Liverpool suffered elimination from the Europa League despite their 1-0 victory over Atalanta in the second leg of the quarter-finals. With an overall aggregate score of 1-3 after two legs, Liverpool was knocked out of the competition.
Starting the second leg on a positive note with Mohamed Salah scoring in the seventh minute, Liverpool still couldn’t overturn the situation after their 0-3 defeat at Anfield. Salah missed a good opportunity in the 39th minute, preventing the away team from creating additional pressure. In the second half, Jurgen Klopp’s side only managed two shots, with a conversion rate of just 2%, which wasn’t enough to add to their goal tally.
Klopp had led Liverpool to four European cup finals during his nearly nine-year tenure. He also possessed the most valuable squad in the Europa League, valued at $980 million according to Transfermarkt. Prior to the match in Bergamo, the German manager had said, “If we are eliminated, we want to bid farewell in the most beautiful way.”
The match unfolded as he predicted only halfway. Liverpool was eliminated, but it wasn’t their best performance this season. The away team fielded their strongest lineup possible, despite still being in a crucial race in the Premier League. Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return to the starting lineup for the first time in over two months due to a Conor Bradley injury.
It was Arnold who created the opening goal for Liverpool with a cross that struck Atalanta defender Matteo Ruggeri’s hand in the penalty area. French referee Francois Letexier awarded a penalty to the away team, and Salah deceived the goalkeeper with a low shot to the bottom right corner. The goal was scored in the seventh minute, the same time when Divock Origi scored Liverpool’s first goal in their comeback from 3-0 down against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final.
But that was all the visitors could do in Bergamo. In the 39th minute, Salah sprinted towards the goalkeeper but chipped the ball too wide of the target. After the first half, left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas approached Salah and appeared puzzled as to why the Egyptian star chose to chip the ball instead of taking a direct shot.
In the final minutes of the match, Klopp sat on the ice box with a solemn expression. Liverpool’s only remaining battleground is the Premier League, where they currently sit in third place behind Manchester City and Arsenal. Nevertheless, the 57-year-old manager has a consolation prize as he bids farewell to Liverpool at the end of the season, which is the League Cup.