishing at Anfield and was one of the main reasons for Liverpool’s failure to score goals. The Reds would have opened the scoreline through him if he had not put the ball wide in a one-on-one situation after being put clean through by Curtis Jones.
The forward got another chance of redemption on the cusp of first-half before firing wide off a through ball from Gakpo just outside the penalty box. Liverpool’s lack of awareness in front of goals was perfectly demonstrated by Salah in the second leg, with the Egyptian missing two clear goalscoring opportunities. Chance after chance went begging, but the highest goal scorer in the history of the Reds kept lowering his standards in the game. Since returning from a long-term injury lay-off, he has clearly struggled to perform at his usual caliber, sending worrying signs for Klopp. With Salah leading the attack, Liverpool failed to create as many chances in the second half and crashed out of Europe without threatening another comeback.
Excessive pressure
Just before the Manchester United game, Liverpool were two points clear at the top of the Premier League, hoping for a treble this season after already winning the Carabao Cup. Fast forward two weeks, they have exited Europe, and are now trailing league leaders Manchester City by two points in the table.
With their chances of winning the European silverware gone, Liverpool now can bid adieu to their outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp with at least his second Premier League title. The German coach is set to leave the English club on 19th May this year. As the players are looking to add another glorious chapter to their illustrious coaching career, they are pushing themselves too much on every matchday, resulting in a lot of physical and mental stress.
During the Atalanta vs Liverpool game, former Red Don Hutchinson said on TNT Sports, “It is weighing on them – I see a team that is playing under stress.” The recent demonstration by the Liverpool players on the field since the Premier League game against United at Old Trafford clearly indicates that they tried to finish off the second leg at Atalanta in a hurry for soon-to-be-leaving Klopp, which eventually backfired in the process. Additionally, the relentless pressure of the jam-packed match schedules and winning trophies has also tested the players to the limit.
Also read: Jurgen Klopp shrugs off concerns regarding Mohamed Salah’s form after Liverpool’s Europa League exit