Alexis Mac Allister made his case for an improved Liverpool contract no harm with the winner as head coach Andoni Iraola got off to a winning Champions League start by beating Atletico Madrid 2-1. Mac Allister expressed his frustration at not being offered a new deal on the eve of Wednesday’s match, but responded by blasting home from the edge of the box to cap Liverpool’s comeback. Marcos Llorente had given Atletico an early lead before Dominik Szoboszlai levelled the score before half-time. Victory came at a cost for the Reds, though, as new signing Bradley Barcola limped off with a calf injury.
For the first time three players who cost in excess of 100 million pounds ($135m) were named in the same side as Barcola made his Anfield debut alongside Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the Liverpool attack. Isak fired just wide after a purposeful break by Szoboszlai in an energetic start by Liverpool in the first Champions League game of Iraola’s career. But in their desperation to pour forward, the Reds left themselves wide open to the counterattack. Atletico were humbled 3-0 by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to cap an underwhelming start to the season by Diego Simeone’s men.
Julian Alvarez’s future has cast a cloud over Atletico on and off the field for the past few months after his desire for a move to Barcelona was steadfastly rejected by the club’s hierarchy. The Argentinian was handed his first start of the season and cut open the Liverpool defence for the opening goal. Llorente – who named his dog Anfield after scoring twice in Atletico’s last 16 win over Liverpool in 2020 – raced onto Alvarez’s pass to score his fifth goal in three visits to Anfield with the Spanish side. Only a brilliant save by Alisson Becker denied Alvarez from long range before the Liverpool fightback began.
Barcola twice should have marked his first chance to impress his new fanbase with a goal. The French winger, whose transfer from Paris Saint-Germain could cost Liverpool up to 123 million pounds ($166m), failed to squeeze the ball past Jan Oblak with just the giant Slovenian to beat. However, Liverpool kept the attack alive and Ronald Araujo’s flick teed up Szoboszlai to find the bottom corner on 40 minutes. Barcola missed an even better chance for his first Liverpool goal when he fired wide after being played in by Wirtz early in the second half.
Again, though, the reprieve was brief for the visitors. Mac Allister had been linked with a move to Atletico during the transfer window and expressed his sadness at not being offered a new contract by Liverpool, while Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have agreed new deals in recent months. The Argentinian international arrowed in a shot from outside the box on his weaker left foot and celebrated wildly in front of the Kop. Liverpool’s joy was short-lived as Barcola pulled up holding his calf before the hour mark in what Iraola will hope is not a serious setback.
Iraola will be much happier with his side’s defensive display in the second half. Alvarez fired too close to Alisson with one of the visitors’s few clear sights of goal. A last-ditch challenge by Robin Le Normand denied Isak a third goal to round off a fine night for Liverpool. But Iraola was able to celebrate his first statement win since taking charge.
Szoboszlai was awarded player of the match and told TNT Sports that it was a very even match. “I am very happy to be back, these nights are always special and after a setback we came back in a good game,” he said. “It was ups and downs all the time, they are good team, I think we have a quite good team as well. It was a 50/51.”
