Alisson plays new Liverpool role and gesture goes flat as four things spotted vs Atalanta

Alisson Becker of Liverpool FC makes a save during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Quarter-Final second leg match between Atalanta and Liverpool FC at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on April 18, 2024 in Bergamo, Italy.
A new kind of role for Alisson wasn't enough to inspire another famous Liverpool comeback. -Credit:Stefano Guidi


GEWISS STADIUM, BERGAMO// Liverpool knew it had left itself a mountain to climb after a 3-0 reversal at Anfield. But it travelled to take on Atalanta buoyed by memories of famous European comebacks of old, with Jürgen Klopp certainly not minded to give up.

A three-goal deficit was quickly sliced down to two from the penalty spot, further swelling belief. But the 12-yard test told us little about whether Liverpool had overcome the finishing woes that have dogged recent fixtures.

When Mohamed Salah passed up a glorious opportunity to make it two, shinning his attempted chip horribly wide, a familiar fear crept in. That would have put Liverpool just a goal away from forcing extra time with more than 45 minutes to find it, but Atalanta held onto its safety net, and the Reds struggled to displace it.

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The big disappointment for Liverpool will be that it ultimately failed even to make it too nervy for Atalanta, as Klopp's time in Europe with Liverpool ended in hollow victory. Here are the four things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.

Salah gesture comes to nothing

It was the perfect start for Liverpool, as it was always going to have to be to give the Reds a chance. Instead of falling behind early, as has been an infuriating trend this season, the visitor was awarded a penalty inside five minutes.

For a brief moment, it looked like Alexis Mac Allister might step up, having been the taker in Mohamed Salah's absence. But the Egyptian took on the responsibility of the pressure kick.

Seemingly nerveless, Salah slotted the penalty away with no fuss. And his reaction spoke volumes.

There was no celebration whatsoever. Salah almost chased after his penalty in order to fish the ball out of the net and rush it back to the center circle. Liverpool hasn't looked especially recognizable in the last couple of games, but Klopp's mentality monsters seemed to be back on show here from the off.

Yet there was a fragility to it. For a while, Liverpool threatened to turn one into two and make things really interesting, but the opening just wouldn't quite come. And when it did fall to Salah, and he skewed it wide, some of that belief seemed to evaporate.

Alisson the spare man

In a repeat of his League Cup 2022 decision, Klopp opted to field Alisson in Caoimhín Kelleher's competition, with his number one still on his way back to full sharpness. But to be fair, the Brazilian looked plenty sharp enough here.

He was forced to showcase that to prevent a Virgil van Dijk own goal shortly after Liverpool had taken the lead. The offside flag eventually went up anyway, but Alisson wasn't to know that as he changed direction brilliantly, clawing the ball away from the line.

Meanwhile, he had an interesting role in possession. How much was in the game-plan only he and the coaches know, with Klopp seemingly urging him back to his goal at one point, but Alisson regularly stepped out with the ball, even approaching the center circle on one occasion.

With Atalanta's man-marking, Alisson was the spare man, putting the spotlight on his distribution. And while Trent Alexander-Arnold was unmatched in his ability to spray it around, the goalkeeper played his part too, with another side of his ridiculously well-rounded game coming to the fore.

Klopp's subs speak volumes

It was always likely that Klopp would look to the bench at some point. The game was threatening to go flat with 25 minutes to play, and it seemed an astute time to go to the bench.

On came Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota. They replaced Salah and Luis Díaz.

Most would have expected Cody Gakpo to be one of those who made way. But on a night where Liverpool deployed a highly fluid front three to try and shake off the man-marking shackles, the Dutchman knitted everything together really nicely.

Gakpo nearly released Díaz with a beautiful flick in the first half, and there were plenty of cute moments like that in tight spaces. He looked like one of the few who could really punish Atalanta for getting so tight.

It was a big statement for Klopp to leave Gakpo on and withdraw Salah. But right now, he probably is the form forward, and this was another encouraging outing for a player who was coming in for heavy criticism a few weeks ago.

A nod to the new era

There's no escaping it. This was a flat way for Klopp to bow out of European competition with Liverpool, having thrice taken it to the Champions League final.

But the introduction of Jayden Danns was a nice touch. Klopp turned to the youngster to try and find a route to goal, make no mistake, but it was also symbolic.

Danns is already good enough to be trusted in situations like these. But for the next manager, he could end up being a truly key figure, along with any number of promising youth talent. There's disappointment now, but the future is bright.