It was the time and place for Alexis Mac Allister to do his talking on the pitch and the disgruntled Liverpool midfielder did not disappoint. “Very sad” over Liverpool’s refusal to offer him a contract extension, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were getting theirs, Mac Allister made Anfield very happy with a match-winning display against Atlético Madrid.
The Argentina international, one of five World Cup finalists involved in a finely-poised, absorbing contest, vented his frustration in the best possible way with an immaculate 20-yard strike that extended Diego Simeone’s winless sequence against English opposition in the Champions League group phase to 11 matches. Mac Allister’s moment also gave Andoni Iraola the perfect start to life in the Champions League, and there were several contributions for the Liverpool head coach to savour. From Alexander Isak’s relentless pressing to Florian Wirtz’s consistent creativity, Liverpool rose to one of their toughest tests of the competition.
It was a night of firsts. Iraola coached a Champions League game for the first time in his career – he did take charge of 12 Europa League matches with AEK Larnaca in 2018-19 – Bradley Barcola made his first Liverpool start following a move worth an initial £106m from Paris Saint-Germain and Julián Alvarez was in Atlético’s starting lineup for the first time this season since his failed attempt to join Barcelona. All appeared to have been forgiven – for now at least – as his name was cheered by the small pocket of Atlético fans when the teams were announced before kick off and he repaid them by creating the opening goal.
That mantle could have fallen to Dominik Szoboszlai who broke up an Atlético attack from the kick off, surged into the chasm created by the visitors’s over-ambition and found Alexander Isak free inside the area. Isak pulled his shot wide of Jan Oblak’s far post with barely 16 seconds on the clock. Barcola was starting in the absence of Cody Gakpo, who was omitted as a precaution, and also broke free on the right to test Oblak from a tight angle from Ronald Araújo’s pass. Liverpool’s early ascendancy would not be sustained. Atlético’s quality in possession, with their midfield trio of Pablo Barrios, Koke and Álex Baena regularly dissecting their Liverpool counterparts, saw to that.
Marcos Llorente was the scourge of Anfield yet again when Alvarez threaded a pass too easily behind the home defence and the right wing-back raced clear on goal. The man who named his dog Anfield after scoring twice to eliminate Jürgen Klopp’s team from the competition in 2020, in the game played while Madrid was in lockdown from the Covid pandemic, lofted a confident finish beyond Alisson.
It was Llorente’s fifth goal at Anfield, half of his entire total of Champions League goals.
Atlético’s goalscorer had been kept onside by Milos Kerkez, who endured a poor night with his positioning and distribution before atoning with a key role in Liverpool’s equaliser.
Alvarez almost doubled the visitors’ lead when granted far too much time and space to take aim from almost 30 yards. Alisson, at full stretch, intervened with a superb finger-tip save. Anfield was growing restless at Liverpool’s carelessness on the ball and Atlético’s comfort on it. But the host’s ability to hurt Simeone’s side always offered hope.
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Wirtz drew a fine save from Oblak at the end of a flowing move involving Barcola and Isak. Liverpool then drew level thanks to tenacity from Kerkez, a lovely touch from Araújo and Szoboszlai’s instinctive finish. The left-back won possession with a clean, crunching challenge on Kang-in Lee before finding Barcola free on the right. The France international was denied a goal on his full debut by Oblak’s low save but Wirtz kept the pressure on and Szoboszlai, having been halted on the edge of the area, got a second bite from Araújo’s clever flick. The midfielder’s first time shot sailed into the far corner.
Barcola should have put Liverpool ahead when played through on goal by Wirtz early in the second half. The winger had time to measure the finish but pulled it wide of Oblak’s right hand post. No matter, Liverpool were ahead one minute later when the lively Rio Ngumoha beat Llorente and his cross fell to Mac Allister via a deflection off Isak. Mac Allister told Szoboszlai to leave the ball and drilled home an unstoppable left footed drive from 20 yards.
Atlético remained dangerous and the introduction of Ademola Lookman added an extra dimension to the visitors’ attack but Liverpool held firm.