Andoni Iraola marked his Champions League debut as Liverpool manager with a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid, but the night was soured by an injury to new signing Bradley Barcola.
The two clubs met for the sixth time in as many years, with Liverpool again coming out on top after last season's dramatic 3-2 win secured by Virgil van Dijk's injury-time goal. This time, Alexis Mac Allister scored the winner after Dominik Szoboszlai had cancelled out Marcos Llorente's early opener.
Llorente strikes again as Liverpool fall behind
Liverpool started brightly but fell behind after 17 minutes when Marcos Llorente, who has named his dog Anfield because of his knack of scoring at the stadium, clipped the ball over Alisson from Julian Alvarez's through ball. The goal was his fifth in three games at Anfield.
Milos Kerkez's failure to track Llorente's run drew criticism. Paul Robinson, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “You can see Kerkez is a player lacking confidence. He has had a lot of criticism in the early stages of the season and tonight won't help. His man ran away from him [for the goal].”
Szoboszlai and Mac Allister turn the game
Atletico were content to let Liverpool keep possession and press in midfield, leading to fierce battles. Alexis Mac Allister was booked for a late stamp on Lee Kangin, and the Atletico bench repeatedly pressured the referee whenever he was near a player.
Szoboszlai levelled five minutes before half-time with a clinical finish into the bottom corner after Ronald Araujo flicked a pass into his path. Mac Allister then slammed a 20-yard effort inside the near post to complete the comeback.
Mac Allister had spoken publicly about his 'sadness' at not receiving a new contract in the summer, after Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch both signed new deals. He revealed he had options to leave in the transfer window, but his strike showed the quality he possesses.
Barcola injury mars the win
Bradley Barcola's night ended on the hour mark when he was forced off with a calf injury. The £123million man pulled up off the ball after attempting a sprint and limped off. The severity of the injury remains to be seen, with cramp due to a lack of minutes also a possibility.
Barcola wasted two golden chances before his exit, with Jan Oblak saving a close-range effort in the first half and the forward shooting wide from a one-on-one in the second. Jeremie Frimpong, introduced at the same time, thought he had sealed the win in the 88th minute but was denied by the offside flag after slamming the ball into an open goal.
