Liverpool’s hopes in the Europa League took a severe blow as they suffered a surprising defeat at home to Atalanta in the first leg of the quarter-finals at Anfield. Gianluca Scamacca, a former West Ham player, found the net twice, while Mario Pasalic, previously with Chelsea, sealed the deal with a late third goal. This setback puts Liverpool at a disadvantage for the return leg in Bergamo next Thursday.
“Bergamo 👏” ad Anfield… 🖤💙
Unbelievable scenes at Anfield 😍#LiverpoolAtalanta #UEL #GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/KbxEAyzog3
Advertisement— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) April 11, 2024
Scamacca opened the scoring in the 38th minute, taking advantage of a mistake by Caoimhin Kelleher. Despite some promising attempts by Liverpool, including Darwin Nunez’s missed opportunities and Mohamed Salah’s disallowed goal, Atalanta’s clinical performance and Liverpool’s lackluster defense proved decisive. Scamacca doubled Atalanta’s lead in the 60th minute, and Pasalic added a third in the 83rd minute, capitalizing on a rebound.
The defeat leaves Liverpool facing an uphill battle to progress in the Europa League, with the winners of this tie set to face either Benfica or Marseille in the semi-finals. For manager Jurgen Klopp, this loss marks a disappointing turn of events, especially after making several changes to the lineup in an attempt to bounce back from their recent draw against Manchester United. Despite their European pedigree, Liverpool now find themselves struggling to salvage their Europa League campaign and facing the prospect of an early exit from continental competition.
