Liverpool slumped to a nightmare result during their Europa League quarter-final with Atalanta - but all might not be lost for the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp’s side find themselves 3-0 down after the first-leg at Anfield. West Ham flop Gianluca Scamacca scored either side of half-time.
Former Chelsea star Mario Pasalic also got on the scoresheet for the Italian side to seal a comfortable result. The Reds now have a huge task ahead of them in Bergamo should they want to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Fortunately, they have done it before under Klopp. Back in November 2020, Liverpool secured a stunning 5-0 victory against Atalanta away from home.
Played in front of an empty stadium, the two sides came together in the Champions League group stage - and it was a result that saw the Reds strengthen their grip on top spot. Portuguese forward Diogo Jota stole the headlines with a hat-trick during the game.
He opened the scoring by lifting home a deft finish after latching onto a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass. Jota then doubled his evening’s work with another clinical finish before the break.
A fantastic effort from Mohamed Salah on the break extended Liverpool’s lead after half-time. The Egyptian then turned provider for Sadio Mane, who chipped home a fourth.
There was still time late in the day for the Reds to get their fifth - and Jota to get his third. He was played in-behind by Mane, rounded Marco Sportiello, and tucked home to secure the matchball.
Speaking after the game, Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his side and the performance they put in. He said: “We are good as well, we know that; we have to play good, we have to fulfil our potential. That’s what the boys did tonight.
“We defended Atalanta on an incredibly high level and played ourselves top football and scored the goals. That’s how it looks. We scored five goals, could have scored maybe two or three more, I don’t know.
“But Alisson had to make three world-class saves as well. So, you see how big the threat is if you let them do what they are good in. The overall performance of my team tonight was really good, that’s why we won the game. The result is not that important, we only wanted to win.”
Liverpool certainly need as good of a result in Bergamo next week should they want to stay in the Europa League. Klopp will no doubt be as motivated as anyone as he aims to round off his Anfield stint in dream way.